sew & tell - sewing lessons

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My new friend Jessica confessed to me one day that she had a brand new sewing machine that she has had for several years and had never used it!!  Of course I couldn't let that continue - so I offered to help her learn how to use it.  You know my secret plan to take over the world involves converting unsuspecting women into happy-fabric-loving sewers, right?  Who needs anti-depressants when you can have a fabric fix?  Or the thrill of a finish!?

She wouldn't let me take her picture, but this is what it would have looked like.  Except Jessica has better hair.  And I don't have wood paneled walls. . . but I digress.

image via Wikipedia

I had been wanting to make a simple diaper clutch for myself and thought this would be the perfect project for a newbie to learn how to use her machine!  (If you go to Jessica's blog, you will see why she needs one too!  And you will probably laugh a lot while you are there.  Plus leave her some bloggy love - they are about to go through their first deployment.) 

Jess told me at one point that she had the book Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol - which is a delightful book!  side note: One of the things I love about it is the section in the beginning explaining basic sewing concepts.  Even though I've been sewing for a long time I learned a lot of good things there.  It's where I first read about beeswax!  (Which does make hand sewing so much better.)

When she came with the book I remembered that the clutch I wanted to make was actually in this book.  And then realized it's the one on the cover!!

She picked out my scraps of Park Slope by Erin McMorris,

 and a button from my stash to add a little vintage-y interest.

We changed the measurements a tad,

so that these would fit perfectly.

I love how it turned out!  And look at that sweet bicep.  She did let me take an artsy action shot!

I love this quick little project so much I have 4 cut out and ready to sew up!  You will see them here soon.  And I found the cure for my sewer's block - spend some time sewing with a friend, make a mess on your dining room table and JUST. START. CUTTING.

I have a few fun giveaways up my sleeve for the next little bit.  So please stay tuned!  Hint: I got a nice package from none other than AMY BUTLER'S studio that I'm going to share with you.  So get out your Amy Butler patterns and fabric and get your projects ready to share!


What sewing project did you finish this week?

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1. Link to your specific  post  about a sewing related finish you had THIS week.

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