craftgrrl | The coast is clear...(story time)

I woke up Saturday morning (to me 12 is still morning) and found that my neighbor was having a yard sale. My sister spied from slits in the curtains (we just moved in not so recently and don't know anyone that well yet) a sewing machine!! I snatched it up since I was really contemplating buying the cheapie kind from Walmart, and I am really just going to be teaching myself how to sew. It was marked $35, but she gave it to me for 25...SCORE! And I was willing to pay that before I realized that it is the nifty kind that folds away into its own table. So I got a sewing machine and a new piece of furniture! THEN. I quickly took pictures and was ready to post my booty when to my dismay

mustbe_monsters had just posted her brand new fancy machine. D:
No harm done. It was really fancy and cool. But, it put my dusty antique to shame. Yes that is a screw driiver holding the thread on. ;)

Now that that post has gone down a page I am confident enough to post mine. Hahah. And after much googling and a trip to Walmart to buy essentials, like needles and bobbins, I present

Even though I have never sewn in my life I felt that being a member of this community has made me an expert on totes and specifcally the Jordy bag. I even went so far as to improvise two straps instead of one...I am so proud of myself. And I know the fabrics don't match at all. The lining is a scrap from Michael's and the outer I bought for the lining of a bag I posted earlier...well, you'll see.

This is a canvas bag from Michael's that I decorated for my sister who loves Jon Stewart. I already showed it to her, but told her I would line it a put a pocket in. I was planning on hand sewing, but I don't have to do that anymore! (whew!) I promise it looks 10 times better in person. I bought the most decent fabric from Walmart that I could find and it doesn't go as well as I imagined in my head. AND, the whole time I was so scared of sewing my fingers, because I've read that a few times in this community, and all my lines a very crooked. But I still impressed myself with the result: