Emily, I hope the week coming up is better, and I'm glad your principal is being supportive.

Question for y'all: Does anyone know how I could get access to a sewing machine for a few hours, wihtout owning one? Like, do places ever...rent them? I would love to be able to go somewhere and be like "OK, I wanna rent a machine for two hours" and be forced to do a project and clean up. I dont' want to OWN one, because OMG the mess I don't need to make, but it'd be nice to be able to USE one every once in a while...thoughts?

I've not heard of sewing machine rental. Doesn't mean it's not available, just that I haven't heard of it. What you really need to do is convince a friend that s/he needs to buy one, then go over and borrow it.

Heh. Well, that's one way to do it, but my friends around here have as little space and time as I do, mostly...plus, part of the benefit of going somewhere would be the "OK, if I book this time, I HAVE to go do it!", whereas with a friend, it's not the same urgency.

I don't know, meara, but it sounds like a good idea -- I've been wanting and yet not getting a sewing machine for the exact same reasons. (Also, because I really have nowhere to put one, but I'd kind of have some room if I just cleaned up a bit.)

Erin, there might be jogging, but probably in place. They'll teach you stance, basic strikes, and maybe a defense against chokes or the like.

meara, my sister says that Michael's craft stores have various clubs (beading, weaving, etc.) where people show up and craft together. Maybe they have sewing machines available as well?

The Joanne's fabrics around here used to have machines for classes - and I was told you could rent time on them

Joann's does offer classes and they have machines available. I don't know if you can rent them, but you could look and see what the class schedule is. There could be a class that is making something you want to make.

When I took a class there, it was a skirt class. We could choose any skirt pattern that had an elastic waistband (beginner class, no zippers!). So, there was flexibility in what we did.

meara, try a quilt shop. It may not be a great machine, but often they have rental machines or machines for kids who take classes. I used one at my shop when my machine suddenly stopped working in the middle of a class I was taking.

Actually, even better, a lot of quilt shops have "open" class night, where you can go in and just work for like four to six hours on projects you need to finish up. There's a teacher in case you have any questions or problems. And, the best part, you make the mess somewhere else!

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vw's first world problem of the day: my oreos are stale. This is what happens when I quit eating much and not needing snacks. Stale Oreos! It's a tragedy.

Yeah, I looked around--the Joann's "Superstore" has classes, but it's not anywhere near me...but the G-Street Fabrics has a "express skirt" (express meaning it's two classes, rather than a whole bunch) one, but it's $139! By the end of that, I'd better have a kick-ass skirt! And it's not clear whether everyone has to do the SAME skirt or not (it is listed as a fitted waistband zipper skirt with darts...I'm like "but is it A line? Pencil? Can I put pockets in it??"). May have to go do some investigating.

Michael's seems to have classes, but not in sewing, just other craftly stuff. And there aren't a lot of quilting stores around here--the whole city thing. Though really, the city is where people dont' have room for a machine! I swear I remember reading about something like this, but googling does me no good.