Sewing is Magic
a self-paced course designed to build confidence, connection, and skills
register for the sewing is magic self-paced course below (and PARTICIPATE live in our next cohort, if you wish, beginning sept 21, 2023)!
Join me, your Sewing Fairy Godmother, for a four-week journey into making your own magic with a needle and thread or your sewing machine. Whether you’re an absolute beginner or you’d like to refresh your knowledge of the basics, this class will give you the foundation to make anything your heart desires.
When you’ve completed this course, you’ll know everything you need to begin creating things for yourself, your friends, and your home. You’ll be able to express your creativity in new ways right away simply by choosing your own fabrics, customizing the sizes and shapes of the sample projects, and using the repeatable skills and techniques you’ll learn in your own creative way.
The curriculum for Sewing is Magic was designed to provide a solid foundation for a lifetime of making. You don’t need any prior experience to get started sewing.
You don’t even need your own sewing machine (but maybe you can find one to borrow if you want to try). We’ll also explore stitching by hand for those times when you don’t have access to a machine or simply want a slower pace.
I believe that learning and creating are both sacred arts.
Alongside the basics of sewing on a machine or by hanD, we will practice rituals to set intentions for your workspace and creative time.
a Little spell-casting, a little journaling, a little meditation makes for a more grounded practice, and can help you feel more COMMITTED and connected to your creative dreams.
I’ve been sewing since I was five years old, and I have made every possible mistake. Some of those errors led to frustration, but many led to new insights and learning that I’m excited to pass along to you. You don’t have to make the same mistakes I’ve made: you can make your own!
Learning to sew isn’t a singular act; it’s resistance to fast fashion and overconsumption. The act of making embraces what’s sustainable and everlasting. It’s a repurposing of materials that would otherwise be discarded. It’s a continuation of the long thread that connects and weaves together countless lineages hailing from nearly every continent and culture on earth.
Sewing is Magic because it connects us to ourselves, to our earth and ecology, and to our past and future. Learning to sew will expand your capacity for creativity and saturate every facet of your life with new perspectives and confidence.
Sewing is Magic because it encourages us to release toxic perfectionism — to dissolve our attachment to the belief that the end product is what matters most, or that it must adhere to standards established outside of ourselves. Essentially, the path to creation is as important as the creation itself. Along the way, you can find self-compassion, joy, experimentation without judgment, and truly embrace your own personal aesthetic.
How is the course set up?
Sewing is Magic is an on-demand course with recorded video lessons and printable exercises. It was carefully structured to be completed within 4 weeks, but you can take all the time you need.
As you begin, you’ll embark on a clearly mapped-out journey. You gain access to all the course materials the moment you join, so you can decide for yourself whether you consume the lessons and create every project in a sleepless long-weekend binge or make your way through the content in four weeks or even four months.
Since the classes and materials were designed in an order that builds success upon success using skills from the previous lesson, I heartily encourage you to go through them in order the first time. After you’ve been through the whole course once, I invite you to drop in again wherever you like to refresh your memory or try something again with a fresh perspective.
Along with instructional videos, I provide experiments, exercises, written instructions, and rituals and spells to create a potent and sacred environment for creativity and learning. I’ve curated the lessons to lead you directly to satisfying, useful results, starting with your first project. You’ll also have access to special bonus projects that enable you to amaze yourself with your new skills!
(In fact, there are so many bonuses my teenager warned me to stop making new projects, but I simply could not resist. I want you to understand deep in your bones that the more you make, the more likely you’ll begin to see your home and immediate surroundings with new eyes full of possibility. The weekly breakdown below lists the main skill and culminating project to seal in the focus of the week, but if you try at least some of the bonuses, you’ll realize you can already make so much more than you imagine.)
Weekly Breakdown
Week 0: Before we Begin - an introduction to materials, machinery, and a spell for self-kindness
Week 1: Sewing a Straight Line - exercises to practice machine or hand sewing consistently enough to enjoy sewing right away
Project: Everyday Cloth Napkins
Week 2: Dreams Made from Seams - an overview of different sewing textiles and when to use different seam finishes
Project: Pillowcases two ways
Week 3: Practical Magic for the Kitchen Witch - up-leveled techniques that build on what you’ve learned to make practical magic in the form of gifts for yourself and others
Project: Waist-tie reversible Apron
Week 4: The Witch and the Wardrobe - by now, you’re ready to make something to wear. It’s easier than you think it is.
