Hello, welcome to my first blog; Dee Dominix is the name. I sew, embroider, and dabble in quilting. I am disabled, cash strapped and a procrastinator extraordinaire. Sewing with limitations has always been a and feel this should not be a barrier to others either.

When my children were babies, I babysat for others in order to buy my first sewing machine – £35 – and made matching pram accessories from the cheapest polycotton I could afford. An envelope bag and matching small pram quilt. I was over the moon. Sewing, took a back burner for years due to the needs of work and raising a family. However, it became my salvation, not only on my budget but also on my mental health.

My youngest has Aspersers and dislikes the feel of certain fabrics and clothes have always been a cause of contention. She also likes cosplay ( costume play), and to save money, as I could no longer work – health had got to the point of preventing that – I learnt to make my own clothes and draft patterns.

It did not stop there, and I soon found myself, after joining a locally run free sewing club; running my own branch of it and teaching others to sew. Again, my health forced this to end and I withdrew inward for a while.

 

Due to a small financial windfall, my lovely husband treated me to an embroidery machine. This opened up a completely new world of learning for me. I was fortunate to have been able to get software so allow me to digitise designs. I am currently developing these digitising skills.

I am currently at the point I can sew and embroider around my disability. I am of the generation who still had sewing lessons at school. I was one of the lucky ones.

Some months I will be discussing how to small items on a budget. Others months I will be discussing my new embroidery makes; what and where the inspiration came from, the drawbacks, pitfalls and errors, the achievements, as well as what I learnt through the process.

I have a motto, “There is no such thing as a mistake, and it is all part of the creative journey”. My late grandfather taught me that learning never stops no matter what the age. And through teaching and helping others I too have learnt my biggest lessons.

The equipment list can be the biggest finical challenge most of us will face with regards wanting to do some fabric crafts – I use that term to describe sewing, quilting and embroidery – as your skills develop you will of course want to expand on the amount of items you need.

Okay, so what do you need to enjoy this craft? Simple, a needle, some thread, and a pair of scissors and of course fabric.

Where do you source the fabric on the cheap…

… that will have to wait until next time.

Related posts:

Artisan Apron – Janet Clare: Product Review by Denise Inkson Aka The Cheap Procrastinator The Cheap Procrastinator – All the small things you can do; Shirtless The Cheap Procrastinator – All the small things you can do; Kantha Quilted Pincushion The Cheap Procrastinator – Open the window and come in for a chat!