Category: Sewing

Earlier today, I purchased Mickey Mouse and Harry Potter fabric from my local JoAnn Fabric store. The material was 45% off, and I received an additional 25% off for using a drive-up or an online purchase.

I’ve always loved Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and I know others like them also since some of the fabric that I’d purchased online for local store pickup was sold out. It appeared that they had it in stock; however, it wasn’t available when the employees went to cut the fabric. Because of that, I ended up going to two different JoAnn fabric stores.  The above material was sold out at one of the stores. But it was available at another store.

I purchased the fabric so that I can sew some masks. A friend loves anything that is Mickey and Minne Mouse. I’ll be surprising her with a few masks for her as well. After seeing the fabric, I have a few additional ideas of what I’d like to sew with the material, so we’ll see.

I also purchased Harry Potter-themed fabric. It’s about time I made that purchase. I’d meant to buy Potter-inspired fabric for years. Now, I need to purchase Lord of the Rings-themed material. I know Jo-Ann Fabric used to carry it; if it’s still available, I most likely will pick it up tomorrow.

Earlier this week, I made a few more masks for work. I’d been using the same one for quite some time, just washing it when needed, which makes no sense whatsoever. I have several sewing machines, I’ve made a variety of masks for others, so why am I doing such a lousy job of making them for myself? Who knows. They don’t take long to make. I can cut, pin, and sew a fully lined in less than 20 minutes. This weekend, I think I’ll make a few more for myself. Mask wearing in our state isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

I’ve been slowly gathering the items that I’ll need to accommodate my Juki DU 1181N Walking Foot Industrial sewing machine.  I’ve created a list in my Covey Planner and have started to purchase a few items. I’m looking to have my machine by late spring/early summer. I pushed the purchase back a few months because I’ve decided instead of placing it in my home. I’ll have a small studio created where I can do all my crafting. I’ll be purchasing my industrial sewing machine from a local store.  I need to follow up with the local store owner again to schedule a demo. I contacted him earlier this month, and he confirmed that they do have the Juki in stock, and he also told me that I could come in to check it out for myself.

Besides getting the items needed for my industrial sewing machine, I’ve been devouring bag-making videos on Youtube. There are many people out there making them. I must say that I prefer videos that aren’t live. I guess because I can view the crafter immersed in their craft. The Youtuber pauses more (perfectly understandable) with live videos to interact with those viewing their live video. I can understand the appeal of creating live videos since it’s more time-consuming to upload videos. I’ve listed my two favorite bagmakers below.

1. 1. Lauren Mormino – She’s the first Youtuber that I started binge-watching their videos. She has a newborn daughter named Dorothy, and her cat, Ben, often appears in her videos. All of them are adorable. Her pattern choices are similar to what my 17-year-old daughter would choose. She’s also an artist, just like my daughter. Also, some of the fabric she creates is her design. How cool is that? Her website is More Me Know.
   2. Siah Swag – I discovered Siah a few weeks ago, and I’ve been watching at least three of her videos weekly. Her sewing style, pattern choices align more with what I’d sew for myself. She also has her website, which is Siah Swag.

Next on my list to purchase is fabric! Today, I’ll be sewing a few cozies for my daughter’s guinea pigs. I’ll be using my domestic sewing machine with the walking foot attached. Some parts of the process will be challenging because the domestic machine has its limitations when handling bulky fabric/layers that I’ll be sewing; however, it’s manageable.

Two Saturdays ago,

I made this bedspread for my 13-year-old nephew out of plush faux fur. I used 4.5 yards of zebra plush faux fur fabric. My nephew had seen my daughter’s bedspread and wanted one for himself. When he saw it, he said, “If I had one, that blanket would follow me everywhere in the house because it’s so soft.

Last evening, my brother took a photo of the bedspread and texted it to me, He said, “This blanket follows your nephew almost everywhere!” It made my heart smile. High praise indeed! I’m glad he loves the blanket so much.

The fur is on both sides, so it has some weight to the blanket. Perfect for those who like that while they’re sleeping. I’m one of those people. To sew this blanket, I used a walking foot on my Brother Designio; it was a slight challenge for my home machine. However, I was able to sew the blanket without any issues. Now granted, I would not be sewing many items with my home machine, however, the occasional small project. It will suffice.