Emery started sewing with me when she was 11, and took 6 years of classes. In her junior year, she applied for Cascadia Tech School in SW Washington, which counts for both college and high school credits. In 2023, I highlighted some of Emery’s projects with me – including an Eliza dress from Hamilton, a Hermione dress from Harry Potter, and much more!

For her senior project this year, Emery chose to do a fashion show. She created a collection – four looks in ten items. They turned out so well – and she got 100%! She also was selected to attend the DECA Career Development Conference and received awards there.

This past year, I’ve watched as Emery has pursued her design to study fashion and applied to three different colleges. We had a big celebration the day she was accepted into LIM College of Fashion in Manhattan, New York! She’ll be working on her degree in Fashion, Business Management and Leadership, with a minor in Fashion Design.

I have so enjoyed sewing with Emery over the years. She is a very enthusiastic student. When she makes mistakes, she just starts over and learns from it. Nearly every little girl that comes into my studio says they want to be a fashion designer when they grow up. This just tickles my fashion design heart that one of the many kids that come through here is actually going to design school in New York! I’m going to miss her so much, but I’m so excited to see where she goes next. Emery is proof that this dream is possible and she is teaching other girls to follow their passions. For that, I am so proud of her.

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I wanted to start off this new year by highlighting some of my favorite projects of 2024! Many of them were ones I worked on to give as Christmas gifts and couldn’t share them publicly until the secret was out. They were so much fun to make and I can’t wait to share them now with you!

First up, I made these fun table runners for three people – using the same pattern but different color combinations for each. I watched the Missouri Star Quilt tutorials, where they featured this table runner pattern as a “triple play.” (Find the Link) I realized they would be an easy gift to mail to out of town friends or family, so I decided to give them a try! I made each of them in the recipient’s favorite colors. They took a bit of time and effort, but I really like how they turned out.

See the Reveal On My New Instagram!

Big news! I’ve started a new Instagram account to share about all my projects! Check out the table runner reveal and follow along to see more projects coming your way in the following weeks…

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My heart is so heavy seeing the news of all the devastation in North Carolina, and I wanted to do some small thing to bring warmth and comfort to those who are now displaced. So, for my birthday this year, I’d like your help in making a quilt together which we will send to someone in need!

Here’s how it’s going to work: All of the students in my class are invited to take part and make one block during thier class time next week.

Anyone else who wants to join in, email me at jolene@jolenesews.com and set up a time to come and pick up your pre-cut block fabric to put together at home and return to me! Each block will come with everything you need – instructions and fabric – and should take no more than half an hour.

My goal is to get all blocks back by the week of December 9th. Then I’ll get it put together into one big quilt, and send it off!

Quilts are more than a gift – You can wrap up in it and feel the love from the person on the other side, the comfort, happiness and warmth. I can’t wait to share photos of the completed quilt with you – it already makes my heart sing. What a wonderful birthday present this will be!

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The holidays are coming, and once again I’m offering gift certificates to give the gift of sewing! These gift certificates have been so popular lately and I love meeting everyone who signs up for classes in January because of a gift certificate they received!

If you’d like to purchase a gift certificate for someone you love, simply contact me at jolene@jolenesews.com!

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This is what one student told me she said when her Halloween costume arrived several sizes too big! And although I hate to admit that her statement might not technically be true, I am glad to report that we could, indeed, adjust her costume to fit exactly right. A few cut ruffles, a new gather, some hemming, and in two hours her elf costume from a certain hobbit-themed movie was ready to go!

Three other students were also in the Halloween state of mind this month! We did a lot of creative problem solving to make the fairy cape below, and make the most of a small amount of fabric. Another student brought an Alice in Wonderland costume (store bought) to alter, and this adorable student made her own spooky shirt (and matching pants) with glow-in-the-dark fabric!

I love these four examples of all that you can learn through sewing – not just how to make your own clothes from scratch, but how to alter, mend, and solve problems with a new creative mindset. I think all four of their projects turned out amazing, and I wish them luck in their trick-or-treating!

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This year we started one new camp, Sloth Camp, and brought back a few favorites like Pokémon Camp. Fittingly, the sloth camp was a quiet, peaceful camp, while some of the other camps were rather lively.

Some camps it felt like students had been friends forever, even though they just met that day. I loved watching siblings and friends come to the same camp and help each other and look out after each other for pillow camp. It was also wonderful to see at least one sibling of another student of mine – I knew her when she was three years old and now she is 12 years old, sewing her own pieces!

Harry Potter camp always brings together Harry Potter enthusiasts and we always have a blast casting sewing spells (and perhaps a few others!) on each other.

But one of the best parts of camp this year was having my granddaughter Natalie help. Over the years she has grown so much as a sewer, and she has become an incredible helper to my students! (Some of you may know her as Avocado, the name she went by for a few camps, ha!) It’s a delight sewing and teaching alongside her and I couldn’t have done it without her.

Overall, it was a great summer – great students, great projects, a great assistant, and lots of fun! I can’t wait to begin fall classes with you this week and keep on sewing.

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Take a look at the photos below for a fun look back on the many projects we worked on this summer! And don’t forget to sign up for fall classes, which begin September 9th!

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I sat down last week and recorded a short interview celebrating this incredible milestone. You can check it out below!

It truly takes a village, and I have learned as much from each of my students as I have been able to teach to them. THANK YOU for making Jolene’s Sewing School such a marvelous place the past 15 years! I hope you see and hear how much I love all of you, and how grateful I am to get to do this work. Cheers to the next season ahead!

With much love and gratitude,

JoLene

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