Learning to sew...

I got a sewing machine for Christmas (or my birthday?) a couple of years ago, but never used it. About three weeks I decided that I should just try it and put it to use. I had found a pattern for a dress that I would love to make for my little girl - it didn't even look too difficult! So now at least I had goal.

Since I had never really touched a sewing machine before, I decided to start with some easier things and - more importantly - things that don't have to fit... So I started making bags. 

For my first bag, I bought a bag making set - it included instructions and all the fabrics I would need cut ready to sew. So I sat down and started sewing - only to find that something as trivial sounding as sewing a straight line proved to be quite a challenge! No need to say the seams on my first bag turned out rather crooked... BUT I had produced a usable bag! And in spite of the crooked seams it still looks cute:

Next I went to a local shop and bought some scrap fabrics at a reduced price - and went on to making drawstring bags. First, I found the DIY: Crochet Project Bag Tutorial on Gleeful Things- I gave it a try, and it worked! The bag is just the right size for a smaller project (I'm using it for a shawl I'm working on right now).

The pictures in that tutorial show so very clearly where you are supposed to sew - I just loved it!  I also found that the straightness of my seams was much better than on my first bag.

The pattern for the third bag I made is from a free Craftsy class on bag-making basics. I had plenty of left over fabrics from my previous project, and I love how different these two bags turned out inspite of being made from the same materials.

I am feeling a lot more comfortable working with the sewing machine already and start having tremendous fun. So where do I go from here? My goal is to be able to sew clothes for my daughter. I have now learned to sew reasonably straight, so I guess my next step should be to sew curves in a CONTROLLED manner. I greatly enjoy the Craftsy class, and I have decided to make the second bag (a bucket bag) as well. Should help me with that next step...

WIP of the week: Colour Waves Blanket

Let me start by showing you my oldest WIP - the Colour Waves Blanket.

The Colour Waves Blanket is a simple crochet ripple blanket that I started working on in June last year. It's based on the pattern Ophelia Buggy Blanket from the book Cute and Easy Crocheted Baby Clothes by Nicki Trench. I just decided to make it a little larger...

At the time, I had bought so much inexpensive cotton yarn that I needed to do something about it. I had been crocheting for about 4 months and felt confident enough to start a larger project. Also, a colourful throw to cheer up my daughter's nursery sounded like a good idea. I did make good progress for a couple of weeks, but then got sidetracked by other (less repetitive) projects towards the end of the year. So, long story short - this project has been lying dormant since December. Shame on me!

Now, I still like the idea of the blanket - still love how the colours have worked up so far. I WANT TO FINISH IT!

As of this day, the blanket measures 110cm x 80cm (44" x 32"). My initial goal was to make it at least square (unless one of the colours runs out first) - and that goal still stands. There is no way this will be a finished object by the end of the week - but I intend to add at least a couple of a couple of inches. I do not want this blanket to celebrate its first anniversary as a WIP in June...

Sorry, but what's the point?

Uhm, there is no point, really. This is just another blog in which a self-taught knitter, crocheter and whatever the future brings shares her personal ramblings about patterns, works in progress, finished projects, etc., etc. Please feel welcome to join me on my journey to master various crafts.