Last fall, I mentioned that I needed to be more like my students and be absolutely fearless in asking for what I really want. 

Like many creative biz owners, I work a full-time job in addition to my creative business pursuits. That day job directly impacts the side hustle. (I’m a teacher at an inner city school.) The past school year was beyond challenging. Stress was definitely a contributing factor to the Bell’s Palsy I suffered in mid-May.  Thankfully, now two months later, I am almost completely healed.

I asked for what I really wanted (repeatedly). A lot of coworkers lobbied on my behalf and several others sent up prayers.

W-E-L-L the unthinkable actually happened! I get to be a full-time librarian (not function as a special areas teacher) for the upcoming school year!  THRILLED is putting it mildly.

The only downside is that my long-time parapro was reassigned to a new position (an excellent opportunity for her to grow) and I’ll be sharing a parapro with another department.  My new library helper is the same wonderful lady who helped with sewing club the past 4 years. She’s never worked in a library, but she hadn’t operated a sewing machine before clubs either!  She can definitely learn!

Happiness in the day job is bound to translate into more time available for the side hustle. I picked up lots of vintage Singer Featherweight and Elna accessories during my thrift shop/flea market jaunts over the summer. Items will be available as of 8/1.

Stay tuned.

At the Featherweight Retreat, I got to see ALL kinds of Featherweight machines, accessories, gadgets, doo-dads, modifications – you name it. It was also a wonderful educational experience for me.  I learned what the avid collectors truly prize: the freearm Singer 222K, “Penguin” walking foot and Swiss-made Singer zig zag attachment.  The Penguin foot is considered the holy grail by many FW collectors due to rarity, but don’t discount the cuteness factor either.

Last week, I received a text message from one of the retreat attendees asking if I was interested in a Penguin walking foot. Of course I replied, “Yes!”.  The price was reasonable, considering what some had recently sold for.  Honestly, had she been set up to accept an electronic payment, I’d probably be holding said Penguin foot in my hot little hands right now.  I was definitely caught up in the moment. Being forced to press “pause” to figure out the payment logistics made me stop and listen to my inner voice that was shouting, “Not now.”

I love vintage machines and actually sew on mine. From a practical standpoint, a 222K would make more sense for me than a Penguin foot or zigzag attachment. The reality is that Penguin foot costs more than both of my Featherweights combined. I just couldn’t justify spending that kind of money on a presser foot – no matter how collectible it might be. Put a few more dollars with it and I could have a 222K – which would be very cool, and practical, for the way I sew.

That’s not to say that I haven’t bought some new accessories for my beloved Featherweights.  I safely tuck away original cases and any accessories that I don’t use on a regular basis. Thanks to a lucky score at an antique mall, both FWs now sport a complete set of original feet and accessories.  Juliette got a new roomier reproduction carry case while Crystal received a foot pedal adapter.  Rather than dispose of Juliette’s old reproduction case, I decided to try my hand at refinishing it.  It’s been stripped, sanded and is now in the process of being painted a vintage teal color. The case will be lined with fabric and new chrome hardware attached that looks very similar to the original green/white case.  Stripping off the old vinyl/fabric covering was a nasty process and something in the fabric, glue or wood caused a major itchy rash to break out on my arms. Fortunately, I’m on the mend and looking less “reactive” with each passing day.  I’ll post a picture of Crystal’s one-of-a-kind case when it’s finished.  Psst: Cost of case rehab materials/hardware was about $22….but when you factor in the time…it would probably been have more cost effective to buy two new cases! 🙂

Simply stated:
Whether you teach using a single pattern, magazine article or from a book, each student should have his/her own legitimate copy.  It is generally NOT okay to buy one copy of a pattern, magazine or book and then make copies to distribute to your students.

But patterns and books cost so much!!! Believe me, cost is a HUGE factor in deciding which projects to do with my kids.

As a librarian at the day job, it’s my responsibility to explain copyright and fair use to my staff. I’m certainly not an intellectual property attorney; however, I do my best to model ethical copyright behavior in both the day job and when teaching sewing classes.  Here are some tips to help keep things copyright compliant while keeping costs down:

1. If you absolutely love the pattern, teach from it and have your students buy the pattern for that class!  See if you can get the pattern at a discount.
2. Fabric and craft companies (plus designers) post numerous free projects online.  Use those!  Work with the shop to kit the projects. If necessary, have students print out their own copies of the free pattern and bring to class.
3. For books, students can often borrow from a library or find them much cheaper at a used bookstore/online vendor.
4. Buy basic commercial patterns (pajama bottoms, skirt, aprons, etc.) that you’ll actually use in classes when they are on sale for $1-2 each at the big box retailer. I buy 4-5 copies of a single pattern at a time.  Each kid takes home the pattern they used in class and the cost is built into the class fee. This is a convenience for my students and helps keep things copyright compliant.
5. Design your own patterns! Inspired by something you saw but can’t find a pattern that you can use?  Pinterest and YouTube are your friends.  I’ll bet you can come up with something!  Keep projects simple and let the kids add their own creative flourishes.  Pillowcases, tote bags, zippered pouches, drawstring bags, tablet covers, mug cozies and potholders can only be made so many ways.

When planning projects for classes, I survey my students to see what they’d like to make. If it’s a garment, see #4.  If not, I meet with the shop owner to see if there are any patterns currently in stock that they’d like me to use.  If not, I’ll go to option #2 & then #5. Honestly, I usually develop my own patterns and instruction sheets for the Kid’s Club projects.  Most project patterns are written for adults – not children.  Occasionally, the quilt shop calls because a customer wants to buy my project instruction sheets. I’ve since spiffed up the format and now sell them when asked.