They are! Can you guess I'm addicted to my local tech shop? *smirk*

Lol...nah. Not at all!

You guys are all so motivated and talented. My goal for next year is to learn to use the sewing machine I have.

I have lots of plushies but I have them in tubs. My real real old ones I got rid of, I took pictures of them, and donated them. I used to collect Vermont Teddy Bears, but I stopped, it just gets crazy with all those plushies and my mother used to collect those Beanie Babies and she had thousands! I have given them away to children's charities, to missionaries for children in Guatemala and as gifts to little kids in my area. I still have more to give away!

Supporting your goal. There's so many cool things you can make once you get the hang of sewing. Quite a lot of free patterns and/or instructions to find online, too. Instructables for example has a Machine Sewing Class that is free to enroll right now (I'm not sure if they start charging again after Christmas, but anyone enrolled gets three months time to complete it).

You take a piece of plywood and cut it several times. The simplest method would just be several rows of straight lines laterally shifted in each row. Make sure there's some space between each cut and the plywood's edge, you don't actually want to cut it in half. The wood will bend easier at the cuts and behave more like fabric or thin paper. Here, have a picture.

http://i66.tinypic.com/s41flu.jpg

Or better yet, have a video.
Living Hinge example

eta: photo is mine, video just randomly selected from youtube

Nope, regular plywood. You might even be able to make it work with other types of wood (birch, cedar, redwood, ...); I merely use plywood because it's the easiest available to me. Elasticity really depends on the hinge pattern, so sturdy wood needs a different pattern.

Yep, sturdier wood needs them closer together. There's an advanced mathematical formula to calculate torsional stress, but other than that it's pretty much trial and error.

I've never tried it with 3d-printed plastic, but I know it works for acrylic too, so I suppose you can indeed.

What? what? I can't figure out what that thing is Death.
(yes I will try to learn this winter, At least I can hem stuff, and make simple things like pillow cases.)

We're learning stuff?
Ooh...what is it?

@Kad check post #246
I don't know what it is though haha

@Lee I am going to learn to sew this winter, or at least how to use a sewing machine.

Moon: I'm too lazy to back-track...but I assume based on context clues that it's sewing?

I guess hand sewing I could do, but a sewing machine? well I'm intimidated by the bobbin thingy. I guess I just need to put my mind to it.

@Kad yes its using a sewing machine. Just for simple stuff, but just to know how to use it.

@ Lee, yeah it seems simple, but it really isn't too much especially if you want it to look good.

What about when it gets snared up in the part where the bottom string is spinning out of? That's what always happens to me when I use the sewing machine--so I stopped :x

Surprisingly, I haven't really had much trouble with using a sewing marchine. I just have never had the time (or the machine) to learn to sew very well.

I already feel discouraged on learning, I know its not easy because I'm sure I have tried before. I will give it a whirl eventually.

Once I get started Lee, I will pick your brain! You seem to know what you are doing.

Don't let it discourage you! You just have to practice to figure things out!

Always happy to get others addicted :p-evil:

It's a pen holder I made out of plywood, to illustrate the concept of living hinges, also known as how you can bend wood easily by cutting straight lines (or a pattern) into it. Then the whole thing becomes somewhat flexible and a little elastic. The photo doesn't show the pen holder's rounded corners as well as I hoped, so I added a video to explain it properly.

If you can hem and sew straight lines, you're already off to a good start. Curved lines take some practice, but I've found there's a way to cheat if you sew slowly. Start straight, then make sure the needle is down in the fabric. Lift the presser foot, turn your fabric a certain angle (since it's still stuck in the machine, you can rotate it around the needle after all) and then put the foot down again. Sew some more, then repeat the whole lifting and turning.

Some other tips I didn't knew when I started:

There's a particular presser foot for sewing zips. If your machine already came with such a zipper foot as a spare part, it makes that dreaded task easier.

If you pin needles not along the line you plan to sew but at a 90° angle to the line, you can leave them in while sewing. The machine will sew over them without any problem and you can pull them out afterwards instead of always having to stop every few inches to remove pins.

Some fabrics are just a pain in the butt to work with. As are low quality supplies. You don't need to invest lots of money when you don't even know if sewing is for you, but as Lee says, a quality bobbin definitely pays off. Avoid stuff like satin, chiffon or silk velvet if you're just starting out, or you end up discouraged too soon. Cotton or velveteen makes for better beginner fabric.

By the way, don't be afraid of mistakes. They happen to everyone. Even people who compete in The Great British Sewing Bee and similar shows have to unstitch every now and then.

That happened to me a lot in the beginning. I found that usually I pedaled with too much force at the start (similar to when you learn to drive a car - if you want to avoid stalling the engine, you need to practice and get a feel for the pedals). If I pulled the fabric out before the last stitch was actually finished, it sometimes also snared up my bottom string, especially when working with difficult fabrics. Thirdly you might want to check tension, if it's too low you also won't be able to get a proper seam. If the bottom thread is spooled unsteady, discard and wind it again. Also make sure the thread bobbin and needle plate are free of fluffs (when I started sewing I sometimes had bits and pieces of snared up thread in there, which then would inevitably lead to even more snared up thread).

@Death: thanks so much those are all very good points and of course I did not think of any of them, because I have no idea what I am doing. I hope that this winter instead of sitting on my ass and reading and watching TV I get inspired to do stuff. I always have a bunch of crafty plans for the winter and end up doing nothing.

That is a pretty interesting pencil holder.

Holy macaroni, I NEED a candy box made of candy stuffed with candy! :s-grin:

Can you make a chocolate candy box, covered in chocolate with chocolate inside?
yummmy

Yumm...so much chocolate...

Awww...now I want chocolate.
:c

If it wasn't for the peppermint, I'd be jealous.
I have...generic cocoa puffs. But no milk and I hate dry cereal, regardless of variety.