i decided back in the fall that i wanted to learn to sew, so with a little help from my mom, i was up and going in no time. originally, i had my gramma lovell's sewing machine, but on the first day of sewing tutorials, we found that it was not working properly. i remember being very disappointed because i had watched my gramma sew and sew and sew on many occasions during my childhood. i loved sitting on her bed watching her cut out patterns, patch blue jeans, put together pieces of fabric for a unique project or two, assemble sections for a quilt top, etc. i never asked her to show me the "basics" of sewing because it all seemed overwhelming to me...this button, that button, turn this, press that, the impossible task of trying to thread the needle, etc. and then there was that darn pedal! i just remember enjoying being in the room with her while she went about her crafty business! i also remember thinking to myself...how could hands and brain and feet and eyes all work together so effortlessly and enjoyably without mistakes? i didn't know then, but i do now! granted, i am not the skilled seamstress that my grandmother was, but i sure like what i have tried so far...straight-line sewing! haha! i am not at all ready to jump into sewing designs onto fabric, making clothing repairs, busting out a pattern for a three-quarter sleeved shirt, etc. just keeping it simple with good ol' straight lines!
with gramma lovell's sewing machine out of commission, i was off to sears with my dear husband to buy a sewing machine. it was not too expensive and would serve me well for all my straight-line adventures! in less than an hour, i was back to my mom and dad's house...and ready for my first sewing lesson. oh, and gramma lovell's machine has since gotten fixed, so now i have that one to use as well. how exciting!
i have completed two sewing projects since that first lesson, both quilt tops! the first one is currently in odessa awaiting its final touches. the quilt top is about the same size as a full-size bedspread and shows a lovely combination of browns, reds, creams/pale yellows, olive greens, and accents of black. it is a pattern of squares with a border made of stripes. once i had it all done, i took it to a little old man here in lubbock who quilts on a machine in his garage. he is the cutest little man you ever did see! once he has done his magic, and the quilt top is quilted with a back, the binding is left up to me. my mom knows what to do next...so that is where i stand with that one.
most recently, i tackled a project that was pretty gutsy for my second-ever sewing endeavor. i saw a pattern at a local fabric store that looked like a puzzle. pretty cool!?!? so, i picked it up and decided sometime soon after that i would make a quilt for one of my students who was graduating from high school. i've known this girl over two years and she is one of my favorites...so it was decided! i picked out black, white, and green fabrics with her by my side and got to work one saturday. the cutting took forever and the number of pieces i would be sewing back together in this puzzle formation was 240! holy cow! what was i thinking? so, many sewing sessions (which translates into many hours) later, i have finished the top of the quilt.
what do you think?
ok, so i thought of a baby update...we finalized our boy and girl names two weekends ago on the way home from church! hooray! june 15 is right around the corner...we will find out which name we will be using and begin calling baby by name! we love love love love both our names, but are keeping them a secret from everyone until a later date. i am still feeling great and have more energy than i did in trimester #1. (i still try to nap every other day or so though!) i have finally gotten a small bump...a bump that i love. i absolutely love big pregnant bellies and can't wait til mine's bigger! time to go for now...
take care one and all.
:) carianne
No comments:
Post a Comment