CREATIVE VENTURES: WHAT I'VE BEEN SEWING

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CREATIVE GOAL #???: LEARN TO SEW!

Of the many lists I like to make, one important one I have been developing is my "Creative Goals" list. I hate putting creating on the back-burner to all of life's other responsibilities, but I figured if I set goals, bit by bit I will reach them. Luckily I have friends like Cyndy and Renee who inspire my many ventures!

Being able to sew has been a goal of mine that has often been tossed aside since I was a wee-little lady. My mother always had a machine and baskets full of amazing buttons I would sift through-- but she rarely ever touched the thing and despite many promises, I never learned to sew on that old machine.  I eventually learn some basic stitches and even hand-sew trinkets and doll clothes throughout the years.

Then I got my first machine about five years ago as a gift. Suffice to say, if I have made two or three things per year on my pretty lady I would be stretching it. But I am determined! I now have a relatively functional sewing space, loads of vintage fabric ( all thanks to the thrift revolution here on Staten Island) and even more old clothes to repurpose/upcycle. I have been slowly coveting inspiration, tutorials, and overall courage. I even splurged and am awaiting this baby.

I find myself easily discouraged and often without time or energy, but I don't give up...I just make baby-steps...teaching yourself everything requires you be both a good teacher and student simultaneously, and well...I may have adult ADD when it comes to playing both roles! But here are some projects I have actually 'completed' and what I've learned along the way!

Purse Organizer

This was a gift for my lovely step-mom and although there were clear imperfections, I think she still loved it for the effort I put in. 

A lesson on materials: Because I used thick vintage upholstery fabric, it was a total waste of time to put in interfacing, which made the project so thick I broke one needle trying to sew through the layers of the edge!! Plus, I definitely need better quality thread for this type of material! I will definitely make this again though!

Zippered Make-Up Bag

This was another gift for my step-mom and the first time I tried to sew on a zipper. 

Suffice to say, I didn't totally nail the zipper business and had to rely on my trusty friend: Fabri-Tac for a few fixes, thus the decorative ribbon edge to hide some mistakes!

Messenger Bag from Cargo Pants

I immediately fell in love with this project and got cutting up all of my old cargo shorts that either don't fit or have paint etc. all over them. This project was rather ambitious for a real beginner like myself, but I took it on...and though I made a ton of mistakes, the bag is still usable!

I made my own bias-tape out of vintage fabric. (I used fabrics I wasn't too in love with for this project because I knew there was plenty of room for error!) Making the bias-tape wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be! The strap was probably my biggest issue! Having cut up shorts, it was hard to get strips long enough, so I had to sew two pieces together--luckily the nature of the material permits random sewn pieces without looking out of place!

The strap is probably shorter than I would like (it hangs to just above my hip), the flap is wider than the rest of the bag (which is evident from the awkward stitching on the back), I couldn't figure out the whole strap between the lining and exterior inside-out trick....so I awkwardly sewed them to the outside using the x-box method. Really it's a bit of a mess...but it's complete and functional...thus I am somewhat proud.

Anyone else out there finding their craft endeavors daunting at times?