Sewing 101 - Day 2

 Once all the cutting is done and you've got your instructions out to tell you what piece to start with, the next step is to get down to sewing! 

A word about sewing machines:  Every machine works slightly differently, they thread differently and have different features.  Reading the manual or having someone who's familiar with a particular machine give you the basics is always worth the time before you start.  It'll save you the trouble of trying to figure the ins and outs.

 Sometimes pieces need to be sewn with the good side "right side" of the fabric together, sometimes not, that's where the directions always come in handy!

 Since my pieces needed to be sewn together right side in, the next step was to turn the pieces right side out.

 Before removing the pattern piece, it's a good idea to mark the circles that indicate darts or, in this case, pockets. 

Another way to mark the circles is to use pins.  This is what I've done here because the fabric is too dark to show pencil markings.

 Remember the triangles you cut?  Here's where that comes in handy.  You can use them to match up the pieces.

 Sewing is about 1/3 sewing, 1/3 cutting/organizing and 1/3 ironing.  So, back to the ironing of the pieces I've sewn together and turned right side out.

Here's all the pieces with the beginning stitches, ironed and ready for being put together next time.

Sewing 101

I'm a sewer; pretty sure I'd be a spinner and carder too if I had my own sheep :)  I started working on sewing when I was 11 - my mother helped me make my first dress.  Since then, I've been slowly but surely learning as I go....and probably developing my own weird ways of doing things that will entertain.

I'm surprised by the number of people who are going back to working with their hands, whether it's gardening, knitting, sewing or canning.  So here, for anyone out there in cyberworld is my own little suggestion list for starting to sew (I'll get you all up-to-date on canning in July when peaches and blueberries are ready for me!).

The first thing about sewing is needing a few basic tools.  Besides the obvious sewing machine (I'm not even hard-core enough to hand sew!), you'll need a good pair of sharp scissors, a pin cushion, a couple packages of pins and some patience to start!

Other good to have items include a tape measure and some kind of basket/bag to keep your sewing supplies in.

The next step in getting your sewing career started is picking a pattern to start with.  The tape measure will come in handy here to take your measurements before you head of to the store.  For most patterns, you'll need to know your waist, hip and bust.

Here's a pattern I'll be working on over the next week or so.  It's a pretty basic pattern, even though it has quite a few pieces.  The best way to get patterns is to go when the patterns are on sale.  Get on the mailing list for a local hobby store.  The patterns are generally $10-20 not on sale, however, the sales flyers I get show sales on patterns for as little as 99 cents (I've been known to buy 10 on a limit of 10).  I generally buy the patterns I think look like projects I'll work on, if I buy 10 patterns on sale and use 1 that would've cost $15, I've still come out ahead.  I have a library of patterns now that I go through when looking for patterns for play clothes, gifts and such. 

The pattern pictured above is now helping me to make the 2nd and 3rd aprons I've made with this pattern. 

I also recommend when looking for patterns to pick something simple for your first project....nothing slows down enthusiasm faster than an impossibly hard start.  Avoid zippers, buttons and other complex roadblocks to beginning.  You'll get there, but don't try to take on every challenge at once.

The back of the pattern will give you the information you need on how much fabric to buy and what other things you should pick up at the store.  Where it says Notions - those are the things you need for the pattern you're going to make.  The back of the pattern also gives you the measurements you should be looking for, depending on the sizing.  There will also be a recommended list of types of fabric to make your item out of.

When I'm deciding on a pattern, I sometimes take a look at the directions inside the pattern to get a handle on what I'm in for.

The directions are really your best friend when it comes to starting sewing.  They give the layout of the pieces and even a glossary of terms. 

Once you've added your pattern, fabric and basic supplies, you're ready for the tedious section of sewing :)

The first recommendation is usually to wash and dry the fabric.  This then requires the additional step of ironing to get the wrinkles out before you place the pattern pieces.

The fabric won't lay flat very well for the pinning if you don't iron, even though it is a pain.

The pattern pieces come as giant sheets of tissue paper with the pieces numbered.  My first step is cutting a rough cut around the pattern pieces.  I generally leave an inch or two around the pattern piece between where I rough cut and where the black line of the pattern is.

The pattern pieces, in addition to be numbered, also tell you on the piece how many to cut and where they should go.  An arrow sometimes points to where the grainline should be.  The grainline is the natural weave or line of the fabric.

The pattern pieces also have notations like the circles and triangles.  The circles can be to match up darts (fitted part of bodices or skirts) or put pieces together.  The triangles are best to cut a triangle in the opposite direction so that when you take the pattern pieces off, you can see where they line up.  This is important because the triangles note where different pattern pieces will fit together in the finished product.  I usually note the circles by tracing a light dot on the fabric where the circle is. 

That being said, I also NEVER take the pattern piece off the fabric until I'm ready to sew with it.  I'd rather not spend the afternoon trying to figure out which piece is which.  If I need to use the same pattern piece to cut a second piece I pin through the first piece into the fabric to cut again.

Laying out all the pieces before you start pinning them down helps to get things as close as you can and save fabric space.  Remember to follow the directions in the pattern for laying out the pieces.  There's usually a best way to lay things out for the amount of fabric you bought and it's almost always the way the directions show.

Much later that same afternoon, I have all the pieces cut out and have finished my goal for the day.  I like to break the project up over a couple days....I don't have the patience or the family life that allows me to do most projects in a day :)


Tomorrow I'll be starting to piece the pieces together....that's when the actual fun begins!

