by Chanell Gautreaux

Created on: June 01, 2010

Learning to sew, either from a book or an instructor, is an invaluable skill that can come in handy in many areas of life.  From mending to making your own clothing or home décor items (such as throw pillows or curtains), knowing how to sew can save you a lot of money and provide you with a sense of satisfaction upon completing a project.

While many people learn to sew from a family member, if you are a person who can read a book and follow directions and have things turn out great, you may do well with online videos and tutorials.  However, if you are someone who needs step by step hands on training, and no relative is available to teach you locating a sewing instructor will be the best route for you.

Finding a sewing instructor may be an easy or a difficult task depending on where you live.  It would stand to reason that the larger the city or town, the more people and the more likelihood there would be sewing instructors.  On the other hand, smaller towns that don’t move at the pace of the big city may be more likely to have persons who actually sew rather than buy all their clothing off the rack.

No matter where you live there are a number of resources for locating a sewing instructor.  The first and possibly the best place to look would be the same place you purchase your sewing supplies.  Your local fabric store may offer classes and if not the sales clerks will probably have enough knowledge of sewing to help you learn and may even be willing to teach you.

Of course in the modern world working in a specialty store does not equate to knowledge on the subject (an occasionally frustrating situation) and if that is the case then your next best bet in finding a sewing instructor through the fabric store will be other customers.  In addition to fabric stores some communities may have at least one sewing machine retailer.  This type of business depends on customers learning to sew and will more than likely have resources for finding sewing instructors if they do not offers classes themselves.

Coffee house and church bulletin boards are not just for finding apartments and giving away puppies.  Even if you don’t see a flier for sewing classes with little tabs across the bottom for you to tear off a phone number, you can always make your own.  Grocery stores and Laundromats often have bulletin boards as well.

Many community centers offer classes in arts and crafts and sometimes you can find a sewing instructor this way, even if sewing classes are not offered.  Community colleges are another potential source for sewing instructors as are quilting groups.  Finding a sewing instructor may take a little searching but it is not an impossible quest.

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