Now that the holiday hustle is over, life can get back to normal. Whatever "normal" is, right?

Happy New Year!!
Do you make New Year's resolutions? I do easy ones. I tell myself I'll make dinner 5 nights a week, exercise more, give one room a make-over (the main bathroom), simple and doable things. And of course, I fall off the wagon 2 months in. LOL Ahh... life.

Anywho, what fun things did you give and receive for the holidays??
Perhaps you or a loved one received an Apple watch? If so, I have the perfect tutorial you need to scrunchify that watchband. Scrunchify is a technical term btw. ;)

Before we dive in I want to say this is a perfect scrap buster project. Yay for those! You just need a strip of fabric, no stabilizer needed. This is meant to be floppy. 
As far as fabric choices, choose something with a small print or a solid. I have made them with knit, quilting cotton, shirting, and they all seem to work great. So, be creative and have fun!

Is your makeup bag worn out or do you need a quick gift to make? You can make a new zip pouch quickly. No tears, I promise. ;)
You probably have some cute fabric already in your stash. You don't need a lot, just a few large scraps. 

Materials: 

• 2 pieces of outer fabric measuring 7" wide by 9" long
• 2 pieces of inner fabric measuring 7" wide by 9" long
• Fusible fleece interfacing for stability
• 12-14" Zipper ( I prefer a longer zipper, it makes it easier)
• Pins or clips
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread and bobbin
• Zipper foot
• Chopstick or sad unsharpened pencil for poking out corners
• Labels if you want to add a personal touch
• Iron and board
• Seam ripper... just in case
• 
  

Want to look as cute as a button? Want to avoid a bad hair day? Or... do you just want to sew up something quick and easy? This is the project for you. 

I reach for my headscarf whenever I need to fix my hair quickly or am on day 3+ hair. There's no time to wash and dry it, so I'll wrap my hair up in a bun and put on my head scarf.
Quick fix, yes!! 

• Materials:
• 1 piece of cotton fabric 36" long
• 1 contrasting fabric 36" long
• Matching thread
• Sewing machine
• Scissors
• Pins or clips
  
• Ruler
  ​

Can you believe we're coming up on Valentine's Day already? It seems like just yesterday I was dragging my tree out to the trash. And before you know it, we'll be dyeing the eggs and eating all the candy. Bring on the Cadbury eggs!

This post is an introduction to tools you need to sew up the all the magical things. Cue sparkly unicorn music. This is a long one, here we go...

The almighty seam ripper is a tool I reach for constantly. Sad, but true. So, get yourself an affordable one that you love. You'll be using is a lot.  

Let's go shopping because you're going to need a sewing machine.
There are so many options to choose from when searching for a sewing machine. Some of my friends bought the $99 Singer on a Black Friday deal. You can find used ones on sites like OfferUp. I wouldn't go that route unless you have experience or a friend/ family member who can check the machine out for you. Big box stores have them as well as Amazon and other online stores.

I prefer Brother machines. I've had lots of luck with the ones I've purchased and you get a lot of bang for your buck. Most have automatic threaders, speed control, drop in bobbin and thread cutters. They cost a tad over the black Friday deal machines, but you get a few more bells and whistles. 
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I have a serger I use for finishing my seams and sewing knit fabrics. 

You do not need this. If you find that you love sewing, then this could be a future purchase option. The zigzag stitch on any sewing machine does the same work and your machine probably has a that stitch.