Get Cracking!

Don't you just love Xmas sewing? Well, Xmas sewing started this week in the studio and is now in full swing. We still may have a few months to go before we are right into Ho!Ho!Ho! but if we don't get cracking those gifts and clothes we want for the festive season just won't be ready.

I made this lovely bag in fabric that I bought from Calico & Ivy, a gorgeous new quilting shop in Balmain, worth a trip because it is such a pleasant shop. What could be nicer than a day poking around Balmain in the lead up to Xmas?

I love the large floral fabric as it looks very 'Mad Men' and I have lined it with a spot.

The pattern is the 'Practical Bag' by Grand Revival, I picked it up at Country Pickin's at Dural.

This has been a popular bag for Xmas gifts, it is a nice large bag and as it is easy and quick to make up, a good beginner's bag. The only alteration I made during construction was to change the position of the opening for the final turn through, which I preferred to be in the lining side seam, rather then up near where the handles are attached as per instructions. The instructions for the bag are clear and easy to follow.
I'll post a few of the finished class projects in a later blog, among them will be a cat bag for a cat loving daughter, an owl bag for an owl loving music teacher and a dragonfly bag for a dragonfly loving best friend.

Beginner Sewing Projects

In my classes once you get past the 'Absolute Beginners' stage I then like to get beginner sewers onto a few simple projects using my patterns. After that you're then ready to move onto a commercial pattern (Butterick, Simplicity etc.),usually a simple A-line or straight skirt. Commercial patterns can be overwhelming when you're learning to sew and I find if beginners are able to churn through a few of my simple projects quickly, they have a real sense of achievement and their confidence grows.

I usually start with the Beginner's Bag which was designed so that you become familiar with cutting, a few essential sewing terms and it also incorporates the basic sewing techniques that I teach in the 'Absolute Beginners Workshop', things like backtacking, pivoting and seam finishes - the very basics.

We then move onto the Envelope Cushion Cover and you learn how to sew a buttonhole. I like to get buttonholes out of the way early on, as most people have them high up on their 'very difficult to do' list.

Choose a print that is to your style and change the look of your cushion.

If you're not into cushions then maybe you would prefer the pajama shorts, which also have buttonholes.

Or maybe the cropped pajama pants.

After one or two of these projects you're ready to start using a commercial pattern.....then the fun really starts.

Janome DC2101

This is my first blog and I thought I would start it by answering a question I am often asked by beginner sewers.
'Can you suggest a good machine for a beginner and how much do I need to spend?'
I always recommend the Janome DC2101 which retails for $499. I think it is a great little machine for the money and I have one in the studio. It is a computerised machine with about 30 stitches and has a fabulous fully automatic buttonhole.

I love the automatic buttonholer so much that it is the machine I use to do all my buttonholes, I even prefer it to the buttonholer on my Quilters Edition 153 Bernina.

If I had an unlimited budget I would buy a Benina, but for $499 this is a good machine to learn to sew on and it has many features and accessories which will take you beyond the learner phase. I have seen a lot of beginner sewers come into the studio having spent only $200 on a machine and these cheap machines really do make the job of learning to sew harder, they are harder to control, the stitch quality is poor and they have no muscle when you need to get through thick layers of fabric.

So, I would stay away from cheap machines, spend around $500 and always buy from a sewing machine shop where the staff are happy to help and give  you support when you need it. Buying from a sewing machine shop also means the staff can always advise you on the different accessories available for your machine and more importantly show you how to use them.

Happy Sewing
Kerrie