A Thrifty Makeover

Last week I discovered contact paper. It's now my favorite thing in the WHOLE world! I managed to salvage a couple of nearly-whole rolls that were going to be thrown in the trash and used them to cover the wooden benches in my sewing shed. Previously they were covered with fabric, not the most practical or cleanable finish... especially when the cats just LOVE to keep me company, leaving their pesky hair on everything!

Much better!

I am a firm believer in messy=creative

I also re-finished my sewing chair, and was about half way through it when I thought I should have taken a 'before' picture. Trust me though when I say it was UGLY!

Not anymore though....

For just the cost of a can of spray paint I have a brand new chair!The seat cover is made from fabric off my old sofa cushions and is an easily cleanable microfiber. Not too shabby, eh?

A pretty good weekend makeover!

To Save or to Sell?

What do you do with the stuff you make?

I have been sewing for around 3 years now, and I have kept surprisingly few things that I've made. Mostly I give them away as gifts for birthdays, Christmas etc, or when I think something just belongs to someone I'll send it home with them. This way I'm not overrun with stuff and I know the item will be loved and appreciated. Plus, it eliminates the possibility of my nice handmade things being eaten by the dogs. Such was the fate of the very first quilt I made....

I did try to sell a couple of my quilts on Etsy, which didn't work. I majorly under priced them and felt insulted when they didn't sell! Looking back, I'm really glad they didn't sell. The money I would have made would most definitely have been spent by now, leaving me with no quilt and no money. Instead I still have my beautiful quilts, which I love and use every day.

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of making money from sewing. But in reality it's just not enough to make nice things. I started sewing to distract myself when I gave up smoking, so to start making things because I think they will sell, rather than my own enjoyment, would be a step back for me. 

My one concession is that I like to make a record of the things I have made before I give them away. Occasionally I forget, or I'm rushing and therefore don't bother. In these cases I always regret not having paused to take a few snaps. But for the most part I remember, and I love to flick through the pictures every now and then to jog my memory...