I figured I'd get started by sharing a few of my recent projects (mostly Pinterest inspired but a few of my own invention). I'll do so in the form of a story (with pictures!).

I've never been any good at sewing. Instead, I considered myself a paper crafter. Nice and safe and easy. Nothing too big or adventurous. But I was intrigued by fabric and wished I knew how to manipulate it. Last summer I desperately wanted to make this turtle I pinned, but how was I supposed to do that without knowing how to sew? Somehow, I managed, and after that, I got a little obsessed with plushies.

I made several turtles,

 saw an elephant at Anthropologie and designed my own pattern based on it (I will post a tutorial/pattern soon - sorry for the poor quality picture #dormroomprobs),

made all my college friends Black Apple dolls slightly modified to have removable dresses for Christmas,

 and sewed owls for all my home friends based on one I'd seen on Flickr.

Finally, hand sewing a baby blanket for my goddaughter

led me to believe I desperately needed a machine.Hence the convenient location of Christmas for which I got the second best gift ever given to me, preceded only by my camera which is my baby: a Singer Tradition.

I ended up pulling out my messy stitches on the blanket and re-doing it on the machine this summer, in case anyone wondered.

But the first thing I tried sewing was a very simple skirt/ It was rough. The hem was all uneven and I didn't entirely know how to work the machine. As in I didn't know how at all.

Frustrated and busy with school, I didn't touch it again until this summer when it got close to my roommate's birthday. I wanted to make her a panda - her favorite animal. But the machine simply wouldn't do what I wanted and ended up sewing by hand anyway. (I will also be posting a tutorial/pattern for this silly little guy soon).

At this point I regretted getting a machine at all.

Then I saw a tutorial for a floor pillow and oh my goodness, I wanted to make one so badly. I'm constantly sitting on the floor at school because I hate chairs. Especially the ones at our desks. Unfortunately, the floor is beyond hard and uncomfortable. Against all odds and ignoring the previous attempts which had resulted only in frustration, I picked up a jelly roll at JoAnn's and started sewing.

It was a mess at first. I couldn't do anything right. But with some persistence (and loud music to sing to while no one was home), it started coming together. I got the hang of things, and now there is a huge cushy floor pillow in my room.

I think I'm more proud of the piping than I've ever been of anything I've ever made.

Just in the last few days, I made four strawberry pillows from this tutorial at The Purl Bee.

Then I entered the world of things besides quilter's cotton, and bought myself some gray knit. I made this skirt for the little girl in the family I nanny for, and am currently working on a dress for myself (if it works, a tutorial will be posted for that too!).

So, clearly, I've expanded my sewing horizons and have many of my own project ideas to try. I'm excited to share some of them with you!!