Sewing

Tis the season... my favorite time of year when everyone is cleaning out... and selling out the goodies they no longer use.  Yard sales are where many people obtain their very first sewing machine.  The only unfortunate part of yard sale sewing equipment is that most of the time, the sewing machine manual is not with the sewing machine.  The best way to learn about a sewing machine... and not damage it by playing with it before you know what you are doing is to read the sewing machine manual. The good news is that you can find sewing machine manuals for almost any machine out there.

• Sewing Machine Manuals
• Every thing You Need to Enjoy Your Sewing Machine
• Solve Sewing Machine Problems - Trouble Shooting Guide to Fix Sewing Machine Malfunctions
• Sewing Machine Operation 101 - 8 Basics Steps to Operate a Sewing Machine
• Thread A Sewing Machine - Keep The Presser Foot Up
• Everything You Need to Know About Sewing Machine Needles

Graduations are almost done... and collage is ahead for many.  Hopefully you have visited the collage and know what your needs are for the dorm rooms.  You can save yourself a bundle ... and have a dorm room that is a true stand out... by sewing exactly what is needed to mask storage and decorate that dorm room.

• How to Sew a Non Standard Bed Skirt - Collage Dorms and Non-Standard Bed Sizes
• A Custom Bed Cover by Painting Fabric
• Free Step by Step Directions to Turn a Pillowcase in to a Laundry Bag
• Readers Respond: Ideas and Tips for Personalizing a Pillowcase Laundry Bag
• Free Sewing Patterns and Projects to Sew Your Own Bedding and Bedroom Decorating

As someone who has been personally effected by a tornado and as someone who has put in many volunteer hours for the American Red Cross, I can verify that monetary donations to the American Red Cross do go to the people who need the help and the money is spent on needs that aren't going to be filled any where else.  That  said, money is not the only way to help and more places are starting to surface that will be collecting for people who are homeless. Just remember that as much as these people need things, they need a place to keep them as well and until that place is established they are not ready for much in the way of material goods.

Totally Stitchin Net has posted a great page of ways we can help! They have links to the American Red Cross, a Quilt and Blanket Drive and Sew a Garment for "Sewing to Rebuild" which includes free patterns to sew for people in need.

• Ways to Help Moore, OK
• Charity Sewing Opportunities and Patterns

Summer time means travel time for many families.  One of the things no one ever has enough of is bags! They are so simple to make and since you are making them you can adjust the size and fabric to meet your needs.  I absolutely LOVE my screen bag when we head for the beach. It allows the towels to breath and sifts out a lot of the sand before we even get to the car which leads to much less sand on the laundry room floor!

I recommend that every mother have some folded tote bags ready to distribute the load... you know what I mean... all those things that everyone thinks can land in Mom's pocketbook... until Mom's back is ready to give.  Having some bags ready, allows you to have others help carry the "stuff" they want to collect.

• Free Beach Sewing Projects - Sewing Projects for Beach and Swimming
• Free Utility Type Bag Patterns - Shopping Bags, Fire Log Carriers, Walker Tote, Beach Bags, Backpacks and More

Memorial Day weekend, in the USA, is the unofficial start of summer picnics and barbeques.  We will be opening the pool even if the water is too cold to think about swimming in yet.  Opening the pool is a job and it's always accompanied with lots of beverages and food.  Being prepared for the work party allows me to participate in the fun parts of opening the swimming pool for the season.

I'll spend the end of the week  making salads and digging out the insulating fabric dishes so I know they will stay food-safe when I set them out for everyone.  And probably the most important thing I can do ... which helps us afford the swimming pool is to have a pile of all different kinds of can wraps or insulators ready for anyone who is here to help.  Those can insulators keep everyone knowing which can is theirs and stops a bunch of cans that have one sip out of them from being thrown away because no one is sure who's can it is.  They work for juice boxes too so the kids know which drink is theirs.

• Free Sewing Projects for Summer Fun and Picnics

I'm sure some people are already visiting the beach but we haven't opened our swimming pool yet. We've been teased with a  couple of warm days but we also had a hard freeze so we are waiting for a while to hit the beach or open the swimming pool.  I love a day at the beach... relaxing and chilling out is my idea of a perfect day.  Securing things like your keys and the loose change for the concession stand is always an issue but this new sewing project to sew a securely closing beach towel or beach blanket pocket solves that issue. Keeping things out of sight is half the battle.  I'm not sure I would trust walking off and leaving electronics but if you would with them stashed in the out of sight beach towel pocket, be sure to keep plastic bags at hand to keep the electronics dry!

• Sew a Secure Pocket on Your Beach Towel or Blanket
• Free Sewing Patterns for Beach and Summer Fun - Clothes, Bags and More

Have you ever stopped to think about exactly what makes a seam and how a seam comes together. Seams are a basic element of almost all sewing projects and we can improve our sewing skills by analyzing the elements that make up our sewing project... especially if you are teaching others to sew.

There are basics to all seams and there are specialty seams that have special purposes.  Learning all of these variations and knowing what options are available as you sew, makes the project go together easier than punting your way through it and ends in a project you can be proud of.

• Anatomy of a Seam - Learn How to Sew a Seam
• Everything You Need to Sew a Perfect Seam
• Choosing a Seam Finish When Sewing a Seam

I did something this weekend that I hadn't done in years... The weather was predicted to be rainy so there was no sense in planning gardening activities.  So I chose to spend the weekend in my sewing room!   I actually picked out a couple patterns and spent the weekend sewing clothes for myself. Since loosing weight, I need clothes so it seemed like a perfect way to spend my rainy days...and it felt GREAT!  I used up most of an old bolt of Wal-Mart dollar a yard fabric. I have finished  one wearable semi-dressy blouse and I have a dress that is almost finished ... but now that I read the end of the direction, I do not like the way the zipper is the last thing to be done and raw edges are at the neckline... I should have read through all of the directions first so I could have changed the construction method.  Now that I am familiar with the "new" patterns, I can play with a couple of fitting issues.

Now I'm curious! How long has it been since you used a commercial pattern? Please take the poll and sound off on the forum about your experiences.  If I know where we run into issues, I can work on solving the issues so we can all get back to sewing garments that we want!

The school year is ending for most schools. I like to remember the work of club leaders, teachers and all the people who made the year a good one for my child.  I don't break the bank, I sew! There are plenty of ways to turn something small into something personalized with fabric and decorations so that even the smallest gift is a personalized experience.

• Gifts to Sew for Teachers, Babysitters, Club Leaders and More

Summer fun and travel are around the corner.  Packing your shoes and sneakers while not having them exposed to your clean packed clothing can use up a lot of shopping bags if you aren't ready for the task.  This new shoe or craft bag is up to the task and solves your shoe issues... and more.

I'll be mass producing this bag... at least six of them for my daughter and as many as I can make for my husband and myself. They not only securely store the shoes, it's a perfect size for putting under the front seat of my car to have a hand sewing project ready any time I am in "waiting mode"... you know what I mean... the game ran late, the doctor is running late.... all those times when I could be getting something done if it were at hand. I can use my fabric store coupons for any of the supplies I need but most of this bag can be made with scraps of fabric and webbing.

• Free Sewing Pattern to Sew a Shoe or Craft Bag
• Money Saving Sewing Tips