Can You Sew?

I'm taking a break from my projects this week. Today it's deep cleaning DS' bedroom. With his assistance. But still.

Yesterday I made a satin edged blanket from two pieces of fleece for DD. The top layer is mostly blue with mermaids in pinks, purples and like a tealy-blue color. The back is a darker pink and the edges are purple satin. She picked it all out a long time ago. I just got around to doing it! I'm not an expert and it's not perfect; but shes happy. I messed up doing the corners so I had to fudge it a bit. It still looks ok; but not technically like a quilt should be. It's only my 3rd time doing that. I should have gone back to the YouTube video I learned from to refresh my memory.

The colors aren’t quite accurate. My bedding is white at the top.


Now I need to make the curtains for both our bathrooms. I got some seriously cute Minnie Mouse fabric for the kid's bathroom that I'm going to turn into cafe curtains. I already got a shower curtain and a few bathroom accessories. I can't do a bath mat for them because Noodles' pees on those.

I'm doing cafe curtains for my bathroom in purple and grey. I don't want to block light so cafe curtains should help. We have shades; but it's so plain in there.

The thing that has me stalling on the curtains is that I want to line them so the fabric doesn't fade. I have leftover lining material from when I lined our kitchen and dining room curtains. I guess I just need undisturbed time to just sit and do it! Or stand...because my table is too tall to sit and sew at. But it does make cutting and pinning fabric a little less backbreaking. My BFF is an awesome seamstress and designs a lot of vintage style clothing. At this point I almost want to ask her to do it all. I know I can figure it out; but I'm not so good that I can just whip stuff up.

Did I mention it's our last week of summer break? Nothing like the last minute right?

I have been sewing since I was 3. My mom told me that when I was 3 she put me on her lap at the sewing machine and helped me guide the fabric. (probably to keep track of me). I love to sew. In 7th grade I had to take Home Ec. The teacher had us make an apron A square with a belt. By that time I was making dresses, so I was bored.

I make clothes for myself when I feel like it. Mostly now I make tote bags and purses to sell at craft shows.

I made all the curtains in our place, I have recovered our couch twice, and other small projects.

Sewing is one of my escapes. I love taking a flat piece of fabric and sewing it a certain way and I end up with a skirt, or pillow cover or tote bag.

I also knit and crochet.

I can hand sew and make easier projects. I want to eventually learn how to use a machine. I had a disastrous introduction to it when I was in middle school and have not recovered. Haha!

My son's fiancee, however, is a seamstress who does a lot of cosplay work and traditional Japanese sewing.

That's a beautiful blanket - great job! I think it looks fine.

I can't sew. But my mother can. She's realllyyyyy good at it. She's been sewing me clothes since I was a baby.

That blanket looks good to me, too. I used to make almost all of my own clothes and many for my sons when they were toddlers. I did it to save money - we were living on a shoestring - because I could make something for about 40% of the readymade cost. Now that cost has gone down so much and all the fabric is knit needing a serger machine, it's just not worth it anymore. Wouldn't attempt jeans with all those flat-felled seams and rivets.

What I have sewn in recent years is just like yours - items for the home. I'm only a mediocre seamstress, but my son's MIL is absolutely fantastic. She sells many of her creations at craft shows. She makes fleece mittens that I've seen on sale for $40. There isn't anything she can't make and make it beautifully.

rgwanner said:

I make clothes for myself when I feel like it. Mostly now I make tote bags and purses to sell at craft shows.

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I have fabric I bought to make some tote bags sitting here too. It was just too cute to resist!!

DreamerRose said:

my son's MIL is absolutely fantastic. She sells many of her creations at craft shows.

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BFF has found it hard to get people to appreciate her work at craft shows. Not everyone appreciates the work they put into it! Or the costs of fabrics and supplies these days. But online she does get some good orders. Especially around Halloween when people want something inspired by a certain character. Holidays too. I think people looking for her style are more likely to search online with places like etsy out now.

I learned to sew early, out of necessity. It paid off in boot camp because many of the buttons on our uniforms came loose, and I got 50 cents for each button to re-secure them for the guys that couldn't do so themselves.

I sure can. I learned to sew in a treadle machine as a 4H member and have been sewing ever since. Since 2014 I have been sewing and selling washable covers for Swiffer Sweepers on my Etsy shop, Pinnetta.

