On Friday night, my sewing machine's tension was acting goofy and despite rethreading it and playing with dials and things, David and I couldn't get it to work right again. We had called his mom because she is really good at fixing machines but she would've had to see it in person to figure it out. She did suggest that I get a cheap, new machine to practice on because I am so nervous about my Goodwill sewing machine. The newer machines can go slower and aren't as complicated to use (for instance, on my Goodwill machine, I have to turn the needle dial after the needle is already down in order to get it to start moving. A pain!). So David convinced me (not that it took much) and we bought a new Brother machine for 80 dollars--very low end but just something to build my confidence. Plus two machines can really come in handy, especially when one of them is broken or happens to weigh 40 pounds (literally). So yay!!! New sewing machine! I even threaded it and made a bobbin all by myself!
Then I decided that I might as well use it so I could get my practice. I really wanted to make a pin cushion because I heard they are a good beginner project and I felt like I needed one. I followed this tutorial.
http://blog.creativekismet.com/2007/11/16/patchwork-pincushion-tutorial/ Or at least I tried to follow it. I made some changes. I started out using a paper plate (which is surprisingly hard to fold into six pieces instead of eight) that was kind of big (but it worked out okay because I am awful at seam allowances so everything ended up tiny). I had tried to use a 1/4 seam allowance because my original started out so big. I had a hard time cutting my pieces to be the same sizes though (I could really use a chalk pen or something. David's mom has one and it's amazing!). I didn't use felt on the back, I used fleece because at the time, I didn't have felt (I have since bought a few things that were on clearance). I also didn't make my "petals" or do the decorative slip stitch along the edge. I did put my button on to hide all my non-matched up corners. That was really hard to make sure my needle was coming up through my button since you have to go through so many layers with the fiber fill inside (I actually used fabric scraps for this) and I wished I had used a longer needle. So I admit it's pretty loppy and got significantly smaller but it was a good starter project and I learned a lot. Plus, you gotta give me a break since it was basically my first project on my sewing machine. I do plan on making more in the future but for now, here is what mine looks like.
On Sunday night, David and I went over to his parents house to make pumpkins! I have only made the big one so far but I will probably get to my little one today. They were not as easy as I thought they were going to be and took 4-4 1/2 hours. Here is where you'll find the patterns. http://sewing.about.com/od/homedecprojects/ss/Thanksgiving-And-Halloween-Pumpkin-Pillow-Decoration.htm I like the size of the big pumpkin but the little pumpkin is tiny and much much much smaller than the large. I feel like they should have a medium pumpkin to go in between the two sizes. I will post the smaller pumpkin when I finish it (if I finish it. I needed a lot of help with the floss to shape the pumpkin and closing the top). I mostly used dryer lint to fill it since what else are you going to do with dryer lint? I am really pleased with how mine turned out but I'm hoping these last a long time (I want them for fall/Halloween decorations) so I will never have to go through all that again. I did get to use David's mom's machine though and it is SO nice. It's a Bernina so of course it's nice but it even has a button where the motor only goes half speed so I could only go slow (which is why, for once, my seam allowances were okay!) and the needle automatically goes back up once you stop sewing! It's just so nice but it should be considering how much those cost.
I didn't use carpet thread though. We used upholstery thread leftover from our poufs. I also used brown fabric for the stem because I didn't like the way the green looked. So here is what mine looks like. I know with the way I took the picture it's hard to tell how big it is. I would say the bottom is about the same size as a CD. It looks like a cute, little pumpkin you'd find at the pumpkin patch.
Oh and on Saturday when David's parents came over to work on the house, his mom did get the Goodwill sewing machine working. Turns out, we were threading it wrong (but we don't have a threading guide or a manual. Nor could we find one online.)
I also started a fall wreath but I will post more about that when I finish it. This is a no-sew project but is lots and lots of scissor work. I got a blister!
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