Graduation and MI

This Memorial Day weekend was quite the big event in my extended family.  My second youngest sister, aka #8, graduated from high school.  It was such a great ceremony and we're all so proud of her :)

She's a beautiful young woman and I'm selfishly glad she's staying in the area a little while longer for her college.

The morning after graduation, I headed off with my mom, Little Bean and two of my sisters for a trip to Michigan to visit family.  My grandfather's birthday was over the Memorial Day holiday, so we visited a veteran for Memorial Day and his birthday.  The trip included lots of extended family and even a trip to the beach, which despite the cold water, LB got in and waded for hours!

My husband is supposed to be getting a call-back for an interview in his area of expertise this week - as always - prayers welcome :)  I've got all the intentions I've been forwarded on my list, but if anyone has any other intentions, please send them my way. 

"I'll pray for you, and you'll pray for me and together we can reach...."

Waiting on Providence

If you've been following along - you heard my husband was laid off on April 28th. The last few weeks have been a flurry of activity and many outcries of frustration and prayer. It's amazing the number of people who have shared their similar struggles with unemployment. Yet again, I think perhaps God is calling me to deeper compassion. I had been so oblivious to this all-too-common struggle. I had been comfortable and smug in my little stay-at-home bubble. Grateful for the chance to stay home, but with no real appreciation for the difficulty so many mothers face in walking out the door everyday without their children in order to provide for them.

I've always been under the impression that if you're willing to sacrifice, living on one income is possible. I never really considered what happens when that income dries up.

Now I find myself at a crossroads. A couple hours ago, I completed my first application for full-time employment in a decade. My nearly 6 y/o hates the thought of me returning to work. I'm not entirely sure what my feelings would be if I got this job either. Returning to full-time employment would mean a sugnificant lifestyle change from volunteering, homeschooling, stay at home mom to business professional.

At the same time, my husband is actively seeking employment and I reuse that God will provide. I just don't know if God is calling me to provide. My prayer remains, "God help me to be obedient to Your will". This time is becoming not only a lesson in compassion, but a lesson in full surrender. The job I appliedfor would be a good fit for me, Little Bean could survive 1st grade in a private school, despite her misgivings and blessings would be found in following God's plan. The difficulty lies in knowing the will of God. Should you spare a prayer for us this week, discernment would be appreciated!

The Long Way Home

Whew!  What a week.  Last Saturday saw us in Texas visiting my brother's family for my godson's First Holy Communion.  The drive is long and the road is pretty mundane....but the people at the end of the path are priceless :)

Once we were home and recovering from a serious lack of sleep on vacation, it was back to business as usual.  That means my husband is sending out resumes, and also, that I'll be starting to look for work soon too.

Many of my husband's possibilities in the job market will lead us somewhere far from family across the country.  While we will follow where we are led, it's hard to know what we should be doing.  I'm really looking for signs from God that I shouldn't be entering the workforce again.  So far, the signs aren't pointing that way.  My husband was laid off on the feast of St. Gianna Molla, patron saint of working mothers, and I happened across a job posting this week in our area that I am qualified for and would actually really enjoy......not promising signs on the staying home front! 

So, I'll be pursuing this job lead and praying that God's will be done and that our family follows the path we should. 

This past weekend's drive to Texas and back may have just been a preview of the travels our family will be called to.  Depending on where my husband finds employment, we may find ourselves taking the long way home.

An Unpaid Vacation

Something that I never really considered happening happened this week.  My husband was laid off.  It was a total shock, and I'd never really thought about it ever happening to us.  From all we knew, his job was very secure and we never had any evidence to the contrary.  So, last Thursday when my husband was laid off indefinitely, we were surprised to say the least.  My husband has referred to it as his unpaid vacation, as he dusts off his resume and sets about the work of applying for new positions, filing with government agencies and the like.

I think it's kind of like going through the stages of grieving.....first there's denial, then anger, anxiety, frustration and then a grim acceptance as problem-solving mode kicks in.  The first couple days were really tough.  It still vacillates between a calm reassurance that God will provide and a frustrated plea to let this time of uncertainty end soon. 

Our family will weather this storm, as so many families before us have.  In many of the hardships we've faced in life (infertility, loss of pregnancy, now a lay-off), I've seen God's plan to make more compassionate, obedient servants out of us.  A line from a song keeps running through my head when I think about what we're facing and how our family will come through this, "I will praise you in the storm".  In this trial, I have seen the definite hand of God shielding us from what could have been a much harsher reality.  Our finances are not dire and even the gift of a full freezer of meat recently given to us, I see as God preparing us and giving us some comfort in this time.

It is my hope that my husband is able to improve his career through this lay-off.  The evening it happened, I was quite distraught.  As I sat trying to read a book and calm myself, I closed my eyes and an image appeared in my mind.  God's hand reached out and picked the three of us up and cradled us in His hand and carried us to where we are supposed to be.  It was not an image I conjured up to self-soothe, it was a response from God when I cried out to Him in our need. 

Another great comfort has been the prayers of so many faithful friends.  In our homeschooling group, prayer intentions are lifted up regularly and I have felt the grace of so many praying friends like a cloak around me to shelter me from the anxieties that could overrun this time.  Two friends sent the same bible verse to me within minutes of each other:

Jer 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you", says the Lord, "plans to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you hope and a future." 

That's why I believe something better will come of this, even though I have no idea what that looks like or where it will come from.  God is faithful and is the ultimate promise-keeper.  I will praise Him in the storm.