Adventures in Sewing and a Tour!

Tonight, I finally put my new sewing machine to work!!! The first project I attempted tonight is a cover for my sewing machine. I gotta keep it shiny and dust-free. =) And I have some super cute fabric to use. With some help from Melissa, I got started. She gave me the first step or two via Skype and then she ran off to bed. She's 5 hours ahead of me, so she's allowed. Plus she's pregnant. Hehe. Anyway. She went to bed and I got started...

I had a couple issues when I started. One was just my stupidity and the other, well, I guess the other was operator-related too. =P The material didn't feed through the machine very well and I kinda sorta forced it through. That worked for like 5 seconds. And then the needle broke!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaah!!! Once I realized I'd broken the needle, I got really discouraged. I threw the material aside, grabbed my phone and computer (the things that travel with us when our hubbies are gone...) and decided it was time for dinner. So, I reheated some alfredo and garlic bread and sat down...for 2 hours. Then I got bored. I decided maybe I should give it another go. It's not like the machine didn't come with a manual! 

With the help of the user's guide, I realized that the needle probably broke because 1) the material is kind of thick and 2) forcing it through was NOT a good idea. Who knew? ;-) I got out another needle - a bigger one - and replaced it. I rethreaded the machine and I was off. It worked! The material was feeding just like it was supposed to and the needle didn't break! Woohoo!! This is the result of Step 1 of the sewing machine cover project.

Left side

Right side

Looking good so far, right? Well, with the exception of my incredibly crooked sewing. And cutting. I'm sure these will improve...eventually.

After that, I decided that I needed to make an envelope pillowcase. I've been wanting to make one of these for quite a while. I Googled and came up with this amazing and easy video tutorial. If you want to make one of these (and you own a sewing machine) you seriously need to watch this video. I almost cried it was so easy!! The hardest part for me was measuring and cutting the fabric. The pillow I used wasn't the same as hers so that was part of my problem the other part is that I just really can't cut straight! Other than that (and my also crooked sewing), it was so simple! I don't know how long it took me because I wasn't watching the clock. Plus, I'm a newbie so it probably took me longer anyway. Alright so, here is the before of my pillow sans-pillowcase:

Yeah, it's one of those smooshy pillows with the microbeads. I sleep/cuddle with it, and the beads are coming out of a whole I can't find. Annoying. Which is why it needed a pillowcase!!

Tada!

It's not a perfect fit, but it'll do! 

See? So much better!

I'm also planning on using the tutorial to do one - or possibly both - of the pillows on my couch. They're kind of blah and need some color. Now to find the right fabric!! I really can't wait to do more! =D 

{Aren't you PROUD, Melissa?! =D}

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Now, for the tour part of this post. I've seen several other bloggers give a tour of their home and I decided to do one for you guys. I mean, I've uploaded pictures of our house since we moved in, but I think you can't really get the full effect unless you take a video tour!! It's really the closest thing to a real-life tour. And since none of you are very likely to visit in the next 2-3 years, you'll have to settle for the video! Enjoy! {Bonus points to whoever can count how many times I say "Okay, so..." =)}

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Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot about this!!! After taking the video of our house, I took Jasper to check the mail. He loves to go check the mail. =) When I opened our box, there was a locker key in it. Hmmm...wonder what that could be?! I opened the locker and found this in it!

It's something I ordered from Barnes & Noble just a few days ago... What is it you ask? {If you follow me on Twitter, you already know what it is. ;-)} It was this beauty!

Squeeeeeeeee!!! =D

If you haven't noticed, I am a SERIOUS Nicholas Sparks fan. I own every. single. one. of his books. Most are in hardback, but the first ones I bought are in paperback. I need to fix that. My goal is to have all of his books in hardback. Basically because he's one of two authors that I really love. {He was my first author-love. LOL!} Anyway. I love all of his books and as soon as Melissa sent me the link on B&N's website, I ordered it! I ordered it like 6 hrs before it released, so I got the early-order discount. In the end, it only saved me about $5-$6 but hey, I saved something. AND I saved a trip to Honolulu. That's always a plus. I'm just really not a fan of driving downtown. =) I haven't started reading it yet, but I definitely will! I'm sure I'll love it just like all the rest. 

Well, anyway, I hope y'all had a good Friday! Happy Weekend!!