Camouflage Pillow

I used the fabric up that a friend gave me to make my very first project with several weeks ago today. I made a pillow and blanket set. Tied it up with some ribbon to add a special touch for the craft fair.

Craft Fair Craziness

I am participating in my very first craft fair this Saturday. I really do not know what I have gotten myself into! I have been in production overload just to have some inventory, but I do have to say that it has been an adventure and has been so fun learning how to sew and come up with cute items. I still have a ways to go in learning, but wanted to show you what things look like when you are trying to rush to get items completed by a certain day.

Before:
This was after I had finished my final apron for the craft fair. Things had literally piled up and my table was a disaster! Thread pieces and scrap fabric were everywhere. You can also see that I invested in the larger cutting mat for larger items. I already love it.

After:
(Ahhh!) I can find things a little easier now!

New Aprons!

I sewed these two aprons recently and they are two of my favorites! I love to find complimentary fabrics and pair them together to see what I can make. And, when there is leftover fabric, I always try to find something to do with it. I made a "peppermint tote" and a little candy jar and used leftover fabric I had from all of my projects.

My Latest Creations

Three Dora the Explorer Pillows

I received a Facebook message from someone at church recently. They saw a photo of my Dora the Explorer pillow that I made for my daughter and was interested in one. I created three with the fabric I had left. I used one yard of fabric to make four pillows.

My Favorite Apron So Far!

This has been my favorite apron so far. It fits so well! :)

Chocolate Brown and Teal Polka Dotted Woman's Apron

You can find this in my Etsy shop on the left sidebar! :)

Sewing Blankets

I found some great flannel fabric for baby boys and girls at Wal-Mart in the clearance section and decided to make blankets with it. These were my first blankets I made. They are a little plain, but to the point, and they are very cozy for this fall/winter season!

Here are the four I made today, two large, two small.

My Very First Etsy Sale and Free Shipping at My Etsy!

I am "sew" excited! I had my very first Etsy sale today. I am happy for that. It just made my day. To think someone out there wanted something I spent time working hard on--meant a lot. I sold the black and white woman's apron!

I have alot of work to do on my Etsy shop. It is fairly new, and I still don't really understand how exactly it works. I need to go in there and do much more with my description I am sure, and need to figure out how to advertise for it. But, the first order was made today and already packaged and will be sent out tomorrow.

I am currently working on some larger blankets. By the end of today, I will have four blankets created, two small and two large. They are so easy to make. I am hoping to have a good selection by time the craft fair comes around. I really hope this works out, but if it doesn't, everything will just go on Etsy and wait until someone wants what I have to offer!

If you are interested, look into my Etsy shop on the right sidebar. I will be offering FREE shipping from now on. I don't like to pay shipping, so I don't think you should pay it either. I also do several price changes and sometimes you may see prices as higher, sometimes lower, depending on what is selling and not selling. I plan to run it like any store does, with sales and price changes!

Thanks for being a reader and hope to see you again!

My First Little Flannel Blanket

I sewed my first little flannel blanket today. There really was nothing to it and is definately a great beginner's project.

Why Didn't I Invest in a Sewing Machine Years Ago?

Her daughter:
Look at that smile!

My daughter:

Look at that fit!

Almost one month into sewing, I am questioning why I didn't invest and try to learn how to sew way before now. I can't even begin to tell you how easy it is, and the feeling after you have made something. I could have made things for my own daughter when she was a baby, along with several baby gifts. I am currently working on some little blankets.

 It "seams" that everything I have made a mistake on (mostly with sewing "seams") I can always go back and fix it somehow, without wasting the fabric, or my valuable time that was spent getting to the end result. I actually just made a mistake on the blankets, which blankets should be very easy, but I fixed it in no time!

The hardest part, in my opinion, when it comes to sewing isn't the actual sewing part. Sewing is the easy part. The hardest part are the measurements and cutting. I was never brilliant at math, and this is easy math, but that is the part that takes the longest and can be frustrating. I already wish I had a larger cutting mat, which is in the budget for the future. Small cutting mats are really only good for the small projects you do, so keep that in mind if you plan to purchase one!

I do have some goals for sewing that I hope to accomplish over time.

*sewing buttons
*sewing bows or accessories onto items
*sewing zippers onto purses
*sewing on velcro
*sewing with elastic waistbands
*making my daughter a set of pajamas (at least the pants to start)
*learning how to sew with the other stitch settings
*accomplishing challenging projects

"Sew" as you can see, there is always something that can be learned with sewing. That's the best part though. It's fun to learn, and more importantly, to inspire and teach others, so hopefully this is helping you to meet your sewing goals as well.

What to Do With Leftover Fabric

I had some leftover fabric from other projects I completed, so I wanted to do something with it. I don't like wasting pieces of good fabric, so I made a few more snap purses as well as another small pillow.

It matches the other one I made a few weeks ago!

My Sewing Workstation

Just in case you were wondering what my workstation looks like, its very simple. I only take up a corner right now in the kitchen area, and I have everything on a folding table. If company were to come over, its really no problem leaving it where it is, but I can easily fold up the table and store everything. All of my fabric, ribbon, and other items are in the closet nearby. This is really all that is required. I like to keep it here because my daughter plays in this area since the living room is right there, too. I can keep an eye on whats going on while still being able to work. There is my cat, too. Shes almost always in that area. She likes to sit on the ironing board and watch the birds out back!

A Pink Tote Bag

I made another tote bag. These are very easy to make. This would make a great little tote to put dance clothes in for a little girl, books, or whatever else you need to throw in there!

My First Pillowcase

I'm about three weeks into sewing. I knew how to make pillows, but I didn't really know how to make the case for them, especially if you are going to use it for sleeping. I made a Dora pillow for my daughter when I was working on pillows, but started thinking, I'm going to want to wash the pillow since she sleeps on it, so making a case was necessary. I found super cheap fabric at Wal-Mart in their clearance section so I wanted to use it to practice. I know, I said I wouldn't buy anymore fabric until I used up the rest that I had, but I had a $10 limit on fabric today and I was able to score ALOT and some to practice making pajamas and blankets with. Here is the pillow and case I made today. It took about 30 minutes to make and probably cost less than $3.00 to make (have to consider the polyfil used). Now that I made this, I am going to make my daughters Dora pillowcase for her pillow.