Hastag: Annoyed with Joann!

So if you have been reading my lifestyle blog you've probably heard I am trying to learn how to sew.

Over the past almost year, I have made a really sweet friend, her name is Ashley. 

We are like the same person. 

But different.

But the same!

We were talking one day about sewing.

I have a machine.

She has a machine. 

Niether of us know how the darn thing works. 

So we decided we should take a class offered by a local craft store.

I called the store (ahem, Joann's) after looking up the schedule online and asked what we need to do.

I see online there is sewing 101 on June 4th. is this correct?

yes, she said. 

Do we need to preregister?

no, she said.

Can we bring our own machine?

yes, she said.

What supplies do we need?

all supplies are provided, she said.

I even called back a week or so later to confirm we don't have to preregister.

nope, you can just show up, she said. 

GREAT!  

Babysitter is set, we are doing this!!!

I drop Caroline off at Ashley's house with the babysitter and we make a quick stop at Starbucks.

We wanted to be early so we could get a good spot and set up.

We were like little kids on the first day of school!

 So giddy and excited :)

We get to the classroom and there is a young girl crating with noodles and paper.

Hmm, well school's out so maybe the teacher brought her daughter.

Doesn't bother us.

A woman sitting at a computer station turns to us and sees we have our arms full of sewing machines, kits, and Starbucks and very rudely states,

There's no class today.

WHAT!?! Yes there is. 

So I went into the whole conversation I had back in May.

Her responses are,

There is no class today.

It was never on the schedule.

We don't post our schedule online.

You must have been looking at another store.

You MUST register for classes.

I don't know who you talked to but I am the Education Coordinator and you're wrong.

Blah, blah, blah.

this went on for 30 mins. 

We were so mad and upset.

We went ahead and PREREGISTERED for the next class and they gave us 1/2 off but... ugh!

What a mess!

We were kid free until 2:30 so what did we do?

Went to downtown little D and had lunch on a porch.

Sorry no pics prior to the beer b/c we were just too mad.

Then, around 6 that evening I remember the text convo I had with Ashley about the class and I sent her a screen shot of the class schedule.

So I called the store and verified the store number.
2212, she said.

BOOM, I knew it!!

The next day I went to the store and talked to the manager.
She was very apologetic and that was that.
hashtag #AnnoyedatJoann!

 

Stay tuned!

We WILL learn how to sew :)

 

 

Sewing 101 : Turning on the Machines!

Where do I start...

first off, the manual doesn't match up to the machine I have. I guess back in the 80's, Singer only printed a generic manual but the diagrams differ from what I am looking at so it makes it hard to decipher. Soooo, I kind of had to wing it. I managed to turn the thing on, wind the bobbin with thread (go me!), and thread the machine (another win)!

 

Ashley and I look so official with our kits and starbucks, don't we?!

We thought it would be best to just dive in with a simple apron pattern. We got it pretty much figured out and traced the pattern on trash paper so we could use it more than once.

great advice from my momma since patterns can get pricey. 

After pinning and cutting our pieces out, we started to sew! 

Man, it's hard! 

Ashley did pretty good, her first line was a little crooked but that's what a seam ripper is for. 

My seam ripper quickly became by most used tool of the day and here's why...

First lesson learned: Put the presser foot DOWN! 

Oh geez, yes, I forgot to lower the presser foot!

Once I lowered the foot, this happened.

and happened again, and again, and again!

 Seriously!? What happened? 

My Mom said I need to oil my machine and play with the tension. I hope that will solve the problem.

Our day ended once Frozen was over and Caroline got a hold of the extension cord and Haylee dumped an entire bottle of milk everywhere.

It was an afternoon full of laughs and frustration and we still have a loooooong way to go but look forward to the journey!

 

 

Welcome to Butterfly Kisses!

Ashley and I are so so excited to launch our sewing journal, Butterfly Kisses!

A little about us and why we wanted to start this blog...
  We want Butterfly Kisses to be a  place we can share our journey, the good and bad projects, connect with fellow sewing enthusiasts new and seasoned, and post lots of pictures along the way!

But mostly,

we want to pass on the joy and love in handmade clothing to our girls just like we had growing up.

Why the name?

Honestly, we thought it was cute and maybe one day we can make cute clothing for our kids and add a BK label to them for legit-ness.
(that's totally a word, I think)


How we met:
I have been taking ballet from the same studio for going on 10 years now.
Ashley and her family moved to TX two Falls ago and last fall she began classes at my studio.
We started talking about what we do.
Both of us are stay at home Moms who work and both of us have little girls.
I invited her to try out the Fit4Mom group I joined back in 2013 to loose the baby weight and the rest was history.

One day we were talking about things we like to do, which, for the both of us meant anything crafty. We created a secret pinterest board to collect craft ideas and noticed several sewing projects were being pinned. Neither one of us knows how to sew but we both have machines and want to learn. 

After a few crafty play dates, we decided now is this best time to dive in. We have two beautiful little girls who we love to dress up in colorful patterns and whimsical silhouettes and both grew up with moms and aunts who made us the sweetest clothes and costumes. 

Stay tuned for next week's post... we are turning the machines ON! 

Wish us luck :)

We gladly accept any and all advice!

Just type them in the comment box below.

 Have a wonderful Memorial Weekend!