Machine Sewing Basics with Taryn Hipwell

Ready to dust off your sewing machine or finally learn how to use it with confidence? In this beginner-friendly class, Taryn Hipwell will guide you step-by-step through the essential functions of your sewing machine and set you up with the skills to start sewing on your own.

Come get festive and learn how to mix and match old clothing into a one-of-a-kind holiday gift tote—the perfect reusable wrap for presents your friends and family will love before they even open them!

IMPORTANT: You must bring a working sewing machine & power cables to participate in this class.

We’ll cover the main parts of the machine, including:

• Bobbins, bobbin winder & bobbin case
• Thread guides
• Presser foot
• Needle & needle plate
• Stitch selector & length/width controls
• Reverse (backstitch) button

Through a series of hands-on sewing exercises, you’ll practice threading your machine, sewing straight and curved lines, pivoting with the needle down, using the backstitch to secure seams, and experimenting with stitch settings.

This class also includes basic pattern making techniques, plus learning how to pin to cut and pin to sew as you create your own upcycled Holiday Gift Tote. You’ll learn how to:

• Shape and sew the tote body
• Attach sturdy, clean handles
• Square the bottom for structure
• Mix and match woven clothing (cotton shirts, sundresses, men’s shirting, etc.) to create your design

All basic fabrics will be provided, but you’re welcome to bring your own woven clothing to upcycle into your tote. By the end of class, you’ll have a festive, functional Holiday Gift Tote and the confidence to take on your next sewing project with ease.

After you create your holiday gift tote, join us for our monthly Things Swap Holiday Edition—where you can take your new tote for a test run and fill it with treasures!

Taryn Hipwell is a global speaker and passionate healthy fashion consultant who has taught upcycling for over 10 years. She specializes in aligning brands and future designers with best practices in transparency and circularity, and sourcing cleaner fabrics and raw materials. She is the author of How to Shop for Shi(f)t, an instructor at Istituto Marangoni Miami, a Remake co-Community Organizer for Florida, a Wear You Values breakout session speaker at LAFS, the winner of the Sustainable Expert award at the Mana Fashion Awards 2024, and the founder of Beyond the Label, which started as a partnership with TEDxLA to educate locals on the true health, social, and environmental costs of their fashion purchases. Hipwell has spoken about sustainability, transparency, circularity, diversity, and toxins in fabrics to over 10,000 students at 30 top fashion schools and universities around the world, including the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Parsons, NYU, UCLA, and YOUNGA, a first-of-its-kind global youth takeover of the United Nations.

The Things Lab is supported in part by members, partners, City of Coral Gables, and Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.