New Project - Bedside Organizer

My significant other has a bedside organizer that I have thought was pretty nifty for awhile now.  What exactly am I talking about?  A picture is the best way to describe it:

What you don’t see is that at the top of the organizer, there is extra fabric that sticks between the mattress and box springs of the bed.  You can put whatever you’d like in the pockets…a TV remote, an eye mask, etc.  This particular organizer has a loop at the bottom that you can roll up a magazine or newspaper and stick in.  I don’t really like that part.

Remember the pattern and fabric that I purchased at the Scrap Exchange, namely these (see pattern at top left corner of envelope)?

Well, as my lovely significant other pointed out, add extra fabric to the top of the organizer and I’ve got myself a bedside organizer as well!  I’m going to use the navy fabric pictured to make the organizer.  It seems to be a synthetic material (it’s too rough to be cotton), and I think it will hold up well to the years of use I’m sure it will give me.

First completed project!

Today was the last day of sewing class and I walked out with a finished robe!  I am so excited!  I cannot believe that I actually made this!  I showed my significant other and he was very impressed!  I will be going on vacation in a few weeks and am bringing along my brand new robe.  I am so impressed that I can actually do this! 

It has been really fun taking the class and getting to know the teacher (thank you Nancy!) and my classmates.  Thursday nights will not be the same without class, but I am definitely going to set aside time each week to keep sewing.  When I started this class, my mission was to learn to use my sewing machine enough to do basic to moderate clothing alterations.  I had NO idea how much I would learn and just how much I would enjoy sewing!  I finally think I have found a hobby that I will continue to enjoy for years. 

Time to pick out my next project!

It's a sign, I tell you

Well, Black Friday (and Black Saturday, I suppose) have brought with them certain signs from above that now sewing class is almost over, I need to start on other projects!  Our local Joanne store had certain patterns on sale for $0.99.  NINETY-NINE CENTS?!?!  Even as a novice, I know that is a STEAL!  So I did some research online first to see which patterns I was interested in and made a list.  I found pretty much everything I was looking for when I visited the store yesterday.  

Cute stuff, huh?  By the way, the baby pattern isn't for me; my best friend is due in early April and I would love to make something(s) for the baby.  

Then we went to the Scrap Exchange.  If you live in the Durham area and don't know about the Scrap Exchange, you are missing out.  It is a treasure trove for anyone into crafting or creating or just anything.  You never know what you are going to find there and everything there is not reasonably priced, it's dirt cheap.  Please click on the link to find out more about them and their mission.  It is very cool stuff.  Anyway, while there, I found more fabric and random sewing items that I'm pretty sure I will need (and it's so inexpensive, why not get it now?).

So, I found 3 patterns for $0.20 each (did you just read that?  TWENTY CENTS!!).  There's only 1 or 2 items in each pattern I am interested in, but for that price I am buying it.  I purchased 2 rolls of fabric for $1.60 and $3.20.  The white and pink-striped fabric is destined to be a hanging organizer (refer to the first picture, to the pattern in the upper left corner; you can see the organizer in the top right of that picture).  The darker fabric (it's actually navy) is going to be used for the right-most pattern directly above these words...yes, the baby patterns.  The bottom right picture on that pattern is listed as a "wall organizer".  Well, as my lovely significant other pointed out, put extra fabric onto it and it becomes a bedside organizer that I have been wanting for awhile now.  Tada!

Other things I purchased were random snaps and closures, a little box to hold some of these notions, and the other fabric (which was actually considered "scraps" and was less than $1 each).  I'm not sure what the scraps will become but many of these patterns have cute little pouches and organizers that will probably be perfect for them.

No longer my nemesis!

I haven't posted in awhile since all of my sewing has been done in class on our robes.  But, today I have passed a milestone....I have taken my sewing machine out of the box & set it up!!  I am SO excited about this!  I intended to work on my robe a little, but I spent my time setting up the machine, looking at all of the parts that came with it, and reading the manual.  I guess the guest bedroom will double as a sewing room for now.  We already had some thread, a seam ripper, various buttons and needles from random places.  I will add to my sewing cache as needed; I don't want to jump in guns blazing and spend a ridiculous amount of money on things that I might not need.  For now, I'm happy to be doing test stitches on scrap fabric with my own machine!

Nemesis no more!

Sew it begins

Today was the first day of sewing class.  The teacher is such a nice lady and has a lot of personal experience sewing.  There are three of us in the class as students.  The teacher picked out an easy pattern, a robe, for all of us to do.  Today she showed us how a sewing machine works and how to thread the needle and bobbin.  We also picked out fabric (which was donated to the class) to make our robes with.

The robe is shown on the model; it is also pictured at the top middle of this picture.

The beginning

I received a sewing machine as a present (one that I requested, actually) four years ago...and I have never opened the box.  It sits in the corner of the guest room, mocking me, since I had high aspirations upon asking for it but really have no idea how to use it.  After being continually harassed by my significant other for the past four years, I saw our local parks & recreation department is offering a sewing class for a few weeks so I have signed up.  We will see how this works out.  I am hoping for the best; at least, I am hoping that I can alter the hems of clothes by the time I finish the class.

 My nemesis