Here's a short list of supplies to get you started sewing. One thing about sewing is that you will collect supplies as you go, so start with what you have and expand your collection of tools as you go along.
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If you are just starting out sewing, here are some of my methods to guide you in getting comfortable with your new hobby.
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If you are a seamstress or crafter, the holidays are the PERFECT time to dust off your supplies and get creating! There is something so special about a handmade holiday! You can create decor for your home and make gifts instead of shopping for everything. It is a perfect time to focus on what really matters to you! Why not create a meaningful holiday season instead of allowing consumerism to lead the way?
Here are some ideas for projects to try! They will only cost you some elbow grease and supplies you probably already have. If you stick to using materials you already have in your stash it will be a great way to keep the holidays affordable and cut down on wasteful holiday shopping. Just about everybody is trying to save money this year with the economy the way it has been…but you can still have a special holiday season! Of course some people will want specific items from the store, but you can mix in handmade when possible to offset the costs and level up your gifting!
Decorate your home for holiday parties with handmade goods! Everything from table runners to placemats, banners and more can be sewn to add that special touch to your holiday gathering. If you are going for an elegant look, get out your collection of candles for ambiance and use neutral tones for the place settings. Or chose a pop of color like green, blue or gold for a special touch. If you have an embroidery hoop, tie scraps of fabric on it to create your own wreath!
Make Christmas ornaments! Homemade Christmas ornaments are a fun accent to tie onto gift packaging, or make a bunch to give out at work. I have a stash of eco felt that would be perfect for ornaments. Look through your craft stash and get creative.
Cut out furoshiki wrapping, or use bandanas or decorative scarves to wrap gifts. I actually love this idea so much and I have a stash of scarves and bandanas that will work great for gifting! Another neat idea is to sew drawstring bags for gift giving. You can tuck the gifts inside the bags and tie a handmade ornament on the top. If you do drawstring bags or bandanas and scarves, they will be the kind of wrapping that can serve another purpose after the holidays are done.
Sew eco kits to give to family and friends! I love this idea so much, and I’m planning on making a few to give away. Whip up some cloth napkins with a silverware pouch and lunch bag, unpaper towels with some eco friendly cleaner like Mrs. Meyers or felted wool dryer balls. For the beauty enthusiast you could do fabric face pads with a little drawstring bag and pair it with a natural facial product. (I would steer clear of sewing hankies as gifts, because ever since Covid it isn’t the most health savvy to reuse tissues.) You can pair the kits with a few eco friendly products and put them into drawstring bags or even make some handmade baskets to put items in.
A fun project for paper crafters is to create a photo album for loved ones, or even a recipe book of all your favorite recipes. Make junk journals to gift, or even create and print out a zine instead of the typical annual holiday letter.
Make your own Christmas cards! If you look on Youtube, there are tons of tutorials for card making. Some of them use intricate folding methods, and you can customize the cards to each recipient. Use paper from around the house, get out paints, markers and pens and just have fun with it. Or even do collage cards where you collage on something as simple as a note card.
Gather pinecones, acorns and stones from your yard and paint them. You can use them as is or paint them to use as a centerpiece for your table. Or even grab some foliage from your yard as everything is drying for the fall season, clean it off and use it as a neat accent in a vase or homemade wreath.
For kids, there are so many things you could create to gift! Whip up some dolls or fun decorative pillows with a secret pocket so kids can stash items in it. You can even create some wacky dolls for the groovy grown ups in your life! Look up “F*ck It Dolls” on Etsy or on the web and make some to gift to coworkers and friends.
Coasters make savvy gifts to give out! You can pair them with a bottle of wine or cider as a fun hostess gift. Making fabric coasters is a lot of fun! Just whip up a sheet of scrappy patchwork and then cut into squares. Pin to batting and backing and then zig zag stitch around the edges for a contemporary look.
Macrame ANYTHING is really hot right now! Even a simple weaving in an embroidery hoop or banner displayed on a wooden dowel would make such a chic gift! Try making your own rope with cut up t shirts. T shirt yarn is excellent for weavings and I bet it would look tres chic in a simplified macrame project.
