I am VERY much a beginner, but I'm off to a good start. Or at least I think so. (Or is that think "sew". :-P)
I began this journey within the last few weeks. I've been thinking for a long time that I really should learn how to sew, because I really hate to shop for clothes, and I think that if I can learn to make my own to my own specifications, or even learn to make alterations for myself, that would make a happier me. And it doesn't hurt to have this skill for home decor or other stuff too.
In my typical way, research is the key. I research what books would be good guides, and I've found a fantastic new one that just came out a few months ago. Being hailed as the sewing world's version of Debbie Stoller's "Stitch 'N Bitch", "S.E.W.- Sew Everything Workshop" by Diana Rupp has become my sewing bible. I've been reading it and reading it for a couple weeks now, and I'll probably continue to read it and use it as my primary reference.
I've also been lucky since I have a few sewers around me. I turned to my friend Sandy, as she is a professional quilter, and figured that she would be able to best tell me how sewing machines work and how you get X result or Y result. My MIL also sews, but she often rubs me the wrong way with a few things, and there is always the language barrier too (Spanish is her first and primary language). I had my lesson from Sandy a few days ago, and it was great! She showed me SOOOO much, and was great at answering my questions. I should tell her that she should teach a basic sewing class or something. Anyway, she was also kind enough to lend me her "backup machine", which was her first machine of her own-- a gift she got for her high school graduation. And being the pro she is, the machine is in excellent condition and working just fine.
So, I've been playing on it, especially today. My son, Drew, also tries to get involved, as he likes to press on the "accelerator" (foot pedal) for me. (He's really into cars, especially Hot Wheels.) I made a pincushion from the SEW book the other day as a first project. See?
Hopefully not too bad for a first project. The material is a canvas type material with sage green ticking that I used for a valance and some pillowcases for decorative pillows for my old house. I have a ton of that material left, and it just looks very classy. I used leftover material from my current curtains and valances in my living and dining room as sample material to practice my stitches on my loaner machine, and I think after some fiddling, I'm starting to get the hang of this. I've been using a standard presser foot so far, but I think I need to experiment with some of the others, as I'm anxious to put a zipper in something that I knit (yes, I knit too), and possibly redo a zipper in another thing in which I hand knit the zipper before.
Since the SEW book is my bible right now, I'm anxious to try another project -- a simple project. There's no use in getting ahead of myself too soon. I think I should make one of the easy bags. But I have SOOOO many bags, I was hesitant. But then after having an IM conversation with my best friend from college, I realized that SHE is a bag person, and I could make one to be her beach bag for the summer, so I think I will do that. So I'm thinking that once I can get to the fabric store, that will be my first "big" project. Gotta start somewhere.
So we will see where this goes. I'm very excited because I ordered my first sewing machine of my own (if you don't count the little $10 mini machine I have that runs on batteries) today. Got a killer deal-- or should I say made a killer deal-- with a vendor on eBay, and now all I have to do is just wait for it to arrive! I'm really looking forward to getting it, and having my own "baby".
Until next time...
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