A New Venture

About a year ago,
I got hooked on making my own feed tote grocery bags.
The intention at first was to provide our family with sturdy, unique bags
to use for our weekly shopping trip.
Then my friend Lynn came up with the idea of selling them at the farmers' market.
Long story short, 
there is now a vendor at the market who sells my daisy totes
at her booth.
Over the holidays, over 70 orders were filled.
Needless to say, I've been busy.

Tonight I will be selling for the first time at a community street fair.
Our town is having a "vintage flea market/food truck" event.
There are supposed to be over 100 vendors, food, music and lots of folks milling.

Back in April, I brought home Maxine,
my vintage Singer 301 sewing machine.
We are bonded for life.
I've gotten into a wonderful groove of daily sewing,
trying to get my inventory back up.
It's a multiple-step process, beginning with fetching the bags,
washing them, cutting to size, sewing, tagging and finally selling them.
I feel so blessed to be able to do something I adore,
while helping the environment,
and bringing a little money in for our family.
It's been an enjoyable evolution and I feel good about where we're headed with the project.

We are creating handmade products that are upcycled,
so they don't end up in the landfill.
They are practical enough for everyday use,
are easy to clean, and come in a wide variety of patterns and colors.
This isn't a commercial, 
I'm just so psyched at what God had in store for me!
Sometimes the stars line up just right, ya know?

Constructing them has been the easy part.

For me, the most difficult challenge will be in the selling.

I'm an introvert,

so this event will really take me out of my comfort zone.

I'm hoping for the best,
and even if I only sell a few daisy totes, that'll be fine.
I think it's important to challenge myself
so that I continue to grow into the person I am meant to be.

I'm looking into other local events as well,
to see how far we can take this new venture.
Some folks have suggested Etsy,
and we may enter that arena at some point,
but for now, we're goin' local.

Wish me luck!
I'll let you know how it goes!
Here's an update.




"Challenges are what make life interesting; 
overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."
-Joshua J. Marine

Singer Sewing Score!

A while back I talked about teaching myself to hand stitch.
It's still something I'm working on,
but not as often as I probably should.
Another thing I've been working on 
is saving for a vintage sewing machine.
I made some feed sack totes for our family,
and enjoyed it so much, I thought I could make a few more
and give them to friends or sell them. 
(A machine had been borrowed to complete the job.)

I've been scrimping, saving and selling a few items
to create the sewing machine fund.
Well, it took me a few months,
but I finally had enough to start looking.
The first place I usually look for things is Craig's List,
because so many used items need a home,
and I love the idea of older items being passed down to someone who will use them.

I met a lovely lady who actually refurbishes old sewing machines.
We took a drive to Springhill, FL,
about 2 hours from our home.
It was well worth the trek.

Ms. Linda not only repairs and resells these lovely machines,

she also has quite the collection herself.

Here are some of the beauties she shared with me.

This is a hand-crank model.

Can you imagine having to crank the handle

(where the wheel is on the right),

and sew at the same time?

What a workout!

She favors the treadle machines,

and showed me this model.

Just the table and foot pedal alone are enough to make a gal swoon.

Here's what it looks like without the cover.

So simple, yet elegant.

I can't remember the details about them all,

it was just amazing to see the variety.
They were all in such splendid condition.

This was another beautiful cabinet 

with a fold-out work surface.

Amazing ingenuity!

The cabinets were made so well
because they were used as a piece of furniture
when the machine was tucked away.
I guess back then, folks didn't have a separate room
designated for sewing, so it had to fit in with the decor 
of the main living room or parlor.

Here's what I brought home.
The carrying case is a little worn,
but I think it adds to the charm.

Here she is in all her glory.
There were a few accessories included,
though at this point I can't imagine being able to use them.
All in all, she's in great shape.

My gardening coach, Lynn, used to work for Singer.
He's actually the one who put the bug in my head about buying a vintage machine.
His take on it is that since they are all metal,
they're impossible to break,
(which is quite comforting to me), 
and I'll never need to buy another machine. 
I can get behind that.

He knows everything there is to know about these beauties,
so his advice is valued.
He gave her the once over, and deemed her solid and ready to go to work.
He's gonna show me how to properly maintain her,
(cleaning, oiling, etc.)
so that she'll be running fine for a good, long while.

I started perusing the manual,
but I've got a lot to learn.
It's all good.
Now, on to those feed sacks!
Here's an update.

 

Learning to Sew

At 54 years of age,
I've decided to take up sewing.
But then, I've always been a late bloomer.

It's not something I gave much thought to
before I started on this homesteading journey.
But now, I feel the need to connect with my past,
and learn skills that can last me a lifetime.

Being a big believer in the value of all things handmade,
it was important for me to start with the basics,
so that I learn the proper way to do everything from threading a needle,
to adding decorative details to my projects.
I'm still in the baby stages right now,
but I know that if I stick with it and continue to practice,
eventually it will become part of the fabric of my life.

The need to foster a sense of self-reliance is vital to me.
We are advocates of the notion of maintaining what you have,
and then finding another purpose for it once it's been used up.
We also enjoy creating what we can to serve our own needs,
thereby conserving resources and instilling a sense of independence.

This was my mom's sewing tray.
Opening it up brought back memories of her creating so many wonderful projects.
It was bittersweet, as I never took the time to learn her craft.
Taking up this avocation is my way of paying homage to her
and the qualities in her that I so admire.

She used to make clothes for me and my older sister,
as well as household furnishings such as curtains, pillows and slipcovers.
She was such a talented seamstress.

Just knowing that my mom used this thimble for so many years
makes me feel closer to her
I think she'd approve of me taking up her hobby,
although I don't think I could ever match her skill.

I'm hoping that through practice and patience,
and my sheer will to be more like her,
I will find my sewing muse.

I have a long way to go,
but I'm determined to do my very best to learn this valuable skill.

 

It's been my experience that anything can be learned

with the right attitude, a fierce resolve,

and the commitment to making the time to practice what you want to do.

It all starts with visualizing yourself being successful.

Mimi has inspired me to always to my best.

Thank you Mimi.

If you know someone who wants to learn to sew,

visit Sue's blog, called Sewing with Kids.  

It's a fantastic resource and even older folks are welcome !

Thrifty Thursday-Jean Conversion

This was one of my favorite pairs of jeans.

So comfy, perfectly broken-in,

and lots of mileage on them.

They'd been well worn out, especially in the knees.

Somewhere along the way,

they stopped fitting.

I held onto them for a while, 

hoping that maybe someday I could wear them again,

even if just for around the garden on cooler days.

Then I gave it up.

They were too tight in the hip area, 

so cutting them into shorts wouldn't work.

I decided to repurpose them.

I cut off the legs and hand-sewed the legs closed.

 It's not professional, but I think it'll hold okay.

Know what it's for?

I'll give you a hint.

It's one of my favorite domestic duties.

It's a clothespin bag. 

I just need to add some sort of hanger,

so that I can suspend it right from the line.

I've got time to figure that out.

We can't use the clothesline during the summer.

It's just too humid to dry most things.

We use an indoor system during these hot summer days.

So glad I'll have a new solution come fall.