First Sewing Projects and a Quick How To

Here are a few things that I've done with my new sewing machine!

A pillow I made as a Christmas present for my cousin.

These were dresses turned skirts. The first was a Tommy Hilfiger maxi dress that I loved but that stopped looking good after I had my daughter. The second was a dress that I got on clearance and wore for a long time as a dress. My friend and I decided it would look better as a skirt. (Haha! Just realized that it's the same shirt in both pictures!) I think she was right. Another blogger, Kristina J, did an amazing shirtdress from two of the same dresses.

This is also a dress that I had never worn before turned into a skirt. I bought it from a Plato's Closet clearance sale for $1 because I loved the material. Now, years later, it is finally wearable.

Coral Shirt: Ann Taylor Loft (thrifted)

Brown Sweater: JC Penny

Belt: Vanity

Skirt: DIY

Shoes: Wal-mart

Jewelry: Flea Market

And last but not least, a wonderful little mistake I made and how you can avoid it. This happened to me over and over and over! The machine kept eating the fabric! I must have pulled the machine apart and pulled little bits of thread out 10 times! Finally, I stopped, posted this picture to Facebook asking for help, and then Googled my problem. Within minutes I realized that I had been starting my stitches wrong. According to a very helpful person on Yahoo Answers, here is how to properly start a stitch. I have had very few problems since by following these steps.

1. Make sure your machine is threaded correctly.

2. Grab the loose threads with your left hand while you insert your fabric under the needle so that the threads do not get caught.

3. Lower the presser foot.

4. Turning the knob toward you, lower the needle.

5. While holding the loose threads with one hand, sew your first few stitches.

6. While still holding the threads, backstitch a few stitches.

7. You should now be able to drop the threads and sew forward.