Unemployment is not as fun as you would think. It sounds cool- the state is paying you to go to the beach and play Paper Mario all day. But what people don't really get, unless they've been through it of course, is that it really hurts the ego. I really did everything right in life- I graduated second in my class in high school, went straight to a 4 year university which I actually finished in 3 years, then got Masters degree and my teaching credential in one measly year, and then got a job straight out of college. We've always been told that if you go to college you'll get a job, but Gary and I sit here as proof that this isn't really the case. So here I am, with this beautiful resume with an excellent education and a reasonable amount of experience for my age, and no job. It really affects your self esteem, because you wonder why you're not good enough.
Two weeks ago, on Friday, August 26th, I had my last teaching interview. It was depressing! It was a group interview, and I genuinely liked everyone in my group and we chatted a bunch, and it came out that at least 2 of them had taught for about 10 years and had been unemployed the last year or two. Ten years experience!!! If they can't find a job, what chance do I have? And I'm not even sure I want to be a teacher anymore anyways!
That night I let myself be sad for a few hours, grieving the loss of my career, and the next morning I put on my big girl pants and decided to seize the day. I spent my summer letting things happen to me. Letting the interviews come to me, letting unemployment wash over me. No more! I decided I was going to own unemployment, unemployment wasn't going to own me! So I started thinking about the things I'd like to do if I wasn't working. One of those was getting back in to shape, which I actually started doing maybe 3 weeks or so ago now. The second thing I really wanted to do was take sewing or fashion classes.
And so it is friends that tomorrow I start sewing classes at San Diego Continuing Education! And they're free too!
My first class tomorrow is entitled Sewing Like a Professional (Fall Coats and Jackets). According to the class description we are making trench coats. I couldn't find an option to email the teacher, but it says to bring a fabric swatch and a your measurements. It didn't mention anything about a pattern. Joann Fabrics was having a huge sale this weekend, so I decided to pick up a pattern for 99 cents, and if it was wrong or whatever, who cares, it was only 99 cents! So I bought McCalls 5525 which I plan to make in view E:
I also bought my fabric:
On the left is what I intend to use as the lining, a clearance polyester. On the right is a light weight denim ( feels more like twill to me) that I bought for the outer jacket. It's a really pretty and interesting color. They call it Moroccan Blue; it's somewhere between a royal blue and teal. I wanted a really sturdy and heavy cotton so it could stand some beatings and so it wouldn't wrinkle too bad. I spend a lot more than I normally do, but I know that since I'm making it in a class I will do a really good job and I hope this is something I will wear forever.
I think this post is long enough, so I'm going to wrap it up. Tomorrow I'll blog about how class went and my other classes. But here's a last thought- I wonder what I need to bring? I think I'll leave my sewing machine in the car, but have it in case. I'll bring my pattern, a swatch, a tape measure, a notebook, and a pen. I think I'll bring pins, in case I want to do a tissue fitting. My fabric won't be washed yet, so no point in bringing fabric or scissors. I just don't know how it will all go! But I'm sure other people won't have a lot of stuff either, and at least after tomorrow I'll know for Wednesday's class.
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