Educating Rita - to Sew

 My lovely neighbour, Rita, asked me to teach her to sew.  She was one of the few people who actually sewed at sewing club.  She started by making pyjama bottoms and moved on to making a top (see left) out of the left over fabric.  I suggested a top as she can learn various techniques which she can use for other things. The top has facing and interfacing, slit sides and will be bound at the armholes with bias binding.
Rita's mother was trained in tailoring in Italy when she was a girl and she, like my mother, made lots of clothes for her children.  Consequently, Rita knows some things about sewing, for example, how to hand sew a very neat hem, but she wants to know more.
In between lessons, she made a pin cushion., beautifully stitched and finished with buttons on both sides.
The next project is a covered foam cushion for an outdoor bench.
Watch this space to see the finished pyjamas and the cushion.

The beautifully made pin cushion.