Sewing Again

This is nearly old news now but I must take a moment to share the excitement over my NEW sewing machine. I certainly have spent plenty of air time here hinting at how much I would like one, and how my machine was no longer functional, woe is me, etc.

So I think Don was simply tired of hearing me talk about it as I shopped around, and he pretty much told me to just go buy something. I had done so much deliberating up to that point and had decided on what I wanted, so before I lost my nerve I went to Joann Fabrics and dropped a couple on a Singer Confidence 7469Q. I couldn't be more pleased. I had seriously considered an entry level Pfaff because I was intrigued by their sturdiness and reliability... but when I really thought about the type and amount of sewing I do, it became clear that it really made sense to spend far less money on a machine that actually did more.



On sale for a neat $299, this machine has so far proven to be the perfect compromise - it is fully electronic and very well-built but without the fancy computer screen or any of the embroidery bells and whistles that really don't interest me. It has almost 100 stitch functions and can do button holes, drop feed, free arm, etc. The "Q" designation means it came with an accessory kit of goodies for quilters, including an extension table and several extra feet - a walking foot, darning foot, and 1/4" foot among them. Another feature that I did not realize would be so handy is a button that can switch between automatic needle up and needle down - both extremely useful in different situations.
It is a sturdy and smooth machine and it is incredibly pleasurable to sew on a machine that simply sews without jamming, bunching, or otherwise complaining. So nice.

Two completed projects:

One pretty tote bag for me...

And one for my mom:

Both used fabric we already had (amazing, I know) and were quick and easy to make. And of course, who doesn't need another tote bag?

The other project that I FINALLY finished had been hanging around much longer, and really deserves its own post. Not to mention that I haven't taken pictures of it yet...

So that's what I've done in the last month. I'm not expecting to get much more done between now and Baby Time as I have a list a mile long of other "nesting" things to get done. As of today I am officially full-term (37 weeks) so I'm shifting into waiting mode - and hoping I won't be waiting too much longer!