Over the past 6 weeks I have been taking a sewing class. I started to get interested when a friend of mine was talking about it. My mother tried to teach me when I was younger but like everything else she wanted to teach me I was not interested. So now that I am in my 30's I decided it was time to learn. Not knowing a thing about sewing or how to work a machine, I went into the class with a blank slate. BUT now that the class is almost over I am LOVING it!!! I am so excited to venture out into making different projects. The class was very basic, but using those basic skills I can do other things.
This class has allowed me to broader my internet searching. I recently learned that you can make your own "Ziploc" bags! So I have been in search of something called a PUL (polyurethane liner). That search took a few days and many, many websites. I eventually came upon this web site that started with a women who was making her own diapers and slings before her first child was born. She then started making them for some friends who told other friends about them and her business was born. How thrifty is that!?
That got me thinking, about what I could make and try to sell over the internet. I am not that good yet but I hope with a little more playing around with my sewing machine that I can learn and get good enough to sell my things. I am now wishing I had learned to sew when my first child was born, so I could have made cloth diapers to use. But now that our youngest is already 18 months and we don't plan on having anymore I am not sure its worth it to switch to cloth since he will be potty trained in about a year.
This past week my husband and I went shopping for a sewing machine. The friend of mine that got me thinking about taking the class suggested we look at Sears, I never would have thought to look there for a sewing machine. So we went there and at first all I saw were about 4 machines and they were all way more expensive than I wanted to spend. We were trying to find one under $200. My husband used to work there and so he saw a guy that he worked with and they were talking and he asked if we needed help, we said no (as we usually do!). The Sears worker then said that there were more machines on the other side of the shelf. So we walked over there and sure enough there were more! He also pointed out that there was a machine that was an open box item, but it was a really nice machine. We looked at it and realized that it was a $250 machine on sale for $225, but because it was an open box it was marked down to $99! I was so amazed!!! We were able to get a $250 machine for $99, God really knew that was where we needed to be He blessed us with the right purchase. I am so thankful, I love my machine! Originally I was looking at a Brother machine for $229 but I wasn't really sure I wanted to spend that much and so I had to think about it. The machine I bought was a Kenmore (which gets wonderful reviews), I realized that when buying a Brother or a Singer you are paying for the name not the type of performance the machine will give.
I am so excited about where this new venture will take me. I am excited about how much money this could save my family, especially living on a very tight budget. With my son starting preschool and taking his lunch a few days a week I am excited to make my own "Ziploc" bags and save money there. I am also excited about trying to make pj's for my boys. I made the 4 year old a quilt this past week. Its nothing special but its flannel and cozy and soft. I don't think its too bad for my first one.
Being thrifty doesn't mean you can't be cool too!
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