project 1 underway!

I love a new project. There is some type of fascination about the excitement of producing something potentially beautiful. The fear of failure is involved in each decision. It is a cycle of elation and frustration, intertwined with meandering directions and new terminology.

The first project I chose to potentially fail at was an apron. Wal-mart so thoughtfully packaged these lovely fabrics together in a little bundle, each cut into a 18x21 piece. I chose two fabrics for the body of the reversible apron from the above choices. Two more fabrics were chosen for the reversible pockets which left one for the waistband. There were supposed to be cute buttons on the pockets, but the cat has hidden them somewhere in the house or the litter box. I left off the "rickrack" (whatever that is) and really didn't bother reading many of the directions, hence, I learned how to use a seam ripper well.

Here are some pics along the way:
A semi-straight stitching job even with a 1/2" pleat.

Showing off the body sewn together. Even the cat looks impressed. Little did I know, it would be ripped back apart!
Squares cut for reversible pockets. 6"x8"

Pockets sewn together. Minus buttons...
The seam ripper. My best friend.Strips of fabric cut for the waistband. 4.5"x21.

And all the strips sewn together.The waistband being sewn on the reverse side to hide the seams. How fancy!

The last stitch!
The final product, side one.
The final product, side two!
Since this was not a complete failure, I think the sewing will continue. Now what?

Here I come, Heidi Klum!

Yes, here it is, the official Project Runway Edition Sewing machine. I chose this one because if those nutcases on Project Runway can sew, I have a decent chance of assembling something reminiscent of clothing. I mean, how hard can it be? (famous last words!) The instructions were daunting at first, but upon further inspection they were relatively easy to follow. I got the machine threaded and the bobbin wound with little trouble. This was probably a ploy by the sewing machine company to gain confidence.

I began simple, just trying to sew a few stitches and sew them straight. What I got looked like some wound up knots.



Eventually I got them to look like this!

With my professional and oh so glamorous straight stitch on my side, Jim suggested I make a hat for the cat. It looked more like a wizard hat or a dunce cone once it was finished. I did think both would be appropriate for the animals in question.


They look so thrilled to be involved in my new hobby!

Beginning of ridiculousness...

Okay, so I have been inspired by my many friends who write these really interesting, funny blogs. I thought, "I'm interesting, I'm funny," I can do that too! I began to think of what interesting things I could blog about. With all that said, I decided to name this blog, Asher's Happy Thread. This will encompass two meanings. First, I have decided to begin a new hobby, sewing. I have never turned on a sewing machine and my mother taped our clothes together, so I have no experience. The potential for funny and disastrous events is inevitable. Secondly, there may be a "thread" of funny things that happen in life that I might divulge (if you're lucky).

Here's to the future. Here's to disaster. Here's to a funny thread to follow.