A few years ago, I decided I wanted to try to sew. A friend had recently bought a sewing machine and was learning how to sew, so I went over to her house to try it out. I made napkins, which I thought would be fairly easy. Wow, they were even easier than I thought they would be!
For my birthday this year, I got a sewing machine. I had decided I wanted to sew a bedspread, but I knew I probably had to work up to that. I sewed some more napkins, then a couple of placemats. I sewed a cute little travel purse, then decided not to use it. I was actually able to mend one of Stephen’s shirts, which had a hole in the armpit – if you look really closely you can tell, but if you don’t, it looks fine.
Then I decided I wanted to sew curtains for my kitchen. I wanted one panel only, not two, but the material I had wasn’t long enough or wide enough, so I needed to do something to make it into one panel and make it pretty. I finally decided to just add a solid panel to the bottom. And you know what? My curtains look AWESOME!
My next project, the one I just finished, I am quite in awe of. Really. I needed a bag for my yoga mat. I wanted one big and roomy, so that the mat and the yogitoes and another towel and maybe a water bottle would fit inside. My current one was only big enough for my mat – if rolled super tightly and perfectly.
In general, the bag was easy. Take a piece of material, fold it, sew it. There’s the tube. I put a liner in as well. I wanted a drawstring closure, with the drawstrings forming the straps. So for straps I decided to use some material from the liner. Then I decided to make the top of the bag out of the same material. And it looks great. Then I had to do the bottom of the bag.
Oy. sewing a circle onto the bottom of a tube. I was really pressing my knowledge at this point. I read a couple of tutorials online, but nothing really made sense. So I decided to wing it. I pinned, then basted the bottom on, figuring it would look awful and I would need to adjust it. But you know what? It looked okay, at least okay enough for my purposes. So I fully sewed the bottom on.
The end result?
It looks FREAKING AWESOME, and I am so bloody proud of myself! 🙂
Embrace Life. Be Inspired. 
Hey, those look great!
Thank you – I owe it all to you!
That is lovely! I would love for you to post it on SHOW-licous Crafts Showcase….just follow the link…www.sewlicioushomedecor.com. 🙂 I love sharing craft ideas with new friends/readers!
Thanks! Wish I had made a tutorial of some sort, but to be honest, I didn’t know what I was doing half the time! 🙂
Last week I made a bag for my yoga mat… out of a trousser leg! Yours is definitely nicer. I love it. Congrats. From El Salvador to Finland.
I saw instructions on that, but didn’t have a pair of pants just laying around waiting to be cut up!
That turned out so nice! I especially like the fabric you used. Best of all, you created something functional for your regular use. Creating pretty things is nice, but pretty things that are useful? Awesome!
I keep saying I’m going to attempt a quilt. I think I’ve been saying that for at least 2 years. Perhaps this winter is the time now that our house is put back together. 🙂
Yeah, I tend to use a lot of Ikea fabric around here…. Although, a new fabric store opened in town, so I’m kind of itching to find a new project, just so I can go get some cool fabric! I do have plans to make a bedspread/duvet cover (not sure which yet). I have the fabric, I just need to figure out the pattern I’m going to use.
Super cool girl!
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Thank you, ma’am! 🙂
I am obviously behind in my blog reading!!! I am sooooo proud of you!!! They look great!! My only tips for sewing circles, especially smaller ones – use several stitches to the inch, use a lot of pins, do a narrow seam allowance (1/4″ – 3/8″) and clip as necessary – tube, not circle. I clip as I pin. If it pins right, it is going to sew right. Keep up the good work!!
Thanks, Paula! The biggest problem with the circle was that I just did the tube the size I wanted, then had a square piece of fabric for the bottom. I couldn’t figure out the measurement to make a circle, so I just kind of winged it. Turned out well enough for my uses! 🙂