I bought a new sewing machine last night!

**alarosalpn** · 06-23-2008, 08:06 PM

I had posted a last month about the Sears Kenmore old sewing machine that a coworker had given me.. It never worked right, when I did try to use it, I always had to sit there for an hour just to figure out how to thread it or how to adjust it (no manual)
So, my SIL had come over to start teaching me how to sew and use it, again, we had a problem! She and my neighbor had said that to bring the machine for service and fixing it would cost more than a new machine..
So, off my SIL and I went and I bought a Singer sewing machine at Walmart for $99... I love it! It has a manual! YEAH!
My SIL was flipping through it and the machine can do embroidery also!
We made a clothes pin bag and it came out hideous but I loveit! I laugh when I look at it! LOL
I'm so happy! The fabric that I have is all from freecycle.. I posted that I wanted left over fabric and/or sheets to practice with.
I priced some fabric at Walmart that I liked to make a quilt (or try anyway!) but it is $4.44 yd! Is that cheap or is there other places I can buy it cheaper?
Is there any outlet fabric stores I can go to? I am in Connecticutt.
I am really excited and want to sew a storm up!
My SIL and I want to make cloth napkins, reusable bags, bag holders, clothes pin holders and sell them at a farmers market or flea market..
I would love to be able to make clothes for my son! Also, I'm really interested in making scrub uniforms.. They cant be that hard to make. Where would I find a pattern for them?
What can I make that is pretty easy?
Thanks in advance.

**Jamauk** · 06-23-2008, 08:37 PM

yea for you! $4.44/yd is a pretty good price if its decent quality fabric (which is sometimes hard to find at walmart). I don't know about outlet stores near you - I buy a lot of my fabric at yard sales (or sheets/men's shirts/etc..at Goodwill).

Scrubs should be super easy to make - I couldn't find a free pattern online, but every major pattern company has one. JoAnn's has sales throughout the year where you can get patterns for about a buck. You could also try WalMart - don't know much about their pattern selection.

Have Fun!

**dcompton** · 06-23-2008, 09:01 PM

Congrats! It's always great to get new tools. You'll save lots and your skills will quickly increase. Soon you won't have to laugh at things when you look at them. Well, not often anyway. I guess we all pull an occasional "oh-my-did-I-really-do-that-hahahahah! boner once in a while!

**alarosalpn** · 06-23-2008, 10:10 PM

Thank you ladies
I can't wait to sew like alot of the people here can! I've always wanted to! Now I can!
My main reason for finally getting a sewing machine is because I couldn't and can't find a quilt for our bed that I really like, so I want to make one. We have been in this house almost 2 years and our bedroom is still untouched- no paint or accessories (well, I did buy 2 nightstand lamps with burgundy shades!) because I want to pick a color out of the quilt to paint the walls with.
Jamuak- you mentioned quality of fabric- how would I know if it's good? With that asked- while I was going through the clearance bin I noticed a fabric so thin and hard it was like a cheap set of sheets I had bought for our sons bed! (they're so cheap and thin you can see through them! And they are dark blue- like midnight blue! Is that pretty much what I'm looking for?

**Jamauk** · 06-23-2008, 10:42 PM

yup! If you can see through it, its not so good!

Good fabric will feel like it has more body to it. Sometimes the cheap fabric feels ok because they put lots of sizing on it (starch)...but eventually you'll be able to tell just by feeling it.

You can find good "quilt shop quality" fabric on ebay. I also like the site "www.quiltshops.com" its a whole directory of online quilt shops. You type in what you are looking for ( patriotic, reproduction, sale, clearance, etc...) and it'll pull up all kinds of stuff for you.

Also, if you have a quilt shop near you they probably have a clearance rack - ours has a 50% off rack with an additional 25% off that if you buy the rest of the bolt.

**JustMegan79** · 06-25-2008, 12:57 AM

Originally Posted by alarosalpn

I had posted a last month about the Sears Kenmore old sewing machine that a coworker had given me.. It never worked right, when I did try to use it, I always had to sit there for an hour just to figure out how to thread it or how to adjust it (no manual)
So, my SIL had come over to start teaching me how to sew and use it, again, we had a problem! She and my neighbor had said that to bring the machine for service and fixing it would cost more than a new machine..
So, off my SIL and I went and I bought a Singer sewing machine at Walmart for $99... I love it! It has a manual! YEAH!
My SIL was flipping through it and the machine can do embroidery also!
We made a clothes pin bag and it came out hideous but I loveit! I laugh when I look at it! LOL
I'm so happy! The fabric that I have is all from freecycle.. I posted that I wanted left over fabric and/or sheets to practice with.
I priced some fabric at Walmart that I liked to make a quilt (or try anyway!) but it is $4.44 yd! Is that cheap or is there other places I can buy it cheaper?
Is there any outlet fabric stores I can go to? I am in Connecticutt.
I am really excited and want to sew a storm up!
My SIL and I want to make cloth napkins, reusable bags, bag holders, clothes pin holders and sell them at a farmers market or flea market..
I would love to be able to make clothes for my son! Also, I'm really interested in making scrub uniforms.. They cant be that hard to make. Where would I find a pattern for them?
What can I make that is pretty easy?
Thanks in advance.

I am so happy for you! I am getting sewing machine from my Mom and Dad for Christmas of this coming year and I absolutley cannot wait. I do not know the first thing about sewing or machines, but I want to learn, especially after seeing the many wonderful creations Nuisance makes. Good for you!! Have fun and make lotsa things!!!

**Michelle** · 06-25-2008, 07:56 AM

Enjoy your new machine

Sign up for Joann's mailing list. You'll get 40% off coupons in the mail as well as their fliers announcing their sales. I've used a lot of fabric from Joann's for quilts, and I've been happy with what I've gotten. Once you've sewn for a while, you'll recognize the "good" names in fabric (e.g. Marcus Brothers, South Sea Imports, etc).

If you have any quilt shops in your area you should see if they have a mailing list as well. There is a shop about 4 miles from me, and they have BEAUTIFUL fabric. Often they'll have special sales like on FQ's (fat quarters) as well as fabric by the yard.

I also belong to several fabric co-ops through Yahoo (go to Yahoo groups and search for fabric co-ops or PM me, and I'll send you a list of my favorites). A co-op is when a bunch of people get together and buy bolts of fabric or notions at wholesale prices. A true co-op charges just the cost plus shipping, but I've found that most co-ops (that I belong to anyway) will charge a small cutting fee or mailing supplies fee. I've been able to get great quality quilt shop fabric and designer knits (for children mostly) for $4-5/yd (retail price $8.50/yd+).

And if you're buying fabric for your quilt, you'll want to buy 100% cotton for best results. Hop on over to our quilting forum for more tips & information.

HTH