Sewing and embroidery

Oh dear, it’s been 2 weeks already since my last post… I guess I should have included blogging into my ‘Routines’ schedule. I will do that and hope to improve.

What have I been up to? Well, it’s still summer and it’s still very hot most days. I enjoyed a long weekend over Australia Day and have been busy with embroidery and sewing. I bought my sewing and embroidery machine of my best friend in January 2015. When we started travelling I decided to get a second machine to take with us. Unfortunately, I rarely used it as I’m a beginner and we didn’t have enough space and/or time due to the travelling. Anyway, I was really looking forward to get back into it now where I’m settled and learn how to use my machines properly.

I have an embroidery machine which does nice embroidery on things. Originally I started with just some easy embroidery projects such as embroidery on cushion covers:

Then I tried towels and embroidered all of our boring tea towels:

I even did a T-shirt as well – can’t wait to wear it to the next dog obedience class!

I feel confident now with what I’m doing in regards to embroidery and learnt which stabiliser to use for what ect. So I wanted to try the next level: In-the-hoop (ITH) projects! ITH projects are items which are made entirely with an embroidery machine and usually require minimum sewing at the end. My best friend designs ITH items at LINK and I always wanted to do one but I was simply scared. I couldn’t imagine that I could do a bag or anything pretty which she just masters with ease. Well obviously she has loads of experience in how to use an embroidery machine and I used mine only a few times. I sometimes struggled to understand the explanations and I NEVER EVER could imagine how it all would come together in the end. I tried something fairly simple which I asked her to design for me: Salt & Pepper rugs. I have salt & pepper mills on our table and the residue on the table cloth always annoyed me. So I asked her to modify her mug rug design and make me some salt & pepper rugs. I made about 8!

I then was so excited, I wanted to do something else. I made heart shaped potholders and patchwork potholders – definitely more complicated due to the layers and complex design – I was actually amazed when I turned them and they looked so beautiful! My friend helped me when I was stuck and that was good because sometimes, I just don’t know what to do. 
These are the birthday presents for my Granddad. I hope he likes them as much as I liked making them. 

But now I’m hooked and I can’t wait to make all the ITH projects I saved! This one I’m did this morning as part of a sew along. It’s a phone case and I have used zippers for the very first time! Very proud of it!

But I’m not ‘just’ doing embroidery. As I want to make my own clothes and decorations for the house, I wanted to learn how to sew. So I enrolled myself into a Dressmakers course. Last Monday I had my first class and I LOVED it! It’s an absolute beginners course and I learn everything from what equipment I need and what it does to how to read a pattern, how to amend it, how to cut it, put it together and make it. We will make a skirt, a shirt, a dress and some pants. It’s great! This is the pattern and fabric I’ve chosen for my skirt – I reckon it’s going to look great and I think it will suit me.

I have also joined a sew along at Simple Living Forum and will be making a shirt, so maybe I'm ahead with this one for my sewing class or I just make another one. 

And no, it doesn’t stop there! I also enrolled myself to do a pintuck bag on the 11^th – at least this is just a day course but I do have to cut everything before next weekend! This is the material I’ve chosen for my bag.

I’ve like it so much, I went back today to get some more. I’m thinking to do a machine cover and mat for my embroidery machine out of the white one with the yellow flowers. The blue and white and the white and blue will be for another shirt – it will look great! Can you tell, I love my new hobby?!