Obessed With the Dress

JuneBug Dress

I have a three year old princess living at my house.  I think any one who has a daughter and owns a sewing machine thinks at some point that it would be so much fun to make hair bows, fancy onsies and, of course, dresses.  Even before my princess was born I wanted to sew her dresses.  This JuneBug dress is the first dress I ever made.  I found the tutorial from CraftinessIsNotOptional.com.  The tutorial has a printable pattern and pretty good instructions. 

Let me calm your worried heart by telling you that these pictures are not photos of my first attempt. This is my first attempt:

Not bad you say?  I will give you a closer look. 

Things I learned:
1. Read the pattern first, and then follow it.  I was too afraid to use the footer that makes button holes, so instead, I decided I would put in a zipper.  A step I was not prepared for.  Notice how there are no buttons in the front? This forced me to alter the flap in the front... I had no idea what I was doing.
2. It's okay to sew really slow at first.
3.The color of thread does matter. (Blue thread with a white zipper -- you can see how not straight my sewing was.)

4. Sew the proper seam allowance. Below is a picture of the sleeve.  You can see that the fabric is coming un-sewn because I didn't give 1/2" seam allowance.

5. If you don't have a Serger, finish off the edges with a zigzag stitch.  This is the inside of my dress.  Even though this isn't seen when the dress is being worn, it is a mess!  The fabric is fraying, the wrong color of thread was used, and the zipper...Oh, the zipper.  When finishing off an edge with the zigzag stitch, it is okay to cut off all of the extra fabric.  It will no longer fray, and it is much cleaner.

I  can just hear all of my many followers saying to themselves that even though there were mistakes in my first attempt, it is a lot better than they could have done.  I challenge all ya'll to try.  The tutorial is simple enough and I bet it will turn out a lot better than you think.  Ready, Go!

Handmade is Heartfelt

Pleated Clutch Purse

I am always amazed at the reaction of others when I give away these adorable but simple clutch purses as gifts. Because something is made from my own hand, people feel a little more special knowing that time was spent thinking, planning, and creating a gift for them.  Such a little thing makes other feel so good. And depending on how cute (aka: expensive) your fabric is, this project can easily be made for less than three or four dollars.  Amazing! If you have a lot of friends, or know a lot of people you would like as friends, I suggest you make and gift them something you made by hand. 

Find this tutorial from HowAboutOrange.blogspot.com

Hello!

Hey Ya'll!  Here goes my first big step into the enormous world of Blogging.  When creating this Blog I believe I came across at least three or four other Blogs that were also "Sew Obsessed".  There is a good chance that only close family and a few Instagram and Facebook friends will find their way to my sewing blog, and that is okay.  I need a reason to keep sewing, and a Blog is a good enough reason for me.  

My Mother-in-law is a fabulous seamstress.  I admire her talent and love her ability to create something beautiful out of raw materials.  She is my inspiration.  With a few suggestions from her, and a few not so subtle hints to my husband, I became the owner of my very own sewing machine last Christmas.  One year of online tutorials and many project fails has me convinced that I need my own Blog. 

Aside from my 7th Grade Home Economics class, I have never been taught how to sew.  All of my experience comes from trial and error.  One year of online tutorials, sewing Youtube videos, and Google-ing foreign sewing terminology, such as "bobbin" or "tension", has opened my world up to beautiful fabrics that have become dresses, and hundreds of little squares that have become quilts. 

I can't wait to share!

Brittney