Hi, I'm Melissa and I'm known by my students as The Sewing Teacher. I've been a middle and high school educator, teaching sewing (amongst other subjects), in Australia for over 10 years. Throughout my Honours Teaching degree, I specialised in Textiles Technology, and Textiles & Design, completed a Certificate Ill in Applied Fashion & Design and a Certificate IV in Advanced Patternmaking. I wrote my final thesis on the Factors Affecting Boys Selecting Textiles Electives in School. Not including my teaching, I worked out that I have been sewing for over 20 years!
It was through my love of dance that I started my sewing journey. I grew up with my dance classes, competitions and concerts consuming most of my waking life. When I was 17 and I was able to have a lot more input into the designs of my costumes, I decided I wanted to learn how to make them myself to save money - though I’m not sure it really helped since I made so many mistakes! My mum helped me purchase my first sewing machine (the exact one I still use today) on the proviso that I attend beginners sewing lessons at our local Spotlight (fabric & haberdashery) store every Saturday afternoon. I enjoyed it so much and had so many of the other students asking me what costume I was going to make next that I become one of their longest attending students, only being forced to stop when Spotlight removed the classroom in order to make more room in the shop for products. I spent the next 4 years sewing costumes for myself and other dance students and going to every sewing workshop I could find.
It has been my year 7 students at school who inspired me to take my sewing knowledge and skills to a wider community. For the first time in my teaching career I had a large portion of students who came to me already knowing the very basic machine and hand stitching skills needed for our school sewing classes. I had to come up with additional projects and techniques to keep them focused and interested. As the term progressed and we came to the end of their textiles rotation, a few advanced beginner students who now had a renewed interest in sewing, began asking their parents, aunts and grandmothers to help them continue sewing other projects at home. Many others seemed lost as to how to continue accessing the knowledge and enjoyment of sewing outside of our classes, with no one at home or in our local community area to continue teaching them. It is these students who inspired me to develop my online sewing courses.
How many other people have an interest in sewing but can’t access a sewing teacher or lessons to foster their interest? It takes a lot of courage to take charge of your own education and seek out courses to advance yourself. I want to support those amazing people. In other words, You.
I will share my sewing knowledge and skills through my online courses. I will provide the information you need to sew your own projects through easy to follow tutorials that build upon basic sewing skills, using basic sewing equipment. It doesn’t matter if you are male, female, non-binary, a beginner, or have loads of experience, I will have something for everyone.
