Nayu's Craft Time #121 Exploring machine sewing!

I'd love to get to the skill level of making something like this one day!

For those on Twitter this post includes which craft I've been experimenting with today - it's machine sewing!

My machine! It will be covered in fun stickers soon.

I have a beautiful machine which I got several years ago (doesn't quite make tea, but has loads of what I call 'line' designs as well as the alphabet, plus can cope with quilting too. Due to health issues I haven't really been able to use it until now. You don't need a super duper one, just a few stitches & maybe a button hole function is all you really need. When you buy one do look around for advice on what to get, and buy the best you can in that price range. If I went on looks I'd have bought a Hello Kitty sewing machine!

So cute!!!!

So this morning, after a few other chores I set about using it. I'll say it rather than her because while I've named my machine Rinoa, after Rinoa in the game Final Fantasy 8, I don't want to confuse anyone (or myself...)

Anyway it took a good 20-30 mins to figure out how to thread the machine - that was with the instruction manual open! Oh, and it took 5 minutes for me to remember where I'd put the instruction manual: I took it off the bookshelf, then made it vanish into thin air. Turns out it had slid down something. >_<

I sewed 3 of the edges together, turned it inside out then tried a new finishing stitch on the edge. Need practice, but not bad!

Finally ready for sewing I tried the first stitch. It didn't go wrong! Not sure what I was expecting, but happily tried running stitch for a while. Then tried the reverse stitch, handing for securing thread on an item. After a lot of playing here's some of what I did (the rest isn't suitable to be shown, as I went wrong in trying to create a mini patchwork. 

I was using this as a trial - I wouldn't normally do pretty patterns on patterned fabric. I tried flower type things, leaves, stars, and the failed hearts.

I tried and liked some of the fancy stitches - wasn't so keen on the hearts, but think I'll use the ones I did try on the projects I have planned for my shop. What those are I'm not saying until I have successful prototypes! I promise you'll get to see it all here on NCD first!

Here's the other side of the sewn together trial item, you can view the patterrns much clearer!

Time for a few more chores then anime & reading!