Sew Amazing

For many years I have kept a sewing notebook. I use a small spiral notebook, and every time I finish a new project I make notes about it. What pattern I used, what size it was, and what things I liked, would change, or should remember. Then I attach a small piece of the fabric that I used to help me remember what I made.

I have loved keeping these notebooks. They serve as a record of the sewing I've done, but also a resource for new projects. I can look back through my notebook to see what things worked well and what things didn't work at all.

When I was finishing making notes about all of the Easter dresses that I made this year I had a thought. I decided that I wanted to take my current system up a notch and add pictures, making it into an informal scrapbook as well as a sewing resource. I've always enjoyed browsing through past projects in my little notebooks, but adding pictures would make it a real record of what I've sewn.

My first step was to buy a simple scrapbook at Walmart. Next I bought some digital frames and designed a little card to record the sewing information, then I printed them out on different colors of cardstock.

They turned out cute, which greatly increases the chances that they'll get used!

Then I went through my sewing notebook and picture files to find pictures of clothes that I've made. I'm going to transfer the information and fabric swatches from my most recent notebook into the scrapbook, since most of those clothes have been made in the last few years. (Let's be real. Most of them are from last spring !)

After I had located all of those picture files and uploaded them to Costco to be printed I had another idea. I started wondering if, in all of the old unscrapbooked pictures we have, there were any pictures of clothes that I had made for the three older kids when they were little.

I could not believe what I found--just in the unscrapbooked pictures!

WOW! And most of these weren't pictures taken to show off new clothes — they were pictures in which the kids just happened to be wearing clothes I'd made. It was an amazing feeling looking at all of these pictures, and I decided that I want to make another informal/simple scrapbook that shows all of my earlier sewing.

I think that all of that sewing is worthy of celebration!



P.S. Here's something else fun that I found. A picture of Jason & Cindy Lynn (wearing clothes/costume that I had made) with one of our favorite babysitters ever — Megan, who now is a mommy with an adorable family of her own and reads my blog!