friday fun: answers part 2-sewing stuff

my current sewing machine and i love it!

i picked it up at a garage sale last fall and it is the best $50.00 i have invented in my business!

you don't need a new fancy machine to sew or learn to sew with...a good solid old machine i have found to work better then the new ones.  it doesn't have all the bells and whistles on it, but it is solid!

since it has been a busy week of sewing around here, i thought it was fitting to answer the questions around the topic of 'sewing'!  the shop has been busy, which is wonderful and i can't wait to add some new fabric options to the shop...soon!

so let's get started!

how did you learn to sew?
my love for sewing started when i was around 8 years old.  my mom sewed when i was little...i think she made everyone of my halloween costumes every year until, i didn't want one anymore.  i can still remember her and my grandma staying up late working on my strawberry shortcake costume and the hat was giving them some major issues!  

i taught myself how to sew, with a little help from my mom.  her machine was always out and if i asked i could use scraps of fabric and make a little pillow, blanket or whatever i could think of.  that is really how it all started. 

in middle school we had to take sewing too...as part of home ec class...do these still have home ec in middle school?  but, to this day i don't even remember what we made!

i took a long break from sewing, but then after we got married i started again.  making simple curtains for our basement and pillows.  and from those simple projects i have just made more and more!

i hope my girls have a love for sewing or creative things...i just love to make things using fabric, paper, paint...anything goes!

what advice do you have for someone who owns a sewing machine, but has never opened the box?
first, open the box and set it up!  you can take a class at a local sewing store in your city.  i know that joann's offers lots of class, i have never taken one, but i would look into that.

by a book about sewing!  one of my favorite books right now is, Bend the-Rules-Sewing.

google it...there are tons of great step by steps out there about how to make something!


and finally play with it...really, playing is huge!  get some cheap fabric and just play...start small and simple.  some simple projects are pillows, coasters, little blankets.  


where do i get my patterns?
i typically create my own patterns....the custom order i just worked on, that pattern i created 100% from scratch.  i can typically see something and then figure out how to make it!  and then i just figure out how to make it better or what works best for me. 

there are tons of tutorials out there and if i get stuck on something i turn to google or one of my sewing books!  

where is my favorite places to buy fabrics?

i have some great places close to me that i love to buy fabric at.  2 stores that are small and local are:
Crafty Planet 
Darn.Knit.Anyway

Etsy has a ton of great fabric shop too, which I love, because I don't even have to leave my house to go shopping!
and my other favorite on-line fabric shop is, Hawthorne Threads, great prices and fast shipping!
i go to JoAnn's a lot for more of my basic needs...thread, needles and more basic fabric.

one of my secrets...WalMart!  now, i am not a huge fan of the store, since i worked at Target HQ for 10 years, but they have a great craft department...and the prices are so much better then even JoAnn's on some of the really basic things!

what should i do if my kids want to learn to sew? 

sign them up for a class, if you don't know how to sew!  i really think it is so important to teach kids how to make things.  it is so easy to go out and buy stuff these days and there is just something special about making something with your hands!  

i would see if there is a community ed class for kids in your area, JoAnn's again...i believe they offer kid class or a local small sewing store might have a class.  

one of the blogs i read, just posted about her daughter wanting to sew...check out jenna's blog to see the little blanket that she made for her brother that is due in a few months!


if you have other sewing questions, please email me or leave a comment, i would love to answer them.  

i will be back next week with more answers to your questions!  i will tackle the family topics around how todd and i met and if twins run in our families!

happy weekend!