Sewing Advice For Beginners

Most of my friends don't sew. But they are definitely crafty! One used to be a consultant with Creative Memories... and got the rest of us HOOKED on scrapbooking. And not just regular ol' scrapbooking, but making sure we preserve memories. I can definitely get on my soapbox when it comes to scrapbook supplies. I believe in using the best of the best in albums and pages. Acid-free is your friend! Hinged albums are your friends! And I feel Creative Memories is the best product available on the market. Yes, you can buy other albums or pages at the local scrapbooking or craft store. But I truly believe they are not the smartest solution. If you are willing to spend HOW MUCH money on printing photos, I believe you should at least consider spending money to preserve that photo. Because in 10 or 20 or 30 years, you may be kicking yourself that you didn't shell out the extra dollars to buy a quality album.

Oh wait, where was I? Sewing machines.

Since I'm THE seamstress/quilter in my circle of friends, some have come to me on advice for buying a sewing machine and getting started on operating it. I was lucky to inherit my mom's 1970's Viking Husqvarna back in college. My mom was happy to get it out of the house so my dad didn't complain anymore to her that his pants weren't getting hemmed. I was happy to spend some free time away from the books and make a quilt. The machine traveled with me to Austin after graduation and, back when I didn't know anyone else in town, I would spend nights sewing! (I know, lame! Home alone a Friday sewing.) Even though I had a pretty good job, I still felt like a broke college kid and decided that I couldn't afford the quilt I loved in a Pottery Barn magazine, so I made one for myself. It actually turned out for the best. I still love that quilt!

Even though I feel comfortable creating anything I want on my Husqvarna, I feel like my advice is very limited. I know and trust my machine. I can thread its bobbin, change its settings, and sew like a pro. But these new machines are so fancy! A self-threading bobbin? WOAH! Too high tech! (Okay, maybe not... I'd love one of those!) Thankfully, other bloggers can give advice, like How About Orange and selterrific.

My own advice? Shop around. Check out your local sewing & quilting stores. Usually these shops can explain what functions are available (hello, self threading bobbin!) and what machine would suit your own needs. Local shops often offer free classes when you buy a machine at their store.

Once you buy a machine, don't be afraid to use it. Maybe since I've been sewing since I was a pre-teen (I didn't sew all the time, but I had the fortune to take a sewing class in 7th grade), I feel comfortable on my machine. The first project you tackle probably shouldn't be a wedding gown, but a bag or small blanket is totally doable. If you mess up, big deal. All of us have to use a seam ripper once in awhile! In fact, I have two. When I'm really into a project, I keep one by the sofa and the other by my machine. Sewing can be frustrating at first, and there are some projects that I end up hating, but its also very rewarding. Before you know it, you might be participating in a quilt-a-long too!

If you are still intimidated by diving straight into a project, check online. After a quick search, I found local Austin classes at Austin School of Fashion Design, Austin Sewing Machines, Craft-O-Rama, First Samples, Sew Much More, and Stitch Lab.

Bobbi Can Sew!

Banana Republic had some great deals last weekend! I picked up a pair of wide leg trouser jeans for about $21. Quite a deal, considering they originally cost about $89. The only drawback was they were WAY too long. Four inches to be exact.



I have read online jean hemming tutorials, and since "Bobbi can sew", I know I can do this. Why hire a seamstress when I can do it myself?

First step: determining how much length to remove. These were about 4 inches too long. I measured and pinned 2 inches around each leg.



Second step: try them on again, to make sure I wasn't cutting too short! I don't think Vicious, the little guy I'm dog-sitting for the weekend, has much faith in my skillz.



Third step: SEW!



Fourth step: trim off excess material.



Fifth step: new jeans!

Boot Camp Results

Boot Camp officially ended last Thursday and I got my final assessment. In one month's time, I lost a few pounds and INCHES! Officially, I lost an inch everywhere: waist, hips, thighs, and arms. I was actually very surprised with the inches... I mean, sure, I was kicking my butt three times a week at boot camp, plus doing cardio once or twice in the week. But I cheated on my diet a little! I guess its okay to cheat? :)

The most I learned from boot camp was not just the exercise program, but also eating. We went on a grocery store tour in the second week of the month and our trainer showed us things we should be eating and things we should stay away from. A lot wasn't new to me... I love plain nonfat yogurt and I have been buying organic fruits and vegetables for about 6 months. But I also learned about new foods: almond milk is a good alternative to cow's milk. And Ezekiel bread!!! Its organic and its made with LIVE SPROUTS! You can buy it in the frozen food section. Just pop it into the toaster when you want a sandwich. Its so delicious!

If you are looking for a healthy dinner, try the Jennie-O Turkey Lasagna recipe. If you are feeling adventurous, slice an eggplant into 1/4 inch pieces to use instead of noodles. I was able to make this recipe into two batches, putting each one in a 8x8 glass pan. I froze one and saved it for the next week. I know there are a lot of people out on the interweb who freeze dishes all the time, but I'm NOT one of those girls. I didn't even know how to cook a frozen dish! How do I reheat it? The night before we ate the second serving, I put it in the fridge to defrost. When I got home from work, I popped it in the oven for about 75 minutes, and voila! Lasagna again!

I was a little sad to see boot camp end... Was I going to miss getting up at 5 a.m.? Um, yeah, kind of.

I spent Sunday night (the night before Labor Day) drinking wine with one of my boot camp friends, discussing our next workout plan. What we concluded: we were just going to have to keep it up ourselves! And we're sticking to it! We worked out yesterday morning and tomorrow we are going at it again! Maybe in another month, I'll have lost more inches!