The card holders are complete!

I finally completed the card holders I prepped the other day.

Here's the parts all laid out.  And the first one partially assembled.  

I love the colors.  Navy polka dots with pale pink!

This is the first one fully assembled.  Sadly, the whole thing is a bit crooked.  The center is narrower than the edges, almost butterfly shaped.  And the elastic band is off center.  Also, my seams are crooked and a bit varied in width.

But practice makes perfect, right?  This is the second one.  The elastic is in the center (though not quite pinched together properly), the seams are a bit straighter and more even, and the center line is almost perfect!

The third one is the one with the blue elastic.  It's almost perfectly rectangular!  The seams are nice and straight, and almost even.  It's only real problems are the center line is slightly off center, and I had issues attaching the button.

Project #2 is finished.  I have a long way to go before my technique is great, but now I have some very cute, very functional card holders.

Now what should my next project be?  Something simple like a table runner?  Something with a zipper?

I definitely need some interfacing, some double sided interfacing, a few zippers, and probably some bigger fabric pieces.  

The shopping trip

So I finally made it to a Joanne's for some basic supplies the other day.  It was pretty overwhelming.  And expensive.

I found a Fiskar's set with a rotary cutter, cutting mat, and clear ruler.  And a nice pair of fabric shears.  I also found a cheap seam ripper.  I also picked up various storage containers (they were half off :)!)

And then I went a little crazy.  I found a pack of chevron-patterned fat quarters in various colors, and a pack of navy and white dots and stripes.  So I picked up some navy thread to go with them.  And then there was the fusible fleece, and the buttons.

Which all led to my next project.  I'm not making the coffee cup sleeve like I thought I would.
Instead, I'm trying The Crafty Cupboard's card holder.  3 of them, actually.

Since most of my fabric is in the form of fat quarters so far, I used sections of them to cut out the pieces for 3 identical card holders.  I figured I'd get in some practice with repetition.

My outside is in navy and white chevron fabric, the inside in navy with white polka dots, and the pockets are solid pale pink.

I used the new rotary cutting set to cut the pieces, and so far so good.  I got everything cut out, the fusing ironed on, and the fold ironed.  I've even started assembling the first one, but I'm having problems with my lower thread.  I think my bobbin isn't loaded properly.

So, next step:  re-wind my bobbin, pin everything in place, and sew away!

My first completed project

I set the sewing machine up today.
It took me almost an hour to read the directions, set it up, fill a bobbin, and thread the machine.
But I got it done.

So of course I had to try it out. And why just make a random seam when I can make a small project?

I dug out some old fabric that used to be curtains for a poster (I turned a print of Starry Night into a window many, many years ago) and ironed it up, and started cutting and sewing.

I tried out Daisy Janie's produce bag pattern because all I needed was a square of fabric, thread, and an iron.

I obviously need a lot of practice measuring, cutting, sewing in a straight line, and finishing seams.
But I made a usable object!

For the next time I make this, I'm making the bag shorter and wider.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Joanne's for supplies. I'm hoping to pick up a good pair of shears, various basic threads, a seam ripper, fusable batting, buttons, and a mixed bag of scraps like fat quarters. Also, I'll need to stop at Target gor multi-colored elastic hair bands.

The year of the sewing machine

I got a sewing machine for Christmas this year.

I haven't sewn anything in probably 16+ years.  And the last time I tried, well, let's just say my mom's sewing machine didn't like me.

But, new year, new machine, new ideas, let's see where it goes.

I'm going to start small.  The first 2 things I want to try are produce bags, designed by Daisy Janie.

and reversible cup sleeves from The 36th Avenue

They're small, useful, and the patterns are easy and written well.  I think I can do it.

Now I just need a trip to the store for supplies (thread, scissors, and buttons), and then I have to figure out how to use the sewing machine ;)