It’s no secret that Nonna is phenomenal with a sewing machine, and that I can order things with a click of a button and the entrance of my (memorized) debit card number. However, last week I decided I wanted to try my hand at applique. I keep ordering these super cute onesies for Baby Gray & friends online, and I thought I might be able to make them.
Let me preface all this with the fact that I have used a sewing machine before (disregard the fact that it was over fifteen years ago). I had never used Steam-A-Seam, though, so that was new. I looked it up online and found some patterns for exactly what I wanted to make. We have several people in our Heart Group as well as other friends who are expecting, so I thought these might be good, thoughtful baby gifts.
I started out doing great–the actual iron on portion of this project was a breeze! I had all my cute fabrics coordinated just right, and whale I had been envisioning for the blue fabric I bought turned out perfect! I was on cloud nine and dreaming of all the onesies I would make!
Then I got to the part where I needed to sew. This was a little more of a speed bump. I drew the patterns I had ironed to the onesies onto some fabric to practice with the sewing machine. (Since I was going to be so good at this, I had my machine all ready to go with black thread!)
I tried a few “straight” lines and traced the patterns I had drawn. Cloud nine had become a fog, and I was scared I was going to ruin all the onesies that started out so cute. (Notice how poorly the whales turned out.)
I kept practicing, but I kept getting more and more discouraged. Finally I realized I didn’t have to use black thread; I could use white. The white thread against the white onesies would be a lot more forgiving. Once I re-threaded my machine, I was brave enough to stick a onesie on there and try it out.
This is the first one I completed. Short of the wing, it’s not bad. I decided not to stitch over the wing on the next ones. They turned out pretty well.
This one turned out better. I left the wing without the stitching, and I missed a place or two near the bottom, but, overall, it’s not bad. I’d let my baby wear it.
I love the fabric I used for the bird on this one. It’s my favorite of all the fabrics. I did a lot better job going around this little birdie than some of the others. I was sort of starting to get the hang of it!
This one also turned out pretty well. I like the polka dots a lot. I think I’ll make the beaks a little larger next time I make these.
I waited until the very last one to do the whale because I messed it up so bad when I was practicing. Much to my (pleasant) surprise, though, it turned out to be the best one of all! I was so excited. This was the only one I knew exactly what I was going to make from the time I got the fabric until the time I actually made it. I can’t wait to make one for Baby Gray!
I still have a long way to go with the sewing machine. The first thing I want to master is the foot control (I made all of these using the hand wheel so that I could have better control over each stitch). I’ll get there, though. Unfortunately for Nonna, she’s not off the hook!
