Project #1 Cozy Dog Bed-day 2...it's finished

I was able to finish the dog bed last night right before it was time to put Gunner to bed.  It was fairly simple for the most part.  Since, I had opted out of the the piping, it made it even easier.  The directions called for a zipper foot. I don't have one **confession~I had to google what a zipper foot was**, but I think it may have been needed for sewing around the piping.  It makes me happy when I opt out of things and it works in my favor.

The process:

1. I sewed the side panels onto the top and left about an inch on the ends (this makes it so you can connect the sides together later
2. sewed the bottom to the side panels, again leaving about an inch
3. sewed the corners together
1. side panel to side panel (right sides together)
2. then I closed the gaps from step 1.
4. I left an opening in the middle of one of the sides
5. flipped right side out
6. stuffed with poly fill
7. I opted out of hand sewing this puppy shut, I just turned the edges in and sewed as close as I could to the edge. You will see this method on many other items out there when you have to flip and stuff ;) 
1. I did this for a couple reasons...to save:
1. money
2. time
8. You will notice my sewing is not perfect. I am not a perfectionist. The dog bed is still functional though the stitching is crooked.  Gunner doesn't care either :)

did not sew all the way to the edges to make sewing the sides possible

see how the corners match up

first corner done! Hi baby W.

opening left in the middle for the flip and stuff action

flip

stuff

edges folded in,  close up with a straight stitch 

all closed up...notice crooked stitching...it's OK to not be perfect

happy puppy

I forgot to add how much this cost me...NOTHING!!! I had everything on hand.  

project #1 Cozy Dog Bed-day 1

I decided to go with the cozy dog bed for my first project since I just got a puppy, Gunner. He is an English Bulldog and he is super sweet.  I had some heavy weight (upholstery fabric) in my stash. I was going to use it to make a baby carrier. Since, I never got around to making the carrier, I will make a cozy bed for Gunner.

Let me start off by saying grrr I hate cutting....this is one of the main reasons I quit quilting...I hate cutting.  I know this book is all about stuff you can make with 1 yard, but I wanted to make this dog bed bigger.  Sounds pretty easy right?? NO! well ok, it's not hard, but working with a piece of fabric that is over a yard bugs me.  Especially when it comes to cutting. I would cut, then it would be crooked, then I would recut, ant it would still be crooked, but the opposite way. GRRR Oh, well, I finally finished cutting!!

When a recipe or pattern says something is optional, I usually opt out. Onions--optional, I hate onions...mushrooms--optional, I hate mushrooms.  This pattern calls for piping--optional, I like piping, but I hate going to the store with kids...so I'm opting out.

So my updated pattern goes as follows:
starting fabric size---don't ask me, it was in my stash and it was really big
top and bottom panels---35"x42"
side panels---4.5" x 35" and 4.5" x 42"

These are the pictures I have. I was in a brown mood, if you can't tell ;)  As this process goes on I will get better at taking better pictures.

a new blog

So I decided to start a new blog.  A blog about sewing. I was at barnes and noble the other day and I came across this book...One Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Projects. I thought oooh this looks fun, and I have a ton of fabric upstairs just sitting there. So, I am going to kill 2 birds with 1 stone--I will declutter my fabric stash and I will make some pretty cool things while I'm at it.  I thought it would be really cool to blog my journey through this book.  I intend to make at least 1 of everything that there is a pattern.
When I went onto Amazon to order the book last night, I noticed that it was rated 4 stars.   I wondered why it wasn't a full 5, but decided I didn't want to read the bad reviews.   I usually only read bad reviews when I am trying to talk myself out of buying something.  Then I started thinking...and then I read the bad reviews. I am so glad I did.  In reading the bad reviews, I noticed people were complaining about how the pattern was written, how confusing certain projects were, or how things didn't match up.  It gave me a great idea. I am not a professional seamstress, but I can make things work.  I figure when I get to a part, that one may find confusing, or doesn't match up quite right, I will give my helpful hints on how I made it work.  The bad reviews actually gave me an idea to, hopefully help someone who reads this blog.
In this journey, I plan to share about my experiences and thoughts on making each thing. I hope you like it :)