Riddle me this.

I have:

1. A sewing machine.
2. Demonstrated ability to thread said sewing machine, change its foot and needle, wind a bobbin, and sew a seam.
3. Good scissors!
4. Some straight pins.
5. Not much else. Oh, a washer, a dryer, and an iron, I suppose. But no fabric, say, or patterns or experience.
6. A scattering of infant naptimes.
7. Pickiness.
8. Impatience.
9. The internet and a credit card.

Tell me, friends, what should I make, and out of what ingredients?

Comments

[Nellig]

Oh, now you've cranked me up.

How about Helen Heath's Japanese Knot Bag? Looks easy (haven't made it myself)from her online tutorial. Out of a fat quarter of fabric bought on Ebay? Or fabric that you design yourself on Spoonflower, and have digitally printed for a few dollars? I dunno, a tiled repeat of floral garlands and switchblades?

Must stop now before my brain explodes with slightly twee sewing project ideas. Ow.

[Cecily]

Etsy has lots of crazy great fabric. Baby dresses are easy to make, baby blankets or napkins or tablecloths are even easier, or (my preference) grownup skirts for your own self to wear are also easy. I usually make my own patterns but my understanding is that these are also available for purchase, on the internet, using a credit card.

For example! http://tinyurl.com/25p999t

[jennifer13]

*sigh* I have your completed knot bag. Sitting in a mailer box. Growing old with me.

[The Modesto Kid]

what should I make,

Pie!

and out of what ingredients

Rasberries! and or boysenberries. Serve it with sour cream, is my advice.

[Liz]

I recommend starting with a basic reference book. For years I have carried around my old Reader's Digest "Complete Guide to Sewing" because, though old, it does the job well. You can find this in virtually any thrift store, or else, on the internet. Of course.

Also good is Claire Shaffer's Fabric Sewing Guide. The standard "text" we'd recommend back when I was a fabric store employee.

There is a baby sewing book by Amy Butler that I have been told is good.

Perhaps the best things to start with are simple, utilitarian things, like placemats, potholders, bibs, nappies, bloomers, etc. Things that
1. You can pick up & put down & be distracted from, yet easily complete
2. Are small enough to allow you to experiment with fabric cheaply
3. Are simple enough that you can master basic principles AND wind up with a nice useable object.

Also: invest in a pair of pinking shears and a magnetic pin box, if you haven't already.

[Another Anna]

Felted items for the baby! Men's lambswool or cashmere sweaters from the thrift store, felted in your washing machine (online instructions abound), cut up and sewn into cunning vests and hats and tunics. I made a roomy wool tunic for my daughter when she was five months old that she wore until she was 18 months old and it was a snug little vest. Felt means no hems, no raveling, fewer tears, more completed projects! Good luck.

[Yer Mum]

Skirts for yourself are especially easy and gratifying. If you use elastic in a waistband, you can postpone learning how to do a zipper. If you buy a simple skirt pattern, it will be easy to follow and introduce you to using patterns in general.

[jennifer13]

Totes are the easiest and the handiest!

http://www.purlbee.com/the-twenty-minute-tote/

And if you want a fabric strap instead of webbing:

http://fatorangecat.wordpress.com/2008/03/09/how-to-sew-a-double-sided-strap/

You can make totes out of thrifted curtains or pillow cases, leftover fabric, or ever-so-twee precious bits of Japanese fabric. http://superbuzzy.com/

[ben]

Have you got any thread?

You should make the mereological sum of your iron and your sewing machine. Join them with the scissors and give it an evocative title.

[anapestic]

I recommend a baby quilt. It can be done entirely with straight cuts and straight seams, and if you don't make it too thick, you can do the quilting on the machine easily, as well.

[finn]

I second the pie suggestion.