Project #7: Quilted Potholder

I was pretty excited for this project because sometimes I just love simple, domestic decorations. And they also remind me of my grandmother's house.

I used 1/4 of a cloth napkin I got from a thrift store for the front, and some thrifted red cotton for the back. My quilting started out pretty wonky, but got better as I continued. After I finished the quilting, I decided I wasn't crazy about the edges (sometimes I'm a little picky), so finished it off with some vintage red bias tape from my grandma. The white thread I used was well-hidden on the front print and complemented the red backing quite nicely.

End product:




LOVE IT! I want to make so many of these for people!

xo Becky

Project #5: Supplies Roll-Up

This project dealt with using a heavier material, which I was slightly concerned about because I don't want to break this machine (especially since it's borrowed). Nonetheless, I snatched up some of the printed vinyl I got from a local interior fabric shop and used unbleached muslin for the interior, with gray thread to accent the silver swirls on the vinyl.

The result:



I varied the sizes of the slots to allow for larger supplies, but I'll probably use it mostly for my smaller painting brushes. These would be great to make for kids, with crayons or colored pencils filling the slots. The vinyl was a little tricky around the edges, and pinning was kind of rough, so I mostly just fed it through with my fingers.



For the closure, I used D-rings and a length of ribbon from my stash, since my twill tape was too thin for the rings. Overall I'm fairly happy and wouldn't mind making more of these.

xo Becky

Project #4: Round Bunting

I am obsessed with ALL things bunting, so I was super excited for this one. I'm accustomed to the typical triangular flag bunting, so the round shape interested me. Rachel's home is so pretty and I was also excited to make something she was teaching.

I used some floral and hot pink fabric I had gotten from Freecycle, along with yellow felt I got in a huge lot from Goodwill online. I had a hard time pressing the fabric into the circles, but it worked out okay in the end. For the letters, I sketched them out backwards onto the felt and cut them out. Freehand cutting proved to be too difficult, and I'm pretty good at writing backward so I just went with that. I finished it off with some vintage light pink ribbon from my grandmother to pick up the pink in the floral print.

The result:



I LOVE IT. I want to make a ton of these with lots of inspiring words. Also great for gift-giving!

Here's a detail shot:



It was tricky maneuvering the machine around the letters, but I managed with a slow and steady pace. Definitely one of my favorite projects!

xo Becky

Project #3: Reusable Tote/Grocery Bag

I was pretty excited for this project because I felt like it was the most useful one so far--I can definitely use more grocery bags and it's so easy to customize each one! I think they'd make great gifts for friends!

I used a pillowcase from my freshman year in college for the material. After accidentally folding in and sewing the wrong edges, I had to rip out the stitches and do it all over! Oh well; another learning experience.



Modeling my new bag! I really like how strong the X-joints ended up. Super-pro! I made the stitching white on purpose to accent it. I'm planning on adding a big white bow to complement the stitching! Ended up with some inadvertent Maryland pride!

xo Becky

Project #2: Reusable Gift Pouch

The next project involved making a reusable pouch, large enough for gift-giving. I used some basic muslin and knit fabric to form the pouch and some woven bias tape for the drawstring. (I figured it would be a little thick for most other projects.)

Here's how it turned out:


It was pretty frustrating working with that knit fabric because it was incredibly slippery. I'm going to try to stick to cotton for most of the remaining projects.

I'm slowly working my way up to catching up with the projects. The wisdom teeth surgery set me back a little, but I'll get there! I'm also getting my camera repaired this week, so unfortunately most of the shots of my completed projects will be limited to webcam shots. Oh well!

xo Becky

EDIT: I switched out the webcam photo for one I took with my camera (right before sending it out to be repaired!)

Project #1: Cloth Napkins Two Ways

I actually completed this the day before surgery on my wisdom teeth, but it was kind of late so I didn't get around to posting it.

The first way was using a single layer with a simple zig-zag hem. I used a heavier canvas-like material because I had it on hand and I figured it would hold up better than basic cotton.

Here's how it turned out:





The second set were double-sided and had ric-rack trim. I used some basic cotton I got from FreeCycle and vintage ric-rac my grandmother gave me when I was 15.

They turned out like this:





Making the first napkin, I accidentally sewed the right side facing out, so it was inside out...but I had already done all the sewing with the ric-rac, so I decided it wasn't worth ripping apart and re-doing. I just have one napkin that's a little lighter than the other. But now I will check my sides CAREFULLY before doing any stitching.

This was also my first time using ric-rac. I was skeptical because of how many cheesy ways I've seen ric-rac used, but I actually ended up LOVING it. It looks like little tiny bunting around the edges. Hoping to work with it a lot in the future.

Next project: gift pouch!

xo Becky

EDIT: I added an extra photo of each that I think looks much better!

Introductions!

Sewing has always been an important part of my life. My grandmothers and my mom are INCREDIBLY crafty and have a wide variety of skills that I could only dream of being able to master. I've had a sewing machine for a while, but have never really been good at machine sewing. My skills have pretty much been limited to basic hand-sewing, which has served me well for the time being, but is definitely not preferable for larger projects.

Seeking to advance my skills and become more comfortable with a sewing machine, I have started taking an online sewing class called Home Ec, led by Rachel, Courtney, and Leigh-Ann. I figure this blog is a good place to document my first real foray into actual sewing. Hopefully by the conclusion of the class I'll be able to see progress in my skills and pick up a few tips and tricks along the way. (And probably post some additional stuff like extra projects, neat tutorials, and inspiring images.)

Thanks for reading!
xo Becky