Trying Something New...

I am intentionally waiting for more solder.

It's coming on Tuesday. 

Sigh.

In the mean time, I some how entered a "Heart From The Heart Swap".

You should go over to my friend, Debbie, and visit her wonderful blog, 

Mosaic Magpie.

Some of the hearts have started coming in. 

I'm beginning to sweat bullets.

Here are my sewing skills:

1) Eighth grade, Home Ec. I think I made a blouse. I know I cheated on the test for naming the parts of the sewing machine.

2) Some embroidery when I was a kid.

3) Sewing stuff on a paper lunch bag for Christmas this year.

Not bad...

HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!

Thank the Good Lord that Debbie put a TUTORIAL up for us.

Here is my first attempt.

Wow. I even used pins.

(I un-earthed these from a sewing basket that Lauren had in Junior High, when she too, thought about needlework.)

Wow.

Thank goodness this is the wrong side of the fabric. 

Thank goodness a sweet friend GAVE ME her sewing machine. 

Thank goodness I remembered something from cheating on that test back in Junior High, and I can thread the bobbin to the needle. Kinda. Well, after several tries and stabbing myself with the needle. Who knew those were so stinking sharp?

I can do some of the fun stitches on the machine, but I can't figure out how I know where I am on the stitches. So I just make sure I count up and back from straight to my favorite stitch. 

How many of you are on the floor right now?

Fine.

I am merrily reading Debbie's tutorial, thinking, "this is great. I learn so much better by seeing than just reading instructions. I can SO do this."

Ha.

What I can really do is improvise.

This is my interpretation of a seam ripper. It's supposed to be a tool to make holes in paper to put brads through. It lifts stitches out pretty well.

What  I really, really can do is NOT FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.

Uhhhhh....

Let's backtrack for a minute, here.

I put the cool little decoration on the back of the heart. Check.

I pretended it wasn't really material I was working with, but rather a paper lunch sack, and added the decoration to the front using a napkin and some wax paper.

Then we come to this:

Really. I thought the directions said to put both right sides together and sew. Well, that didn't make sense when I

a) sewed the whole thing shut and realized I couldn't stuff the heart. 

and

b) when I had to right- side it out

and 

c) when I didn't have an edge to fray.

This is what happens to your front decoration when you smoosh it  and pull it to right-side it out and you use wax paper....

The best part is knowing I am learning that practice is good. I have always thought that the first time out has to be the finished product. The more I do, the more I learn this is not true.

So I tell myself, "I think I can, I think I can." and live for the day that the solder comes in.

Have you tried anything new this year??