Thrifty Thursday! Fashionistas unite!

I love being thrifty. Sometimes, being thrifty can also translate into: I don't throw anything away and I buy a lot of junk. When I came across this link, I was amazed! Suzannah from 'adventures in dress making' shows you how to make a totally cute, totally in style, infinity scarf using old sweaters you may have laying around the house. Worried about the sewing aspect? Guess what?! This is the PERFECT project for beginners because there are only a few straight lines to sew and Voila! A beautiful infinity scarf that all of your friends will be envious over!

Here is the link again!

How to make an infinity scarf

Take a few minutes after you make the scarf to look around on her blog, she has some really great ideas and tutorials on things DIY!

*Online tutorial tip!* If you are going to make something from an online tutorial, I find it is easiest to print the steps (no pictures), so you are not constantly scrolling up and down and so you don't lose your place. And please read the steps several times before you get started!

*Online tutorial tip #2* If you like the tutorial, put it in a binder to save it for later! I have a plain white 3 ring binder that I keep all of my online tutorials in. Then, if I need a last minute gift, I just scour my printed online tutorials to find something to make!

Keep sewing sewistas!

Quilt along!

I just stumbled upon this quilt along over at the sassy quilter. If you have wanted to try quilting, this will give step by step instructions for you to create a beautiful quilt of your own. AND it will be adorable! Try it out with me!

Click here --> Quilt along with the sassy quilter

Keep on sewing sewistas!

Stash it up!

Here is a little funny Friday humor for you to go along with our stash post from yesterday...

Any one else get the sweats when asked "Oh, what are you making?" Usually, for me, the answer is nothing... yet.

Have a great weekend and keep on sewing!

I'm gonna pop some tags...

Happy Thrift-y Thursday!!!!

Do you ever want to start a project but cannot afford to run out and buy fabric off the bolt? (Don’t know what that means? Stick around! Next week there will be a post containing everything you ever wanted to know about sewing terms!) Don’t despair if you cannot afford brand new $5.99 - $20.99/yd fabric! My Thrift-y Thursday posts will be dedicated to helping you sew, at a fraction of the cost.

When many people think of fabric, they think of the big box grocery stores that have a fabric section, craft stores that sell fabric and even quilting shops that sell only sewing items. Have you ever considered looking in your local thrift store? Consignment shop? Independently owned second hand store? Garage sale? Your own closets at home? There is no need to spend a ton of money on fabric, when there are oodles of yards of fabric just waiting to be used and re-used and turned into something beautiful.

Let's put this into real life perspective. You want to make a little girl’s dress and you have the pattern, the sewing machine and the thread. What comes next? Run to the local craft store and pick out some darling fabric in coordinating colors, right? Maybe spend an extra $20 bucks on other stuff they have in the store that you cannot live without? Why not save yourself a whole bunch of money and hit up the thrift store first! Most thrift stores have a whole section dedicated to household items, including sheets and blankets. Often times, there is a plethora of vintage sheets. Guess what? If you use a vintage sheet as the fabric for a clothing item, not only do you get a beautiful, soft dress that flows beautifully, but you won’t have to hem the bottom! (That is another post altogether) That’s a winner in my book! Sometimes you will see bundles of fabrics that people donate, but they won’t last long! If you are looking to make mittens or gloves for a loved one, check out the wool sweaters!

I have found that by visiting the thrift stores, and other types of stores mentioned above, on a regular rotation, I can snag the fabrics/sheets/clothes/sweaters that I like and stash them away for future projects. That way, when the sewing bug bites me, or I see something I need to make immediately (read: children’s clothes for my daughter) then I just have to do a little digging through my stash and I am good to go! I am also always ready for last minute gifts that I need. Have I mentioned I work full time, have three dogs, two cats, am married and have a house to keep clean? Aint nobody got time to go shopping for no gifts!

The point is, there is so much waste going on in today’s world, why not save money, re-use and recycle wherever you can? Not to mention, when you get compliments on your items, you can say “Thank you, it is made from vintage sheets!” Or “Thank you, I rescued a sweater from the thrift store to make this!”.

More thriftiness coming atcha next week!  

Keep sewing sewistas! 

Start here! Getting to know me!

Welcome! 

Thanks for stopping by to learn more about me! If you are here, then you are most likely interested in sewing, which is great! The purpose of this whole blog is to encourage and inspire aspiring sewistas (this is like a barista, but with sewing, get it? Get it? Ok, I digress) I am a self learned sewista and would love to try to save some other sewistas from the frustrations I had by when learning by sharing what I know!

First things first – My name is Michelle and I live in a TINY town in O-H-I-O. It is the type of town where everyone knows everyone and you might as well stay at home in the middle of the day because there are so many elderly drivers on the road that it seems impossible to get anywhere faster than 25 mph. I love crafting and I do a lot of crafty things with my daughter. I do work full time at a not-so-fun, not really a creative outlet job, but I love to sew. I also love photography and reading, but that’s for another blog, right?

My grandmother sews and she loves to sew quilts. I always look forward to a life event happening, because I am hoping I will get one of her quilts as a gift. For example, she gave my daughter a beautiful teddy bear quilt when she was born and my husband and I received a quilt as our wedding present. Home made gifts are the best gifts, in my opinion.

I hope you enjoy your time with me, learn something new and feel inspired to try something new!