September 23, 2013

Sew What If I’m Cheap?

Martie Handmade flax seed heat/cold therapy bags, Goodwill, infinity scarf, new fabric, saves me money, sewing machine 6 Comments

I have been trying to manage my time a little better, so I designate a certain project or projects each weekend to work on. My day job comes first, but if I have long breaks in my day, I do sneak out and go home to sew occasionally. I have so many ideas and so many different pieces I want to make, so I am really trying to make time for each and every project. Plus, I have to keep within my budget.  Sew what if I’m cheap?  I’m making stuff here, and I can’t break the bank while I’m doing it!

For the past few weeks, I’ve been working exclusively on my flax seed heat/cold therapy bags.

I love these things so much, because I have a lot of aches and pains from standing all day, sewing all weekend, and just life in general. I bought one a couple years ago at a crafts show, and Coach and I used to fight over it sometimes, until I came up with a few designs and made us new ones. They can be heated or frozen, and make achy joints and muscles feel divine. The flax seed makes these extra great, because it’s like heat/cold/weight therapy all in one, and it’s pretty much odorless. I made a few of these therapy bags as Christmas gifts and filled them with rice, but after a few turns in the microwave the rice begins to smell pretty musky. I knew I had to do them up right, so I called my local feed store and ordered  a 50 pound bag of flax seed and sewed my heart out. Plus, there are no worries like with an electric heating pad. I have sold a bunch of these already, and I have them listed on Etsy, as well.  Most of my fabric was in a lot I got one day last spring….a huge score!  A lady here in town had purchased yards and yards of new fabric and was planning to make nurse’s scrubs and sell them for extra cash.  She never got around to that, and sold me two huge trash bags full of cotton, upholstery, and muslin fabrics for pretty dirt cheap.

As I figured I would eventually, I ran out of flax seed and had to reorder, which has given me a free weekend to work on something that had been shelved. I had to get busy on some scarves this weekend, and I talked about it all this week so I would get motivated. It worked! I did a little social-media marketing to see what my friends are into when it comes to scarves, and had a huge shout out for infinity scarves! I managed to cut and piece about seven on Saturday morning, and I’m excited about how they are turning out.

I’m cutting a hem off of this cute fabric, because it is actually a shower curtain I got at Goodwill.  I love making new, revived pieces out of all kinds of other people’s cast-offs.  It saves me money like crazy, and there are lots of cute prints in home decor items that you can’t really find at a fabric store. I made an adorable infinity scarf out of it!

Here is one from some of the prettier fabric I got in my big steal,

and here’s a sneak peek at some other stuff I have cut and pinned:

Believe it or not, I never used a sewing machine in my life, up until about a year ago. None of my projects are ever perfect, but I don’t concern myself with that. As I have gone along with the scarves, the flax seed bags, and several other projects, I’ve found my way and figured out a lot of short-cuts and techniques that make my finished projects look better and better as I go. I struggled a lot, believe me, and broke a lot of needles along the way. Madre told me not to be scared of the machine, but just to fiddle with it until I figure it all out, so that’s what I’ve done. It’s a really gratifying hobby, and I love the design aspect just as much as the sewing.

This is my equipment:

Madre bought this from a door-to-door salesman when she was a newlywed.  It has attachments that I may never get out of the box.

I’d like for you to believe that I have the neatest, cutest little craft room in which to turn out all this fun stuff, and I really do.  But it doubles as a bonus room, which my children love to lay around and watch TV in, and trash every chance they get.  And my side looks like this:

Of course, sewing is not my only hobby, as you all know. I’ve been doing a lot of drawing lately, as well. That’s something I can do anywhere, so it’s great for fifteen to thirty minute breaks at the salon. I listed a few of my abstract colored pencil drawings on Etsy last week, and I’ve had some looks and favorites. Even if I don’t sell them, it’s nice to get positive feedback on my artwork!

One last thing…I want to thank my model, Debbie Duct Tape.  

She requested that I show her with her head on, even though it’s too small for her body.  She is actually my body double, because I’m too cheap to buy a dress form.  Coach seemed to enjoy wrapping roll after roll of duct tape around me, and then cutting me out of this contraption.  It’s handy to have, but it freaks me out sometimes when I come into the dark room and see the headless body…then I remember, it’s only me….um…Debbie.

Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to subscribe! Coming up on Wednesday is another bride showcase, and a few more hints about that giveaway!