A Good "First Project"?

[Past_VNE]

I learned to sew the very basics from my grandmother and home ec, but never went any further than that. I can repair a seam, darn a sock, do other very remedial tasks...but I want more.

DH and I reupholstered an old ottoman and recovered two pillows the other night....now the sewing machine (and a lot of fabric and goodies that was MIL's) is staring me in the face. My sewing bug has resurfaced and I'd love to have some suggestions on what to do.

I'm due i February with a babe, have a 3.5 yr old and a house that could use a treat....so those are the things I'm contemplating sewing for.


Thanks for any ideas, Mamas!!

[junipervt]

some ideas

-cloth napkins
-applique cute designs on all of those white onesies you probably have (use zigzag stitch)
-fleece soakers (google katrina's free soaker pattern)


I'll post more ideas when I think of them. (DD wants to dance now)

[sabrinat]

My kids get a huge kick out of pj pants. I also make reusable cloth bags for groceries and everyone has a personalized bag to store treasures or take to the library. I love sewing...there tons of stuff you can try that are simple starter projects. Check out craftsters.org for some great ideas.

[~mama jewel~]

Well, I was going to suggest pillows, but I see you already made those. How about a valence or a rag rug?

[xochimama]

Originally Posted by sabrinat

My kids get a huge kick out of pj pants. I also make reusable cloth bags for groceries and everyone has a personalized bag to store treasures or take to the library. I love sewing...there tons of stuff you can try that are simple starter projects. Check out craftsters.org for some great ideas.

Do you have a pattern/website for the pj pants?

[medicmama]

Pillow cases were a big hit here. My kids are droolers and like a fresh case every few days.

[fek&fuzz]

Pants are really easy. Burda has good patterns, as does NewLook. If you have a fabric store nearby, spend some time going through the pattern books to find some easy projects.

I like to sew cloth bags for my produce and use whatever ribbon I have lying around as the string.

[Mallori]

Nice job on the ottoman and pillows!

When I started out, I loved doing Rag Quilts. All you need to know is how to sew in a straight line. Seriously. And if you have pretty flannel fabrics, denim works too, it's gift-worthy. I did some for my kids a couple years ago that was a print cotton on the front and flannel on the back. All fabrics bought at WalMart, and they've held up well. I didn't want to put a lot of $$ into those because their tastes/styles change as they grow. One year I gifted my dh an outdoorsy flannel one for Christmas and another (my first) was done in a class with my cousin. Oh, and I used Warm and Natural as the batting.

My MIL quilts (she actually bought a quilting machine) and I was so jealous of her talent. This was finally a quilt I couldn't mess up.

[Past_VNE]

You guys are awesome. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to come back to reply. I haven't done any projects yet.

PJ pants are great!! DS lives in them at home. Having the cool kind like Daddy would be awesome. Ooooh, I wonder if DH would kill me if I made them matching ones?

I also love that rag quilt. I could make it out of some of DS's baby clothes and DH's really, really, really soft, old, worn out jeans. That would be neat.

There are fabric stores about 45 minutes away, but I'm often alone with 3 yo DS, so it makes perusing the catalogs nearly impossible.

We have pillowcases out the wazoo, or those would be good. However, that reminds me that I want to cut down those dang king-size cases to fit my standard pillows without the tucking.

I could do a cafe curtain for my kitchen window....that would be nice. I just have to come up with a color scheme for that room. :

Soakers? Great! Appliques? Awesome!! Crud...you guys are getting me all excited!

[medicmama]

Originally Posted by Mallori

Nice job on the ottoman and pillows!

When I started out, I loved doing Rag Quilts. All you need to know is how to sew in a straight line. Seriously. And if you have pretty flannel fabrics, denim works too, it's gift-worthy. I did some for my kids a couple years ago that was a print cotton on the front and flannel on the back. All fabrics bought at WalMart, and they've held up well. I didn't want to put a lot of $$ into those because their tastes/styles change as they grow. One year I gifted my dh an outdoorsy flannel one for Christmas and another (my first) was done in a class with my cousin. Oh, and I used Warm and Natural as the batting.

My MIL quilts (she actually bought a quilting machine) and I was so jealous of her talent. This was finally a quilt I couldn't mess up.

I have a bunch of jeans that have seen better days,the purfect idea for them!

Originally Posted by Past_VNE

You guys are awesome. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to come back to reply. I haven't done any projects yet.

PJ pants are great!! DS lives in them at home. Having the cool kind like Daddy would be awesome. Ooooh, I wonder if DH would kill me if I made them matching ones?

I also love that rag quilt. I could make it out of some of DS's baby clothes and DH's really, really, really soft, old, worn out jeans. That would be neat.

There are fabric stores about 45 minutes away, but I'm often alone with 3 yo DS, so it makes perusing the catalogs nearly impossible.

We have pillowcases out the wazoo, or those would be good. However, that reminds me that I want to cut down those dang king-size cases to fit my standard pillows without the tucking.

I could do a cafe curtain for my kitchen window....that would be nice. I just have to come up with a color scheme for that room. :

Soakers? Great! Appliques? Awesome!! Crud...you guys are getting me all excited!

I love to do curtains. they are quick and fun.

I have done several blankets out of kid clothes. Right now I am doing a blanket for my son he's almost 9. He has a pair of striped pj's he got when he was 4. He can't part with them. They are a size 5t,he wears a 8.... They look very funny on him.I have cut them into shorts and short sleeves. I am putting the extras into a blanket. I have a feeling he'll be married bringing his pj blankie to bed with him!

[Think of Winter]

Bean bags are really easy, and make great toys and gifts.

[jillmamma]

Originally Posted by xochimama

Do you have a pattern/website for the pj pants?

I have not yet tried it, but I found this one and it looks promising.