Secret Project: The End

Since I hadn't sewn anything in many years, I decided to try my hand at something simple before diving into lengthier projects. My sister is expecting a baby, and I found this tutorial for a diaper pouch and changing pad online.  It looked fairly simple to follow, so I decided that I was up to the challenge. I soon learned that "simple" comes in several levels of complexity!

The changing pad was by far the most complicated part of this project for me because of the multiple layers and the bias tape. Mary from Craft Buds gave really great instructions and has perfect stitching. I blame user error for all the trouble that I had. :)

The patterned fabrics are all from Walmart, the fusible interfacing and the PUL (polyurethane laminated fabric) that I used are from Fabricland.

I think I might avoid rounding the corners of the changing pad next time.

Here's the finished product. The larger pocket is supposed to hold diapers and a thin container of wipes. I have neither of those in my house at present. 

Another angle...

The changing pad is quite thin, so it folds up really nicely to fit into the outer pocket. 

Go ahead. Judge my stitches. Oh, and while you're at it, here's an explanation for the blue lines. I stitched two pieces of fusible interfacing together because I didn't have any of the fancy double-sided stuff. Since I wanted to avoid the pieces shifting all over the place, I decided to do a sort of box stitch (like the sort you see on quilts, or even on the futon cover in the photos). However, in my haste,  it didn't even occur to me to change the colour of the thread that I was using!  I say it adds character.
Ha!

Here's the bright orange PUL fabric that I chose for the backing. The waterproof lining is actually on the inside. The dimensions of the changing pad are about 14 by 24 inches.

I think I would do much better if I tried this again, now that I know what to expect. I obviously need more practice with corners and bias tape! 

Still, I'm quite proud of my first sewing project after a LOOOOOOOOONG hiatus. I wonder what my high school sewing teacher, Mrs. Russell, would think. 

Secret Project: Step 2

I just finished the second step of my secret sewing project. It's only a secret because I don't know how well it is all going to work out yet. :)

Any guesses as to what it is?

Hello, Bernina!

Five summers ago, I decided that I wanted to buy a sewing machine. I had learned to sew in high school, but I had never owned my own machine. While browsing Craigslist and Kijiji, I saw an ad for an older Bernina machine for $75. I remembered my Mum speaking very highly of the Bernina brand, and at that price, I had to try to acquire one. There was just one problem: I was in Calgary, and the machine was in Edmonton. I frantically called my friend Laura, who graciously agreed to make an appointment with the owner and to see if the advertised sewing machine was actually worth purchasing. Laura confirmed that it worked, and the owner parted with her machine, its original case and manual and nearly 4 dozen bobbins.

The whole thing smelled like cigarette smoke, but I knew it could be cleaned. Given my initial excitement, you would think that I would have immediately prepped the machine and started a hundred projects. Alas, it took me five years to finally get back to sewing! In the meantime, I did many other things, including starting and finishing a master's degree. The poor machine just sat in its case. 

Last summer, I finally began sprucing up my prized Bernina. Then a distraction happened: the sewer backed up into my basement JUST before the start of a new school  year. Sewing fell in line behind MANY other things. One of the first things that I wanted to do this summer was to FINALLY use this steal-of-a-deal machine!

Here's how my Bernina Record 730 looks after some cleaning and oiling and a few test runs: 

There's even a handy detachable storage unit for extra needles and presser feet and thread.

I found some fun fabric in the fat quarter bins at Walmart that I could test my sewing memory on. It's a secret project for the moment, but if it works out, I'll blog some more about it. As it is, it took me the better part of an hour to figure out how to switch the machine from a zig-zag stitch to a straight stitch the other night! And that was WITH the manual! Here's what the fabric looks like so far:

I'm off to work on part two!