2.23.2012

New project

I've loved arts & crafts for as long as I can remember.  Throughout high school me and a few other girls would get together and make cute things, like monogrammed coffee mugs to take to school, headbands & assorted canvases for our bedrooms.  I would make all my girlfriends gifts for birthdays, Christmas, graduation, etc., but I was limited to what I could make because I only knew how to draw, paint and hot glue.  My best friend Parker knew how to sew, so she made purses and all sorts of stuff!  I was jealous, once again, so I attempted it with her guidance.  I was terrible and I never tried it again.

Until now! :)

I'm in the process of teaching myself how to sew, and I'm quickly remembering how NOT so easy it is, but I'm definitely going to keep at it because it's such a convenient skill to have!

And because
a) I've always wanted to make custom clothes 
b) I need a few slipcovers & throw pillows
and
 c) blogs like Runway DIY and a pair and a spare can recreate high fashion pieces for WAY less with their sewing knowledge.

There's nothing like seeing something you REALLY want {a pillow, a duvet cover, a pair of shorts, a dress}, then seeing the ridiculous price tag and thinking "Ugh, I could make that!"

SO, I'm vowing to never have to say that again.  I am determined to know how to sew and be good at it!

Yesterday I found this book at Hobby Lobby


And I'm already obsessed!!

I've also been googling beginner sewing tips!  For instance, it's absolutely necessary to have scrap fabric to practice on.  You don't want to hit the ground running on some extravagant piece of clothing, then end up having not so straight stitches all over the place.  I also found ways to save money on practice fabric!

You can:

1) use fabric from an old piece of clothing or something you planned on giving away
2) go to goodwill and find things like sheets, clothes or window treatments for next to nothing..
OR
3) go to a local fabric shop and ask if they have last season swatches that you could have.

Luckily, I already had a pile of things to give away and pulled out a dress that was made of a light cotton blend = easy to work with.


I used my seam ripper to take the dress apart & not only do I have scrap fabric, I now have a zipper to use on something else down the road!!  Old or "ruined" pieces of clothing are perfect for gathering supplies for other projects.  If you have a stain or tear on something and know you'll never wear it again, take it apart and save the buttons/zippers/whatever the piece is embellished with for something you make later!  The same goes for anything you find at a thrift store!

Needless to say, I'll be rummaging through a lot of thrift stores over the next few weeks for things to practice with.  When I get a little bit of confidence I'm going to use a fabric I've been hoarding on a pattern I bought for a cute pair of shorts!  Hopefully I'll have something to show y'all soon!!

I'm off to do a little practice!

xxoo, M


3 comments:

  1. I've always wanted to learn how to sew or knit and I attempted at it but I quickly gave up because I'm too impatient!

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  2. I LOVE your blog...Great photos!Really enjoying your blog and am your newest follower. Please check mines out and follow me if you’d like =)

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