First venture into the world of Cath Kidston

I  got the wonderful Cath Kidston book "Sew" to give me some inspiration and tips on how to get started with my machine. So far, I'm really pleased with the book. It has a lot of useful tips on sewing basics, and will help me get past running stitch! What is lovely about the book is that it comes with a kit to make a sweet little bag. It's simple enough to get started on straight away, but has enough fiddly bits to produce a feeling of achievement! I've even produced my first button hole - which doesn't look too bad for a beginner. The most fiddly bit was actually the button loop which is produced by sewing a narrow tube of fabric which has to be turned inside out.

Anyway, I'm really chuffed with the result.

Dolly diapers

I had wonderful plans for cushions and throw pillows for my first sewing project. In reality, I've made cloth nappies for my daughter's new baby doll! Disposable nappies for dollies appear to be just as (shockingly) expensive as those for real babies. As Milly (new dolly) was reportedly a thirsty wee soul, it was apparent that she was going to get through our small supply of nappies rather quickly.

I raided the cupboard for an old cot sheet and blanket, and used one of the disposables as a template. Success! One happy daughter, and one suitably clothed dolly.

New Year, new sewing machine!

My lovely husband has given me a new sewing machine for Christmas. I did have a second hand one (bought from ebay years ago), but it never really worked very well and was banished to the garage years ago when I finally lost patience with it chewing up all of the fabric.  I'm guessing now that this is why the original owner sold it on ebay!

I've started this new blog in the hope that I will get a lot of use out of my beautiful new toy.  I'm also hoping that I will be able to look back and see some improvements in my 'talents'.

Welcome!