Back to School

I've decided to take a class to brush up on my (rather rusty) sewing skills! I plan to make simple projects: a slightly A-line dress using some cotton fabric that I bought in Hawaii several years ago, and probably a little girl's sundress for Little Dresses for Africa (more on that wonderful program later!).


I'll use a contemporary McCall's 8108 to make a simple sleeveless dress:



...and a contemporary New Look 6195 for the girl's dress, in bright pink cotton (sorry for the low-light photo!):


I also want to try make an apron using this vintage Simplicity 5763, though I haven't selected the fabric yet (hooray! fabric shopping!). I'm thinking about finding a vintage floral border print:



I also have this old seersucker madras plaid cotton that I have no idea what to do with. I'm thinking about making a coffee coat / housecoat / breakfast coat (call it what you will) with this:


Any suggestions?

I'm wondering, however, if this list of projects may be a little too ambitious. The class is only two months long and I don't know how much time I will have for each project. I do want to get as much as I can out of the class, so I might need to make other types of garments, such as a pair of pants or a skirt. I've always found hemming challenging, especially blind hemming, and I've only set in a zipper once. Did you notice that each pattern states that it's easy or quick to sew?! As I've said in the past, it's been about 20 years since I've done all of these things, so I want to start at the beginning with the easy-peasy stuff.

I'll keep you posted on my progress....