Don’t let a sewing fail steal your sewing joy! With some perspective, you can recover from a big sewing mistake without losing your mojo. Read on for my approach to a sewing fail. If you sew, you’ve had at least one failed project. Maybe “failed”…
Browsing Category Creative process
An old quilt and a new project
I seem to have a knack for finding discarded sewing treasures. I’ve found not one, but TWO, sewing machines by the side of the road. (You can read about the first one here. The second machine I still haven’t had time to crack open.) And…
6 Tips for Sewing Clothes Your Teen Will Love
Sewing for my daughter was so much fun when she was little. I’d mix colors and patterns, add on some appliques and she’d have a one-of-a-kind dress or shirt she was proud to wear. “My mama made it!” was a good thing. But now she’s…
Love Without Exception message shirt
It’s been pretty quiet on the Orange Bettie blog lately. There’s been a lot of Girl Scouts and sewing and holiday stuff happening behind the scenes. That’s just life. It comes in waves and I’ve learned to just ride them. And now that my schedule…
My mom’s birthday gift, and a defense of my fabric hoarding
My mother’s birthday was earlier this week. This is a woman who has already has everything she needs and most of everything she wants. I was stumped as to what to get for her, until she let a little hint. Earlier this year, her purse…
On setting my own pace
I took this photo last week while we were on vacation. (I was gone – did you miss me???) I told myself at the end of my last vacation that I would be doing things differently the next time we were to go away. I’ve…
My latest craft fail and why it’s not a fail at all
Craft fails are crushing. Your idea, so expertly designed and perfectly executed in your head, turns out to be a big hot mess. All that time and material wasted! Not to mention the bruise to your ego that your mind could conceive of something that…
My 3 tier scissors system
…or, nobody better touch my fabric scissors! I read a post at So Sew Easy all about cutting paper with your fabric scissors. As in, don’t do it. (Her post also explains why it is that cutting paper will dull your scissors, which I found…
A WIP completed, better late than never
This is the story of a project started with good intentions, and then set aside and forgotten. We’ve all had those, haven’t we? This particular project is a felted wool stitchery that depicts my mother’s house. I have no idea what inspired me to start…