Sewing, sewing, sewing

I've finally had the chance to use my new Brother sewing machine.  It's nice. :)  I got everything I needed for my project out yesterday, sat down to sew, and realized, I didn't really have my machine ready to go.  Bobbins weren't wound, needles had no thread, I didn't even really know how to operate the parts of the machine (other than the basics). 

See my sewing corner?  Eventually it will all be moved downstairs to a craft corner, but right now it consumes our kitchen table!

I've never worked on a machine with a start/stop button.  But now, if I want to, I can. :)  I just disconnect the peddle and voila!  I don't trust myself yet to use it, I need to get a feel for the machine first.  It also had a setting for speed, so that if I want, the speed will never increase from the set speed.  This is handy for someone like me who sometimes gets ahead of herself. :)

Start/Stop, reverse & needle position buttons

I think my favorite part of the machine, which I probably won't use for a little while, are the quilting stitches the machine is capable of.  I've quilted a couple blankets in the past, but only a very simple "stitch-in-the-ditch." It does the job, but it's not as visually appealing as leaves or curlies or flowers and the like.  So I'm anxious to give that a whirl.  I have a few projects coming up that I wasn't originally planning on quilting, but now, come to think of it, I could add some batting and quilt. :)  Fun way to practice!

See 43-48?  Yeah, those would be the quilting stitches!

My project last night was for a knitting project bag.  I have some fun fabrics that I picked out and cut into strips.  Mixing shades of teal, cream and pink, the bag has a bright, fun appearance.  It's going to be a drawstring bag w/ a shoulder strap.  The pattern originally contains a pocket on the outside, but I have no solid colored fabric and I think a pocket out of the material I'm using now will be a bit overwhelming.  Once I line the bag, I may choose to use some of the strips of fabric and create pockets on the inside. 

Fabric: pre-assembly

My bag book - love this book!

I'd also like to make a notions pocket to accompany the bag, but I'm not sure if that will work out.  For now, just the bag. :)

It's great to be back at sewing.  I've missed being able to just sit down and work at the machine. 

Once I finish the bag, my next project to tackle is getting back into polymer clay sculpting.  I'd like to make my own stitch markers instead of buying them, and this way I can make them unique for me.  I have lots of ideas - maybe I should create a list of things I'd like to make.  We'll see.