Wow… this semester has absolutely flown by! It really feels like just yesterday when I got started on this learning project and had quite literally never touched a sewing machine before. I am still far from being proficient, but looking back through my posts, the improvement has absolutely been there. A Quick Recap Post One: The first week of this project was mostly focused on getting set up. I got out my sewing machine, got familiar with some of the controls and got all of the supplies I needed like patterns, fabric, and thread. No resources this week, it was all about getting set up. Post Two: The second week…

Following this post I have one more learning project blog to do, but this go around I’ll be outlining my final creation for this journey that I’ve been on. So far I’ve made a cloth napkin, a pillowcase, two masks, and several pairs of shorts, so this time I decided to attempt to make a tank top. This is the video I followed along to this time around. I’ve found that the videos are the best way for me to understand the steps to take and things to do. I followed this tutorial and used the free pdf pattern that goes along with it (linked in the description of the…

Finally, I have managed to create a pair of shorts that, are and look functional. It took several tries but this final attempt was the best of the bunch! That’s not to say that there are no technical issues, my ability to create a straight stitch is still not quite there, but I managed to make a pair of shorts with no holes and no fit issues. Making Changes After two attempts that were less than successful, I made the decision to call up my Grandma once again for some advice. I really wasn’t able to understand where I was going wrong and I was struggling to figure it out…

Making shorts! Take Two! Once again, I am back and creating a pair of shorts. In my last post, my shorts turned out very, very, very small. This time, I made some adjustments. The main goal was to end up with shorts that I could at the very least put on. Well in that regard, this attempt was a success. Although I did have more issues that I am yet to figure out how to fix. Attempt Two: Go! I was once again following along to this video: Last week my main issues were with the size of my shorts, but beyond that it seemed like everything else was exactly…

One of the main goals I had for this learning project was to eventually be able to create clothing for myself. I have limited material so I’m a bit limited in what I can create. I decided that I would start off simple, create something that didn’t take too much material, and create a pair of shorts. Up until this point, most of my creations have been functional, if not very pretty, and so I figured that if I do my research and follow a video, I would be able to do the same with a simple pair of shorts, right? Wrong. This was the first time that I have…

Making a Mask: Take Two If last week was all about trying something new, this week is all about doing more of the same! Instead of moving on to something new, I decided to make another and try to perfect the mask that I created last week. If you haven’t, check out my post from last week to get a better idea about what I’m going to be covering today. This go around, I made some tweaks to the pattern and the process that I think helped make everything go more smoothly and turn out better than my first attempt. The Changes With my last mask, the main problems that…

I am finally catching up on my learning project, and getting this third post out. These last two weeks threw a bit of a wrench into my schedule for this project and it caused a standstill for a while. Two weeks ago we set up a space for the sewing machine in our guest room/office, I was looking forward to being able to have a designated space for this project! Then one of my Mom’s students tested positive for COVID and she had to self isolate. Fortunately, the rest of the family was able to go about our daily lives, IF she stayed in the guest room completely separate from…

This week I jumped right into actually sewing. It was definitely more of a challenge than I expected it to be. I focused mostly on the simple stuff, learning the parts of my sewing machine and all of the terminology that goes with it, and then I moved on to practicing a very simple straight stitch. I used the following video to get me started. It was extremely helpful, it laid out where everything is, how to thread my machine, and how to make a simple and useful item to practice my sewing with! Major Mistakes and a Bump in the Road For the first few minutes, everything was going…

Getting Started This week, I got started on learning how to sew! It is something I have always wanted to try, but never seriously committed to learning. I have done a fair amount of hand sewing throughout my life, mending holes or fixing buttons every now and again, but I have never used an actual sewing machine to make something new. My Grandma has done a lot of sewing over the years and she taught each of her four children the basics, so this year she gifted a sewing machine to each of our families. I figured there was no better time than now to get started on this journey!…