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Monday, February 15, 2010

A place to sew

If you had asked me about 6 years ago if I would enjoy sewing, I probably would have laughed hysterically. I had taken a one sewing class when I was a child, had a mother who loved to sew, but me?? No way. Ah....but times have changed. I now consider it such a joy to be able to sew for myself, my family, and for our needs around the house.

I have been doing a lot of sewing lately. Spring is just around the corner for us south Georgians and Lilly is in desperate need of some dresses (she just keeps growing!). I had a couple ladies over a couple weeks ago and we spent the whole afternoon cutting out fabric for her dresses. I was so incredibly blessed by that. If it took 3 women a whole afternoon to cut out dresses I can't even imagine how long it would have taken me by myself. For the past two weeks I've been using every spare minute to work on her dresses, in hopes I can have them all done by the middle of March.

So, I thought I'd give you a little peek at my sewing spot. Why?? I have no idea. :) Since it's been consuming so much of my free time lately....I just had to blog about it!

This is my table. I wish you could see the details of the table. It becomes a catch all for the household. I see a lighter, one of Lilly's memory games, and a sippy cup. At least once a week I have to go over my table and remove everything that doesn't belong there! There is also 3 half finished dresses, 5 dresses I have cut but have yet to start on, and a whole slew of zippers.

I also keep a stash of these behind my sewing machine (out of plain sight :)) It's my reward for sticking with it!





This is my ridiculously unorganized pile of things I don't use very often. A whole tub of scrap fabric, patterns, batting, and that pile of fabric is my mending pile. I'll get to it....one day.

Here is where I hang the clothes when I'm done. That's 2 dresses and 2 nightgowns Lovely, huh? Normal people would probably go ahead and hang them in the closet but it's not quite warm enough for her to wear them yet and I know they will inevitably wind up on the floor getting stomped on. So, I will keep my dress chandelier just a little longer.

This last picture is my next project after the dresses are complete. I'm going to be making an "I spy" quilt for the children. These are 6 of 100 little squares. They are all different designs. I think they will LOVE it! I'm not quite sure what I am getting myself into. I've never quilted before but am hoping I can figure it out! I'd love to have it done by Bradley's birthday at the end of March but I'm doubting that will happen. It will all depend on when Lilly's dresses are done. And then there is Kate who will need dresses in the near future too....oh my.

So, those are my projects and my little sewing spot. Do you sew? Do you have a sewing spot? I'd love to see it! Any organization tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for checking in!
~A

9 comments:

Steve, Amanda, Kyle , Owen, and Madilyn said...

Amanda, I will try and get some pics of my sewing spot. I will admit that it too is a catch-all spot.
As for organization, Large/Giant Zip Lock bags work well for projects. I store things in plastic tubs too. I have been thinking about getting a shelf with little storage bins though.

TheBorman5 Plus1 said...

I have to admit it will be awhile till I can share pictures of my sewing spot. For now, I have boxes on top of my sewing machine cabinet and the machine is on the floor. I too use clear bins and bags, much easier to see the fabrics! The dresses are great. I have yet to try and sew clothing maybe in a year or two! Your quilt will be wonderful! I spy quilts are GREAT for the kiddos!

Marie said...

I don't sew, but consider me good for moral support! Love you!

jenifriend said...

i have a sewing spot! we've created an office/craft room upstairs in one of the rooms, so my sewing machine is up there...under the table...still in its box. :) until after the wedding nothing else will be done - keeping it contained ensures that! :)

Unknown said...

Amanda, Thanks so much for visiting Homestead Revival! I really appreciate you adding my button to your blog as well! I'm glad you found the posts interesting and I look forward to visiting with you more.

After years of my sewing machine sitting silent, i'm slowly getting back into it. I recently taught my daughters some basic skills and they made pillowcases for the cousins at Christmas. There's nothing quite like the accomplishment of creating a beautiful and yet practical item by sewing!

Keri said...

Don't sew much...but when I do, I just take over the dining room table and make a huge mess that sits there for days!

Anonymous said...

I have a sewing spot that is also a catch all spot (gggrrrr) But having a spot does help to get things sewn. 10 minutes here 5 minutes there. Also cutting a lot out at once is a huge help. If you have fabrics of the same width you can lay them one on top of the other (takes a little time to get them all nice and straight) then I just cut out 2,3,4 dresses all at once. I've done this enough that I bent a pair of scissors and now they only work on thick fabrics. I just wrapped tape around the handle to mark them and keep them for that purpose.

What exactly is an I Spy quilt? I might enjoy trying that sometime ( like when all the children are grown and I have time:) It may even be something my youngsters would enjoy helping me on!

Amanda said...

I love hearing about everyone's sewing spots! So fun!

An "I spy" quilt is basically a patchwork quilt and the squares is made up of all differents kinds of fabric with pictures on them (i.e. cats, dice, pretzels, shoes, etc). after you finish it the children can all sit around it and play I spy with it! Or if you do 2 squares of the same fabric you can play a matching game with it. I think all little children would love it!

Erica said...

Oh how my heart would love a sewing space. Usually it's our kitchen table. I do have a cabinet where I keep everything, does that count.

Thanks for the links for your cleaning solutions. I had your all purpose solution and used it in America but we can't find Borax anywhere. Do you know what it might be called other than Borax? I'm going to for sure try your tub and tile cleaner.