Sewing for Beginners

This is the tale of my $12 sewing machine. I found it all alone on a bottom shelf at Winners. What drew me to it was not just its $12 price tag, but its cute petite red shape. Immediately I dreamed up all sorts of projects I would create on this little mini sewing machine. Pillows, dresses, stuffed animals, the possibilities were endless.


But as the age-old saying goes 'It's it looks too good to be true, it probably is.' While this little red beauty looked perfect perched up on my bookshelf, it seemed that was all it was good for. When I tried to actually use it, it let me down.

After going through the steps of threading the, well, thread, through the the proper loops and setting it all up, all I was able to do was sew a couple of stitches before the gears shifted and stuck, and I had to spend time trying to figure out how to fix it. Finally my work paid off and I was able to try again. But the process repeated itself, and I was stuck again.

Needless to say, this little $12 sewing machine wasn't going to be able to join me on my sewing adventures. Sooo.... I put it back up on the shelf and found myself in the craft aisles of Wal-Mart, picking up a grown-up machine to replace my baby sewing machine.

I decided to go for a basic machine because my sewing skills are very limited and I didn't want to spend too much on a machine that I didn't really know how to use, but  I did want  something that would let me do a little more than my $12 one did. The options at Wal-Mart (really the only store nearby where I could find sewing machines for sale) varied in prices from $88 to $295. I went for the mid price range model, The Singer Esteem II  for $135. It offers 22 different stitches, as well as a button hole maker.

When I got it home I immediately got to work setting it up. I was glad that it came with a hefty instruction pamphlet and a quick start-up guide, because I needed all the help I could get!

It took a little bit of finagling, but I followed the directions and successfully followed the directions to pull the thread through the machine. And then I pulled out a scrap of fabric and tested out my new machine. The result? 

Success! I know it is hard to tell from this picture, but I did get some stiches. I'm very excited to really test of this sewing machine and show you all what I come up with!

Do you have an sewing projects, pillows, clothes, toys, etc. you think I should try?

Happy Sewing,

PS: Here's where we link up.