My sewing process was frustrating to say the least. I like hand sowing; I usually find it a therapeutic task, which is why when I began sowing a cloth heart in class, I was overjoyed and “in the zone.” However, when class was over and I was halfway done, I stuffed the heart into my pocket and carried on with my week.
When I looked at the homework assignment, I was pleased to see that the beginner option was a heart; however, since I felt like I had basically done that, I wanted to progress to the intermediate option. The sunglasses case seemed manageable, and I was excited to use a sewing machine for the first time.
On Saturday, I took on the task by first having my roommate borrow me her handheld sewing machine to practice. I was very quickly humbled by the trade. After 2.5 hours of failing to insert the thread into my practice cloth, I resolved to go to the ODEK to try the sewing machines there.
I was again fully humbled when I realized that the machines at the OEDK were just as ineffective as the handheld one, all to my own fault. After 10+ YouTube videos and several pep talks with sowing machines, I finally called it a rest.
I decided to dig up the half-sown heart from my bag and continue sowing it. It was a pretty smooth process as I had become quite comfortable with hand sowing. While rummaging through fabric earlier in the day, I spotted a cute ribbon that I wanted to use.
The double-layer bow was tied, ironed to lie flat, trimmed because it frayed a lot, then sewn onto the heart to cover the outside seams. The unfortunate part of the process to me was when I began to stuff my heart; it wasn’t evening out like I thought it would, so the end result is a bit wonky, but she’s a heart with a bow, so I love her.
My heart is priceless to me, but if I were to put a price on it it would be as follows:
Cotton balls- $1.00
Fabric- $3.00
Thread- $1.00 (I used a bit)
Needle- $1.00
My labour- $10.00(It took me a while okay)
Pins- $2.00
Scissors- $5.00
In total, it would have cost about $18.00 in my opinion to manufacture, and of course, it’s not for sale…but if I were to sell it, I would sell it for a good $20. Thank you for your time.
