New 52 | Week 23: First Sewing Project

You may remember back during Memorial weekend I started my very first sewing project with the help of my friend Dejah. I finally finished the project this past weekend, working on it an hour here and there on both Saturday and Sunday.

Meet my first finished sewing project, a purple bag.


I vaguely remember my sewing class back in 8th grade in the mid-1980's, when home economics were still required courses.  Back then, I made a couple of things but nothing fit and the hobby didn't take on me. It took me 27 years to come back to it and start again!

Sewing is easier than I had imagined it would be.  And sewing with my new Brother CS6000i sewing machine really is awesome.  I had purchased the sewing machine last July when it was on sale at Walmart.com, after I saw Dejah's at her house.  After reading the GLOWING reviews on Amazon(605 and counting reviews averaging 4.5 out of 5 stars) AND Walmart.com (728 reviews averaging 4.5 out of 5 stars), I was sold that this machine was for me.  It even does one-step buttonholes.  But then the machine sat in my craft studio unused, because the room was in disarray and I didn't have a work surface, AND I felt intimidated by sewing.  Then came my birthday in March, when Dejah offered me a sewing lesson as my birthday gift.  After re-organizing my craft studio and constructing the new craft island, I was finally ready for my lesson. She picked out a very basic/easy pattern, and brought over some fabrics for me to choose from.  It really is a great birthday gift that will keep on giving as I embark on this new sewing journey!

Dejah and I working on it back on Sunday 5/29.




Me working on it alone this past weekend.




What I learned:

• The actual sewing part isn't what takes the most time in a project.  It's the planning, pattern picking, fabric picking, cutting, pinning, and reading instructions over and over again that takes up the majority of time for a sewing project!
• How to thread a bobbin on my sewing machine.
• How to thread my sewing machine.
• How to change stitches on my sewing machine.
• Sewing in a straight line.  
• Sewing on a sticky-backed velcro is a BAD idea.  Gummed up the needle pretty good.
• How to change needles on my sewing machine.

Now it's time to pick my next project. Peppermint had given me several awesome sewing books back on my birthday, so I will be perusing those and getting project ideas! Now Todd will REALLY hate to go to JoAnn's with me. He already refused to go before, when I only looked at papercrafting things. Now with the addition of fabrics and sewing supplies, he will get REALLY bored. He has a hate/hate relationship with JoAnn's due to childhood trauma he says he sustained when his sewing mom took him to JoAnn's for hours on end while she shopped. He said the only interesting thing there were the Halloween costume pattern books! I'm so sorry Todd, I guess JoAnn trips will have to be made solo, or with girlfriends. :p

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About This Project

New52 is a project started by Peppermint and I to encourage each other and others around us to try something new every week in 2011. The "new" each week doesn't have to be something big. It could be something as simple as ordering a new dish instead of old standbys at your favorite restaurant. It's simply opening your heart up to NEW possibilities.

Don't worry if you're late getting started on joining in. It's totally OK if you miss a week here or there. We encourage everyone to keep an open mind about trying something new. This is a life project, and a photography/blog and even scrap challenge if you wish. If you participate this week, please leave a link to your blog post in the link list below. You can also post images to our New 52 Flickr Group! We would love to see what you were inspired to do.