March 21, 2010

My very FIRST sewing project!!

I have had the crafting itch for quite awhile.  I love being creative, but just didn't really feel like I had a creative outlet.  But I've been fascinated lately with the home-made items I see on Etsy all the time... and started thinking that I could make some stuff of my own.  Being creative, but able to make stuff that is useful.  So - a couple of weeks ago I bought some fabric and was going to start sewing (what - I don't know!) only to find out that my grandmother's sewing machine that I have no longer works... or at least needs repair that costs more than I was willing to spend on a 40 year old machine.  So I was in the market for a new sewing machine.  After some research, I finally decided on the Brother CS-6000i.  This does WAY more than I need right now, but I hope to get better at this sewing thing and want a machine that I can learn and grow with.  This seemed to be the perfect fit.

My machine came in on Thursday and I was so eager to start using it!  I love this little guy.  It is computerized, which seems high-tech, but I think it has made the learning curve easier for me.  It is very straight forward to use and because it is digital, it has already *beeped* at me to warn me of my errors that could potentially mess up my machine (whoops).  It has different error codes for different problems, so that takes out a lot of the guess work as to what I am doing wrong... which really helps a beginner sewer like myself.  It has 60 stitches and came with a walking foot for quilting and other quilting accessories.  Quilting is really what I want to do, so I was thrilled with this.

I started my first project on Saturday and just finished it up this afternoon!!  I have NEVER really sewn before and I have a HUGE learning curve, but I am proud of this little guy and how much I have learned in the process of making it.

I made a quilted place mat or whatever you want to call it. :-)  I figure if I want to quilt, I should start small.  No use messing up a big project.  Haha.  So this is my first project.  I learned a ton and messed up a lot and used my seam ripper more than I have in the rest of my life combined, but I am happy with the finished product - considering this is my first time sewing almost ever (with the exception of a poorly made dog bed for Macy). 


I did not use my walking foot for this project, but just a regular stitch that is on my sewing machine.  I used a VERY low loft batting, because I didn't want to overwhelm myself and make it difficult to manage.  So it isn't very thick, but it is still nice.


 Quilting in straight lines was hard for me... but I know that just takes practice.  Also, the binding was difficult for me.  I have never done a slip stitch before, so I did some googling and taught myself.  I need practice a this too, especially the mitered corners, but am happy with how this turned out.






P.S. I should give credit where credit is due. I found this tutorial at Moda Bake Shop. LOTS of awesome projects there!!
Moda Bake Shop

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