I gave this simple little sewing machine a cozy spot in my dining room. She looks happy there, don't you think?
My mother-in-law showed me how to thread the machine and the bobbin. Sew easy! Bwahaha, see what I did there?! SEW easy!! Okay, I practiced cutting up an old button-down shirt and sewing it back together into a dress for my 2 year old. I broke the needle when I hit a button and had to go out and buy a replacement. But while I was at Hancock Fabrics, I picked up a cute pattern for a toddler dress. One day...I will learn to make a dress from a pattern.
Meanwhile, the button-down dress came out alright. Not a total train wreck as I expected my first ever sewing attempt to be. My 2 year old told me she hated it and made me take it off. Well, thanks a lot! Sheesh! It wasn't THAT bad!
Later that day, I tackled the curtains in my guest bathroom. And by "curtains" I mean that piece of un-hemmed fabric folded over the curtain rod that I keep forgetting to give my mother-in-law to sew. It's been, ohh, I don't know...3 years?? I hemmed bottom and top (leaving room for the rod) and VOILA....curtains!!
So, I have two sewing projects under my belt. Naturally, that means I have enough experience with my machine that I think I'm capable of sewing an actual dress from a pattern. Bwahahaha haha ha ha.
Here goes (thanks Mommy for teaching me what that sewing jargon meant...I know how to baste a turkey but didn't know you could baste a stitch)! The pattern and fabrics I have collected for this project:
I am cutting out the pattern for a size 4 even though my daughter is only 2...she's gigantic for her age, or seems to be, at least.
Next was pinning the pattern to my fabric and cutting it out.
My machine is threaded and ready to go!
First was sewing the seam on the bodice and then the shoulder straps.
Then the apron.
Once that was done, I did the band and skirt. Then all the components were complete and just needed to be sewn together!
And PRESTO! A dress! From a pattern!! I sewed it!!
Woohoo!! It was pretty easy actually! I just followed the instructions, made a few calls to my mom when I was totally confused...she helped me figure out I was missing a part of the pattern...and June LOVES the dress. She told me it was beautiful so THAT boosted my confidence a lot!
I'm LOVING this sewing stuff. It's right up my alley. I love lists and organization and step-by-step directions. And I love instant gratification! It's amazing that in one afternoon, I went from having 3 yards of scrap fabric on my table, to having a dress for my daughter! I'll definitely be doing more projects and I'll be sure to post them for those interested in learning to sew!
1 comment:
Hello, I just stumbled across your blog. I think it great, I too wish I could live like a 1950s housewife sewing and baking all day. I have mastered the sewing now I am trying to master the baking. I just thought I would share with you a little tip about cutting your pattern. Instead of cutting the actual pattern trace it onto baking paper or parchment paper. It adds a little extra time to the project but you get to keep the pattern in all sizes in case you wanted to use it again in the future. My mum passed this little gem onto me and I have found it much better ever since. I look forward to seeing your other posts. Louise :-)
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