08.01.09
My Sewing Space!
Imagine, if you will, a 5 ft X 8 ft corner of an eat in kitchen. Now imagine that space were occupied by 2 ceiling high shelving units, stuffed full. Imagine about a dozen large plastic totes stacked around the shelving units. Imagine cardboard boxes and gift bags and storage bags all stacked around in complete and horrible disorder.
Congrats! You have imagined the sewing space I had last year. Of course it really wasn’t so much a sewing space as a craft supply storage area. And a this and that storage area. In fact, it was just a dump zone for whatever didn’t have a home.
I spent a year purging and organizing, working on the area whenever I could. As part of a challenge at Frugal Village I managed to finish the area yesterday! (Ok, it’s 99% finished. I decided last minute that the corkboard idea wouldn’t be as handy to me as a wall mounted bookshelf and eye hooks for a hang-able clipboard. So I need to purchase and install those items.)
So, without further eloquence…Drum-roll please……..


The red unit stores lesser used kitchen appliances and gadgets. I have very few cabinets. :/

I made these two bags yesterday. they’re 12in X 24in X 24in with drawstring tops. I’m storing the clothes I keep to recycle in these.

The white cabinets are my pantry cabinets. Like I said, not enough cabinets.

I just love the view while I’m working in my space. It’s absolutely thrilling to haveĀ everything always set up, easy to find andĀ coordinated! I haven’t had that since I had my own room at 14 years old.
I’m pretty happy right now. Can you tell?
07.30.09
2 Days Left!
I’m just two days away from my ‘deadline’ to complete work in my sewing area. As a procrastinator I can tell you that I still have much to do to meet my goal. I want this done!
As extra motivation I’ll announce here that I’ll be posting pictures of the tidy and coordinated space on August 1!
Ok, now I have to get to work…
07.07.09
Bookmarks
I know that everyone over the age of 5 knows how to make bookmarks but these turned out so pretty that I had to share them here!
Before:

After:

07.06.09
Disc Golf Accessessories Part 2
I made these washcloth sized towels from pieces of an old bath towel in my stash. I wrecked 3 grommets trying to attach the eyelets. Good thing they were free.
I made mine with a scap of coordinating fabric and hubby’s is plain.
FYI: these are tied to a disc golf bag strap and used for drying sweaty hands or wet or muddy discs during play.

07.04.09
My Machines!
I decided to post pictures of my machines for fun and information purposes.
I’ll list them in order of acquisition.
First is my Baldwin. My dad got this for me when I was 10-ish. It sewed a straight stitch about 25% of the time. The other times it made me practice my hand sewing techniques while my dad tinkered with it. As you can see, it needs a good cleaning.

My parents figured I should have a better machine so they gave me a new machine for my 14th birthday. This thing is a workhorse!

Third is the serger I bought last year. I was completely shocked how many stitches per second that this machine produces; it’s incredibly fast. My sewing machine is a Sunday driver comparatively!

06.05.09
Skirt to Apron

I picked up this short ruffle skirt at a yard sale. I was thinking it would make a cute dress for my daughter.
But I decided yesterday that I wanted it for myself. So it became a frilly hostess apron!


The sash was made from the bottom portion of a pair of cut-offs. I’ll be posting that project next week.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
2 tops into 1

I liked the neckline of the top on the left but it wasn’t long enough. So I cut the bottom of the longer top and attached it to the shorter top.
It was so much easier working with this stretchy fabric than I thought it would be.

I’m not sure if I should take in the sides of the top or not. I kinda like it loose. It reminds me of 80’s dancewear. What do you think?
05.31.09
More Hankies
I spent a couple of hours salvaging a holey and threadbare cotton twin sheet by turning it into 27 hankies!
I used the scarf rolled hem option on my serger instead of the napkin rolled edge I used last time. It’s less dense so these worked up much faster.

80’s Dress to Beach Cover-Up
I found this lightweight polyester dress at a yard sale and paid $.10 for it. The print is a bit deco and the elastic smocked waist had possibilities.
This morning I chopped off the top and hand stitched the top hem while watching a BBC version of Jane Eyre. Sooo nice!
Anyway here’s the before:

And the after:

Between last post and this one I figured out how to crop in Picasa. Now to learn better color editing.
Plaid Halter Top
Here’s the before of the two tops I combined;
And the after:

I apologize for the oversized, horribly lighted photos I’ve been posting. I lost my good photo editor when I had to reformat my computer a few months ago.
I’m using Picasa right now but I don’t like it. I can’t figure out a way to resize photos. For now I’m just using a basic crop and auto color.
I welcome advice!!