Sewing Machine Gone Wild

Are you a do-it-yourselfer? I really enjoy learning basic skills that, to the current generation, may be considered "old-fashioned" and a lost art! A legacy that I want to pass on to my girls is the ability to sew. I am having to teach myself to sew along the way, and it's a fun process! (Especially figuring out the terminology on the patterns- it can be like reading a foreign language! I've found the book New Complete Guide to Sewing (Readers Digest) to be a very helpful resource.)

I thought I'd show you one of the projects I worked on last year. We love The Little House on the Prairie book series, and my daughter wanted a dress to look like Laura Engalls Wilder, so I determined I would sew her one! I had no idea how much work would be involved, actually having three separate items (the dress, pinafore and bonnet) to sew, but I think it turned out pretty well. The dress needs ironing in the picture, but you get the idea!:

photo copyright 2008 Domestic Legacies

Another project I completed awhile ago was a machine sewn quilt. Quilts can add such charm and a cozy feeling to a room!

photo copyright 2008 Domestic Legacies

photo copyright 2008 Domestic Legacies

Before I completed this quilt, I had sewn a couple of baby quilts as gifts. It's so wonderful to be able to give something you've put so much of yourself into. I think that's one reason I want to pass this skill on to my daughters. Sure, you can go to the store and easily purchase clothing, or a quilt (and honestly, that's what I usually do) but it sure is nice to have the ability to create from raw materials a beautiful handmade item!

My current project is an overnight bag in the style of Vera Bradley. I am making up the pattern myself including the insertion of the zippe to close the bagr, so there is a good possibility that things could go very wrong! But, I love the challenge of trying to figue out how to put it all together, and hopefully, the end result will be a nice bag! You probably won't get to see that one completed for awhile!

Do you have any sewing projects you're working on or completed? Tell us about them--and if you have pictures online, give us the link to them so we can see them! Or, if you want, email them to me and I'll update the post and display them here! You'll find the Contact Me link to your right.

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