The last time I tried to sew, I attempted a white cotton, mid-calf skirt for ninth-grade home ec. (I guess my junior-high style was Little House on the Prairie meets The Golden Girls.) The only reason you could tell that the resulting garment was not just a piece of raw fabric tied around me like a puffy garbage bag was that I had sewed on a row of snaps at the waist, along with an uneven hem.

Still, the laid-back confidence of Johanna Hertz, owner of the six-week-old Cloth & Bobbin in Narberth, inspired me to think that I could try again. In addition to selling cotton fabrics (luxe and contemporary, with designer names such as Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett) perfect for quilts, clothing and home decorating, Hertz also hosts classes, like the recent “Creating a Skirt,” that offer instruction in the context of a project so you learn and get to take your handiwork home!

Check Hertz’s website and blog for one of Cloth & Bobbin’s upcoming classes. “Getting to Know Your Sewing Machine” on November 6th is part of a series that’s ideal for beginners (or those who failed home ec).

Cloth & Bobbin, 235 Haverford Avenue, Narberth, 610-667-5366, clothandbobbin.com

Image, clothandbobbin.com