Birthdays!!!

I recently celebrated another year closer to....eek!...30!!! Not quite there yet though. I was most excited when I opened the card that my mother had sent me and inside was a check and a picture of a sewing machine! While visiting her earlier this year on vacation, I had mentioned how I would like to have a sewing machine around for fix-it's and little projects, lo & behold I was soon to have my own in my possession.

After doing some research, I decided to settle on a Brother brand (which is also what my mother has). Joann Fabrics is currently having a sale since it's National Sewing Month...hmmm didn't know that existed...so I purchased mine through them....a few days later my Brother XL2600i arrived!!!

I haven't worked with a sewing machine since my botched attempt at making a pair of shorts in middle school home economics, and that was well over 10 years ago. I found some scrap fabric around the house, pulled out my trusty manual and set forth at reacquainting myself. I remembered how to fill and load a bobbin, and how to thread the machine (this model even comes with a nifty built in needle threader) and then moved on to playing with the stitches. After a few botched attempts I had finally gotten the basic hang of it again.

Now it was time for a simple little project! Enter the boyfriend's Nirvana t-shirt that was way to big and was going to be thrown out...perfect for a pillow! So after cutting...and lining up fabric...and pinning...and stitching...and stuffing...and attempting to stitch the last hole closed...I present to you.....

So I'm excited to see that I can remember how to do the basics and got a cute little project out of the deal. Next project is going to be some privacy curtains for the girl's bunk beds!