Project: Foundation Boxy Tee
All the projects can be completed with materials you have on hand, from the thrift store, or are easily borrowed from a relative or neighbor.
After registering for the course, you will receive a sewing and textiles kit to introduce you to a variety of different types of natural fabrics that are easy to sew, and provide you with essential tools to get started. There’s enough fabric included to complete the first project and immediately put it to use in your home. I filmed a walkthrough of items contained in the kit so you can feel more confident when visiting your local fabric or thrift store, or when ordering something special online.
I’m sending you fabrics I, myself, use so you can leave the fabric and notions scavenger hunt for another day and get started right away. It has been an honor and delight to map out this journey for you, assemble my favorite tools and fabrics to share, and introduce the magic of sewing. I hope you love it as much as I do.
Investment
$288
Every single thing you’ll learn in this course is essential to sewing with a machine or by hand. I designed the projects and flow of the course to eliminate mental and emotional clutter, address different learning styles, and reduce overwhelm throughout the learning process. By the end of this course, you’ll feel confident enough to create things that didn’t seem possible before you started. The essentials of sewing are easy for you to learn in the comfort of your own space and at your own pace. The investment is less than the cost of a single workshop with me in person, because I want as many people as possible to learn to sew.
Sewing is Magic Because…
Learn more about how Sewing is Magic in these pre-course correspondences.
what’s it like learning with me?
“My interest in sewing garments started this year when I put together a capsule wardrobe and had trouble finding a couple of pieces I wanted. I took Karen’s t-shirt class as a first step into sewing, and it sparked something in me that was unexpected and wonderful! She was the best person to learn to sew from, because anything is possible and her positivity is infectious. I took the t-shirt home and added a hood and I could not love this piece more. It is unique and fits me perfectly! I’m so grateful for Karen’s support and generosity. She set me up to feel successful just by putting me in the right frame of mind, showing me simple tricks and tools that would make my life easier, and empowering me to go for it. Within the 6 months following the class, I’ve made 6 tank tops, 3 shirts, 3 dresses, 4 jackets, 2 skirts, and 2 pairs of pants for myself. I’ve also made pieces for my daughter and plan to make garments for my favorite people at Christmas.
Thank you, Karen. For meeting me where I’m at, encouraging me with your kindness, and demystifying the process. You are really a sewing fairy godmother! I now feel confident to tackle most patterns and have so much fun. This was something I was really intimidated to start, and you turned it into the most empowering and wonderful thing in my year.”
- Michelle Anderson, class and private student
“Karen is an exceptional teacher. She's able to take the most difficult sewing patterns with the confusing "sew speak" and turn it into understandable instructions that any sewing novice can follow. Her knowledge and experience in the sewing world with all of its new techniques are boundless. I am in awe of her kindness, patience, talent and her true sense of happiness that shines through in everything she does. What an honor to have been her student.”
- Kim Sperl, workshop and private student
“I had the luck of meeting Karen when she taught a class at my local sewing store. She passed out her business cards during class, and let us know to reach out to her whenever we needed support. Most people offer this support as a nicety, knowing the odds are low someone will follow-up. I asked Karen to validate she really meant it; she said she did. With the green light, I contacted my sewing fairy godmother in the days, weeks, and months following the class. Sewing fairy godmother is not a hyperbole—among other examples, Karen visited my office to counsel me on my first semi-solo forward shoulder adjustment. She genuinely enjoys teaching. I value her expertise, advice, and am even more thankful for her positive support giving me the confidence to take on any sewing related project or business idea I put my mind to.”
- Emily Barrows, student
need a little help?
I priced this course to be an affordable option, with lifetime access to all updates and improvements. I want as many people to become sewing magicians as possible, so if you need help paying tuition, please reach out. I‘m happy to set up payment plans to make it easier for you to join. Just send me an email here and we can work something out.
