Shall we do lunch?

A long, long time ago, I bought some fabric, and helpless perennial optimist that I am, I became enamoured with the idea of (re)learning to sew.

I don't know what came over me, really. Ever since early childhood, I've nurtured a vague dislike of everything related to sewing, much to my maternal grandmother's dismay. I can't say what turned me against it, exactly. It could be the many times I had to stand patiently still for fittings, or the endless mind-numbingly boring hours spent accompanying her while she shopped for fabric...

This was only compounded by my home economics class in junior high school. I hated the project (a drawstring pouch), hated the fabric ("crap" fabric boosted from my grandmother's stash), hated how it seemed both incredibly slow (all that measuring and cutting and pinning - ugh!) and way to frickin' fast (my machine only had 2 speeds: crazy-fast, outta control stitching and off.)

Whatever the reason, I've always associated sewing with tediousness, with an aftertaste of ennui thrown in for good measure. So it was quite a surprise to me that, out of the blue, I wanted to learn how to sew*. And lucky for me, turns out I've got a seasoned seamstress/quilter living right across the street from me :)

Now, it took a while for us to get out ducks in a row (what can I say? Sometimes even the best impulses need time to mature into glorious fruition, heh), but over the past few weeks, we've swapped our weekly wine-drinking cheese-plate-consuming Knit Nights in favour of sewing sessions, and it's payed off.

It is with great pleasure (and no small amount of pride) that I give you my first finished sewn project:

Pattern: Quilted Lunch Bag, from One Yard Wonders
Fabric: Oh crap I should know that, shouldn't I? Sorry, I'll remember next time :)
Modifications: None. Except our mitered corners blow theirs outta the frickin' water.

It's not perfect. My seams aren't necessarily always straight, the bias tape sometimes puckers, and despite having measured quite carefully, one side is a wee bit taller than the other. But for all that, it's still the most stylinest lunch bag in the office fridge, and that's good enough for me.

Happy Sewing, Everyone!

* I wasn't the only one who was surprised. When I told my mother what I'd been up to these past few weeks, she just blinked at me a minute and asked me if she'd heard me right "You? Sewing??"