A New Year For New Things

Every year the same thing happens. I get the bug to start fresh. Try new things. Jump back into old projects that I promise I’ll actually work on and finish “this time”.

This year was no different than last year. Last year I went head first into hexies and paper piecing. I wanted to improve my skills and step outside of my comfort zone. Again, I’ve got that need to take on something new.

So why not attempt some 3D sewing? I’ve had a kit laying around my sewing room for over a year, a kit I picked up during the 2015 Quilter’s Run. It’s been moved around and misplaced a few times but I finally dug it out to give it a go.

It came with everything I needed. From the fabric to the matching zipper and instructions. And the only things I had never really done was the zipper and the lining. But the instructions seemed clear so I jumped into my new project with confidence.

Ah, starch, my best friend. I really like to use starch when I want my seams and lines to be as straight as possible.

The first step in the process was to create two patchwork panels, one for the outside and one for the lining. Once done, I had my husband help me pick which would look best for the outside. Then I had to muddle my way through the lining as I had never used the heated webbing for the lining. After a bit of googling I found some instructions and was able to bond the webbing to the lining.

Then came time for the sewing of the zipper. I’ve NEVER attached a zipper before. NEVER. Hell, I didn’t even know I had zipper foot to play with. And this point in the instructions was a little hard to understand. Once I played around with it, even opened and closed a few baggies I had laying around for a better visual, I was ready to sew.

And ta-da! A cute little baggie that I made all by myself! And it turned out to be super easy! I could have easily made this first one in under an hour but I took a moment away before I came back to finish it up.

The zipper was easy and came out looking so nice. I did have a seam that didn’t sew together cleanly and some of the lining was peeking out of a hole in the seam so I went in, ripped out a small portion, and worked it back together to grab that hole and close it up.

And as I mentioned, there was talk of a ribbon to be attached as a handle but I didn’t have one in my kit. I could have made my own but I just decided to focus on finishing.

After figuring out the instructions (which got a little tricky at one point) and making my way through this baggie easily, I can see how they are SO addicting! I could seriously sit and make a few in a row as gifts. I’m happy to have taken a chance and tried something new.

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