So, I Sewed!

 For several years now, I have had a personal goal of learning to sew.  Before Cooper and Penny came along, the task of learning to sew never seemed important, as I had a career, a husband, and a very old house to attend to.   Once Cooper was born, I had even less time to consider taking up a new hobby but it occurred to me that sewing could be useful in my career as a mom.  Fast forward a couple of years and add another kid to the mix. Learning to sew was pushed even further down the list of priorities.  Then came Halloween of 2011.  I didn't have the ability to make a costume for Penny, so I ended up, through gritted teeth, buying her a costume that every other kid her age probably had too.  This REALLY bothered me, and since I had always wanted to learn to sew ANYWAY, sewing became one of my prioritized goals for 2012.  David got me a sewing machine for Christmas and I let it sit on a shelf for two months, completely intimidated by it.  Then last week, armed with a cup of coffee, a how-to you tube video, and some cheap fabric remnants, I set to work.  Here is what unfolded...

I don't have a true workable flat surface anywhere in my house!  All of my table and desk tops are "distressed".  I also didn't have real sewing scissors or measuring tape at first.  I wasn't sure this sewing thing would stick so I wasn't willing to spend much money to start, however I was not going to let lack of proper tools stop me.  I used the top of my dryer as a work surface, regular old paper scissors, and a ruler...

I watched a you tube video on how to make an envelope pillow cover (an easy first project), and set to work cutting and pinning the fabric. I also used a pen to mark where to cut...I don't know why, I guess I just figured the marks wouldn't show from the inside of the cover. (They didn't.)

My sewing space...the kitchen table.  I set to work and it took no time at all to sew a mattress cover for Penny's doll bed. I was sort of disappointed how quick and relatively easy it was, so I kept going.  Over the next few days, I made a pillow and blanket to go with the mattress cover.  My stitching got better as I got a feel for the machine.   This is fun!

The finished product...what you can't see is the slight uneven stitching on the back side of the cover...

Penny's baby trying out the new bedding...I'm not sure Penny likes it because she keeps pulling out the bedding to put her babies to sleep!  Oh well, at least I now have the confidence to move on to other things.  On to recovering my couch pillows and maybe curtains (finally) for Cooper's room!