Envelope Pillow

I had some scraps left over from my first Gum Drop pillow (since I fussy-cut the flower), and I thought I should put it to good use. So, what better than a matching throw pillow?
Luckily, just the project popped out of my Sew Everything Workshop book and I had just enough scraps to make the Envelope Pillow.

There was no pattern to this project, so I just used my handy-dandy rotary cutting mat and tool to cut out the shapes. It seemed simple enough. All I needed was a 12.5x16.5 piece (A) and 2 12.5x11.25 pieces (B&C). My ruler and cutting mat helped to make my measuring a breeze. So, I measure and cut! When I re-measured my "A" piece, it was perfect, then I re-measured B & C to find that I cut them at 12.5x10!! OOOPS!

Well, I am stressing out now! I had my heart set on putting these scraps to good use with a matching throw pillow! So, I consult the directions with mom and she points out how much "extra" material there was for over-lap on the back of the envelope pillow. She says not to worry, I just wont have as much overlap as the directions would require. And she showed me how to improvise!

I couldn't believe it! I could save my pillow! In a cinch, I had my envelope pillow made...and boy does it look cute on the couch with my lovely Gum Drop ottoman at the foot!

Pin Cushions from the Project Book

Now that I have had a few classes and have learned the basics (the very basics), I am going through the project book and picking out projects to make!

I thought I would start with an easy one. AND, I needed a pin cushion for my sewing box, so I decided to make my own! I picked a cute fabric that I am SURE will be used in a future project and I spent a short time making 2 cute pin cushions.

The Gum Drop Pillow CRAZE

Mom and I had so much fun making the Gum Drop pillows that we became obsessed and went crazy making them! (Because I need a bunch of oversized pillows taking over my house)

First I made one for Kelly and her new baby. We went to her baby shower and gave her the giant floor pillow/ottoman with fabric to match her Ocean theme in the baby's room.

Welcome to the world little Kai, who was born March 1st!

Then my little Isis (5 years old) told me about how she wants want too when I am done making the one for the baby. And of course, we want Caitie to have one too! So, now mom and I make 2 more!


Isis loves to jump on hers and Caitie relaxes and puts her feet up! AND someone at mom's work saw the first one I made, and wanted one made for her with the same fabric. But I think when that one's done, we are going to be over the Gum Drop pillows.

The Project Book

I decided that I needed a project book. I need to be able to try some projects at home, outside of the classroom.

I went to Barnes and Noble to find the perfect book and I must have spent an HOUR looking at all the sewing books. After much deliberation...The Sew Everything Workshop with Diana Rupp won!

Check it out at Amazon...it has rave reviews! Just click the picture to see it.

It is spiral-bound, so it is easy to flip through and to use while you are sewing. It has some very easy projects and some that look a bit more complicated. It also comes with 10 patterns!

I've just started using it, but I definitely recommend it for a beginner. It even starts with the basics...parts of the machine, what to add to your sewing kit, etc. Keep your eye out for more posts on projects that are right out of this book!

The Gum Drop Pillow

After the headache of the class at the large chain fabric store, I decided to explore my options and see where else I might be able to take a class. I found this quaint little shop called the Olde Green Cupboard. The front of the store is antiques and such, plus it has fabric and a HUGE classroom in the back for classes and socials. They have a very busy calendar between classes and socials, projects and quilting!

So we sign up for the Gum Drop Pillow class. But, we haven't seen the pattern, and we choose our fabric really having no idea what we are doing. The class material's list did tell us that we could use 2 1/4 yards or 1 1/8 of coordinating fabric. Plus, we needed a 10x10 square accent.

My mom taught me how to "fussy cut" when I decided that I liked a floral pattern and I wanted to choose a flower as my accent piece.

The class was only one 3-hour class. There were 2 other students in the class and when we arrived the teacher immediately help us get set up and started. We saw the pattern for the first time and I was upset that I had all the same material. Mine didn't seem too interesting before we got started. The teacher, Lisa, helped me to cut my material so that it looks like coordinating pieces since the stripes were so wide.

The class was great and I felt so confident when I left. It was a much better beginners class, as it required a lot of repetition. And, the teacher even stayed longer than the class to help us finish! We added the fiber-fill stuffing at home and and whip stitched the opening and then project 2 was finished!

I am super-proud of this one and it was such a good experience. I feel much more adequate than I did with my first class. My pillow is the one on the left with the big flower in the center and the other is mom's. YAY for Gumdrop pillows!

I'm learning to sew...Project 1

It all started like this...
My mom got a new sewing machine for Christmas. So, I inherited her old one and decided it was time to learn. We (mom & I) signed up for a beginner's class at this chain fabric store (which shall remain nameless) and I started out with my first project.

I bought material I liked, but didn't really know what it was all for! The class was supposed to be 2 3-hour classes and we were going to make a Tote.

Class 1
In class one we meet the teacher, someone who has never taught the Tote Class before! And then we meet the other students...4 Green Newbies who have never sewn either! Mom was the most experienced one in the class...because she had 1 semester of Home Ec back in high school!

The first class starts out with us finding out the the measurements in the syllabus are not what we need for the class. Everyone is scurrying to get the right supplies just so we can get stated. About halfway through the class we realize that no one is going to be able to finish this project in 2 classes. In fact, we didn't do a *bit* of sewing in the first class. All we did was pattern cutting and pinning. We were sent home with the homework to iron on our interfacing.

Class 2
We arrive at the 2nd class with our items ironed and get started on actual sewing. It's a mess! Everyone is having problems with their machines and having a hard time getting them to work. The teacher is saying, "Thread the bobbin, start with..." and most of us have no clue what she is talking about. Again another hour passes before we have gotten all the machines set up properly and actually started sewing. The students start to get upset, as we realize that we are leaving our 2-day $60 class (plus materials) without a completed project.
The teacher decides to schedule a 3rd class period so we call all finish. She asks us to sew the lining at home to prep for the next class.

Class 3
Mom and I show up at class 3 ahead of the game with the lining sewn. So we jump right in to the next step. Our "beginner" sewing project has a ZIPPER! I'm no expert, but I wouldn't call sewing zippers a "beginner" technique. Again we realize that we still aren't going to be able to finish our projects, which is pretty disheartening at this point. A person new to sewing should be starting with projects that she can have instant gratification on!! Not complicated totes with zippers. My confidence was shot. I am thinking that sewing just isn't for me...because 9 hours later I still don't have a completed project!

LUCKILY, I had my mom to help me. But, I don't know what happened with our class-mates who had no one to help them finish their projects. I hope they aren't giving up on sewing. I know I was so frustrated that I didn't even want to finish my project.

Well, my mom did the top-stitching on the outside of the bag and we figured out how to get the lining and the bag to go together and to put the zipper in. She helped me with hand-stitching the lining near the zipper and...our projects are DONE!

I'm still giving my bag dirty looks but I am so glad to be finished with it.