Sewing Attempt #2-Zipper Pouch

Some people seemed pretty impressed with my bag that I made last week on my new sewing machine.  It definitely has a few issues with it and it took me foreves just so you know (I'm not quit an expert sewer).  I really think it's good that I signed up for a sewing class so I can learn how to do things the right way.  That doesn't start until November though.  So in the mean time I tried to make something easier.  I remember seeing how to make a small zipper bag on this blog awhile back and thought it would be great to try.  The zipper kind of scared me but I figured I would attempt it anyways.  Plus I accidentally bought about twice as much fabric as I needed for that first bag so I had a bunch left over.

I seriously could not figure out how to pin this correctly on the last sewing step to make it so the zipper looked perfect but I just kind of made it up as I went.  It didn't end up perfect but it's acceptable (to me).  I will do better next time.  These little bag are cool and I could use about 20 of them with all the junk I keep in my purse so I should get a lot of practice.  I'm currently using this one for coupons.

What do you think?

Anyone taken up sewing yet?

Is your purse a mess?

Sewing Machine Review and My Greatest Crafting Achievement To Date

A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to review another product from CSN Stores.  This time I decided to review a sewing machine.  I have wanted to learn to sew for a long time.  I feel like not knowing how to sew is really holding me back in my crafting and making stuff (you know, the title of this blog).  So I sorted all the sewing machines available on CSN by price and bought one of the cheapest ones which was this Brother Free-Arm Sewing Machine with 10 Stitches.

So far I am loving this machine.  You should know, I don't actually really know anything about sewing so I don't have anything to compare it to.  I was able to thread the bobbin and the needle and actually get started sewing in about 45 minutes.  I think that was pretty good because I'm not the best at following directions (hence why I like cooking better than baking-less important that you follow recipes exactly in cooking).  The instructions have pictures and are pretty easy to follow.

In comparison to every other machine, this machine was cheap.  I was not expecting anything amazing, just a basic beginner sewing machine.  I think this machine is going to work for me and help me achieve my dream of one day being able to sew my own apron.  I have actually signed up for a month long sewing class.  We'll see how that goes.  Overall, I'm very pleased with my purchase.

Since I didn't really know anything about sewing, I decided to just jump in head first.  I bought this pattern I found online (it said it was a good bag for beginners).  It took me most of last week, but I finally finished my bag.  There were a few mishaps but overall I was extremely proud of myself (just don't look at the straps or top too closely).  It even has pockets.  Hopefully my sewing class will give me some tips on how to do things better and what some of these sewing words mean (I had to google a bunch while making this bag).

In other, unrelated news, the dining room table is back to craftland.

Who knows how to sew?
Who wants to know how to sew?