How I started sewing

I've received many emails asking how to learn to sew. Silly people, don't you know I'm not very good at it? But I can tell you how I got started and maybe point you in the right direction.

My husband got me a Singer 7462 for Christmas a couple years ago after I told him I didn't want a sewing machine. I figured it would sit in a corner unused and make me feel guilty every time I saw it. But he got me one anyway because he loves me and knows me better than I know myself. Sure enough, it was one of the best presents ever, even though it makes me want to shoot myself sometimes.

Which is why you won't believe me when I say this model is very simple to operate. I have no complaints about it except that the light on it is quite dim. You'll either need to wear a miner's headlamp or drag a lamp over next to you. Other than that, it's fabulous.

My machine came from a fabric store down the street, and free lessons were included. If you buy from a local store, see if they offer some beginning lessons. A nice lady met with me four times to teach me how to get started. Very helpful. I've since forgotten everything she said, but it gave me enough confidence to make my first project by myself: that bag in the picture above, made from this tutorial. I was bursting with pride because it actually looks like a bag!

The Complete Photo Guide to Sewing is a very useful but ugly sewing book that's helped me a lot. And good news. They're finally updating it, due out in January. It tells you all the types of seams and what they're for, how to put in a zipper, make a pillow, plus scads of other projects. It's better than a website because you'll need to refer to it constantly while you're doing a project.

If you want a really pretty, inspirational book, get Amy Butler's In Stitches. Not as useful for the basics, but much nicer to look at, with cool project ideas.

Now go read these articles from people who know more than I do:
Where to Begin Sewing at JCaroline Creative
What Kind of Sewing Machine to Buy at Purl Soho

Hopefully that's helpful to someone out there. Really, you should sew. You will like it most of the time.

Displaying family photos

Domino has a gallery of ideas for displaying family photographs. Here's my favorite: picture frames duct-taped together to make one big piece of art. See how they added solid color blocks and nature shots to balance the people-pictures. Love it! You could use something like these cheapies from IKEA, I bet. And speaking of IKEA, I'm reminded of this cartoon. Heh heh.

(Image from dominomag.com)

Free postage stamp font

Download this postage font from dafont.com. Spotted by Luzel over at iDIY.

A nice bucket

I found this $3 ice bucket at a thrift store and reupholstered it with a piece of the strike-off for my new Boardwalk fabric. Granted, I'm not really sure how often I'll be needing an ice bucket, but I was captivated by its vintage grooviness. And I can always use it as a storage container in my office. I think this one on etsy might be identical, except it's got brass-colored hardware. If it's like mine, you can completely pry the parts off and wrap it with new fabric. I ironed vinyl onto mine to make it waterproof.

Clipart library

This library contains a wealth of historic images, scanned and cleaned up by Florida's Educational Technology Clearinghouse. Teachers and students can use up to 50 items in a single, non-commercial project without further permission. You might find some inspiration here for some of your own art projects.

A handful of craft tutorials

How to mount a clock on canvas at Real Living magazine
Potato printed grocery tote at Martha Stewart
Patchwork oven mitts from Lindamade
How to make a pop-up photo at Wikihow
Paper fortune cookies at For the Love of Paper
Sewing machine cover at Spool Sewing
Hello Kitty papercraft from PaperKraft
Pieced-paper hurricane candle holders at Martha Stewart
Wildflower pincushion by Anna Maria Horner at BHG

Spray painted picture frames

I bought these gold plastic frames (below) at a thrift store and gave them a few coats of spray paint. They were, um, stunning before, but everything is better in orange. Try it—spray painting is fun! Just make sure you get spray paint that's formulated for the type of surface you're painting. Apply several light coats of paint, waiting about 30 seconds in between. Your project will be dry in about 10 minutes, and set in an hour. I used Krylon Fusion for Plastic, purchased at our local Ace Hardware.

Now I just need to make some kind of pictures to frame with these. Then I'm off to take a bath in a giant flower.