I hope these ideas get you thinking ahead for a frugal Christmas! Get a brainstorm session going, make a list and start soonest…the holidays will be here before you know it!
I didn’t get too much into Halloween this year. Not because I don’t LOVE Halloween, but more because I’ve been busy working on my book project. Lately I’ve been trying to churn out art for my upcoming book and it is going really well! I’ve also been sewing a little here and there…hemming pants and doing light upcycles to tweak my wardrobe a little bit. I’m also planning a personal glow up to feel more confident in my skin! I gained a few pounds since the Pandemic hit. So initially I focused on weight loss but then became completely anemic! So now I’m focusing less on weight loss and more on health and self care. It is a fall/winter project I’m working on to bring some harmony to my mind, body and spirit health.
I’ve wanted to develop some of my own traditions for holidays! I’ve never really been that into traditional holiday celebrations all that much. Slowly I’ve been integrating some ideas I love for the different seasons. Halloween is a time when ancestral veneration is practiced in many cultures throughout the world! So I did my own ritual to honor my family of origin. First, I printed out photos from my childhood…pics of me and my sisters, and my folks. I got out my altar boxes because I have created some for my most cherished family members. I lit some incense and cut out the photos of myself and my family. I hung up the photos on my wall and said a prayer for my family.
It was a super quick ritual, but I love the way it connected me to my heart and to the people who mean so much to me! I decked out the sewing room with photos of my husband and my family. I got out my stone collection and placed stones here and there. Some went into the altar boxes and some are on a little moon shaped shelf. I’m not entirely in love with how things are organized so I will be moving things around as time goes by!
If you love holidays but are sick of the traditional celebrations, do some research and come up with your own ways to celebrate! It makes a holiday special to you and will bring some personal significance to holidays you might not normally get into all that much.
Fall is HERE! I love the colder months so much, and am lucky enough to get to experience four seasons in the Midwest. Fall and winter are my favs, and I especially love to transition my wardrobe for those cool days and breezy nights. This year I’m having a predicament though, because I bought one too many t shirts over the summer. It was one of those summers where t shirts with wacky print just seemed to call out, so now I have an abundance of t shirts!
I’ve gotten all my fall and winter tops out, but they just aren’t calling out to me! I mean I have a couple of turtlenecks that feel perfect for this year, along with some sweatshirts. But my old sweaters did nothing for me last year, so why would I wear them again this year?
Fall is in full force here and it has been really cold! At night it has already dropped below freezing on a few occasions. So I’m needing some warmer tops like pronto! And I don’t want to buy ALL THE THINGS! So I’m challenging myself to remake a few pieces to weatherize my wardrobe.
Here are a few steps to get started, along with some tutorials I found both on my own site and on Youtube!
First, adding long sleeves to some t shirts is a must for me. I bought one too many wacky t shirts, and if I just spruce some of them up with long sleeves it would really benefit my closet for winter. Here’s a tutorial on Youtube that I love, that shows how to add some long sleeves!
Next, if you have t shirts with quirky slogans on them…you know…all those shirts you bought trying to look young or hip or sarcastic…(hey…don’t look at me! You KNOW I didn’t waste money on any stupid t shirts like that…LOLOL!)…well, grab those shirts and add some applique to them! If they have slogans on them you will not want to use heat and bond, because the iron might melt the design already on the fabric. But try some quick and simple applique with this video!
Here are five ways to upcycle sweatshirts! I only have a few sweatshirts, but one thing I’ve noticed about a lot of sweatshirt upcycles is that most of them are about creating a crop fit or taking in a sweatshirt that is too big! BORING! I love the video I shared because the ideas are more creative and something I might actually feel comfortable wearing.
What about those boring sweaters in your closet that you might never wear again? Check out this distressed sweater tutorial, or this one right here!
Here’s a great video about glamming up your fall wardrobe on a budget! Check out all the Blueprint DIY videos, cuz she has a lot of great projects to try!
I found so many great projects while putting together this list! I think I’m finally ready to get sewing soonest! The change of seasons is a great time to donate, remake and restyle your wardrobe! Just be sure to set aside some warm weather clothes for when Spring rolls around!