I used to make doll clothes when I was 10-12 or so. I can't do anything fancy though, and if the bottom bobbin comes off I have the worst time getting everything put back together. But I can use a sewing machine in a very basic way and follow a basic pattern.

And I can put a button back on. Or tack a hem back up. I don't think that's anything special but some people say they can't do it .

I have an OLD Singer sewing machine. I used it to make my costume for Civil War Re-enacting. I bought a suit with tails and made my shirts (pleated) with this machine. I bought patterns for the old collarless shirts and pants (split in the back with a button closure). I also made my pants in wool like the coat. I bought bolts of cotton and wool.I dressed as a lawyer from the period. I also use it to do small repairs on clothes. My eyes are pretty good for a 63 year old man but, I do need reading glasses to thread a needle.

MoochNNoodles - Love that blanket! Cute!

I'm not great at sewing -- but I don't have a sewing machine (yet?) and have to do things by hand. So, I'm terrible. I'm much better at doing buttons (I am in good company here!) and so lately I've made things by cheating, not sewing like I should and doing buttons instead!

lol, for example, here is Milly's new crinkle paper mat, held together with buttons! taadaa





I'm going to use buttons to devise a curtain rod pocket for some curtains.

MoochNNoodles How do you intend to hang your cafe curtains? What I do for window length curtains is use two tension rods at the top - one for the attractive fabric and another for the liner fabric. In winter I just use fleece cut somewhat wider than the window, with clip-on curtain rings for the liner. Cuts down on drafts.

And made summertime muslin shade covers for the bedroom skylights - muslin cut extra long so there are gathers when placed on the rod pockets for the top-to-bottom tension rods. Nuisance to put up (need a tall ladder) but very summery looking and cuts the more instense summer sun. Take them down for the winter.

There used to be a Wamsutta outlet nearby, now long gone, alas. Had to be careful because some of their seconds were very badly misprinted. But I got wonderful queen / king size sheets for less than the cost of fabric yardage, cut off decorative top hem and reattached to lie over the body of the fabric to make light-weight floor length drapes.

And I've also used floral print somewhat heavier weight tablecloths hung vertically as a drapery.

C catapault I'm going to use some simple small diameter rods. I found one with decorative fluer de lis finials a while back for my bathroom. I have white wood slat shades in the bathrooms so I need to hang off the wall. But I don't want to block light and I like the look.

I got the curtains for my bathroom sewn today. I ran out of the fabric lining so I've ordered that to pick up from a local fabric store tomorrow.

I also forgot to buy the rods so I guess I'll get those while I'm out!

I was thinking earlier how I bet I could make cute cafe curtains out of a mens dress shirt. I have no rooms left to do that in at the moment; but it sounds cute!

I do stamped embroidery as a hobby if that counts.

I can sew but hate it. When my kids were small I almost always made their Halloween costumes. I would sometimes make my own patterns for them. The most difficult is when my daughter wanted to be Laura Ingals ( Little House on the Prairie books). I couldn’t find a pattern so I made one. The sun bonnet was the hardest! I just don’t have the patience any more and it is expensive now.

In 7th and 8th grades, we all took what was called Industrial Arts classes, consisting of wood, print, and metal shops. For print shop, we had to make aprons to keep the ink off our clothes. They were the kind with a strap that went around the neck and 2 more that tied at the waist. I already knew how to sew, but that was my first experience with an electric machine.

posiepurrs said:

I can sew but hate it. When my kids were small I almost always made their Halloween costumes. I would sometimes make my own patterns for them. The most difficult is when my daughter wanted to be Laura Ingals ( Little House on the Prairie books). I couldn’t find a pattern so I made one. The sun bonnet was the hardest! I just don’t have the patience any more and it is expensive now.

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I remember when fabric and patterns were cheap. Not anymore. I wish I had learned to sew when I was younger.

I've made reusable shopping bags from feed bags - sturdy woven plastic, colorful, attractive designs. Friends with chickens, sheep, horses etc save them for me.

I can kind of sew!! I just this year made my first project- a pillow... and then I challenged myself to make all the elements of my costume for a performance (I am a performer). The costume had its issues but overall it looked good!

My mom taught me to sew when I was in 7th or 8th grade. I took Home Ec in high school and it was a breeze because my mom had taught me to cook too.

I made our older daughter's prom dress and wedding dress & veil, and will be making our younger daughter's wedding veil also. I would've made her dress but she had one in mind, which is fine with me.