I wish I knew how to sew!

I have always been envious of the ladies that can sew and that make really neat things! I never took Home Ec in school and my mom never showed me how to sew. I mean, I've sewn buttons back onto pants or shirts and I've repaired holes in our couch cushions and blankets but it's never anything fabulous. I can't even sew a stinkin straight line with a sewing machine and it drives me nuts. I'll admit, I'm not very patient when it comes to much of anything. When I start a project I want to finish it and finish it SOON! I think that's why I don't end up very happy with a lot of my cards or scrapbooking projects because I rush through them just so I can get them done. I have a hard time starting something and not finishing it or setting it down for another time. For some reason it just drives me crazy! So, with that said, don't ask me why I still feel the need to attempt to sew things! I get this bright idea in my head to make something and shortly after starting I realize that I'm just torturing myself but yet again, I can't stop once I've started a project! I'm a freak! LOL!! So yesterday I posted a picture of the advent that my MIL had bought for my hubby back in like 1984 at a craft fair and that I was going to attempt to make some of my own.
Here is the pic of the original:


I found this pretty sparkly Christmas material at JoAnns and quickly snatched it up.


I chose this green with white polka dots for the edges.


Now THIS is my new best friend! I started out hand sewing around the outside of the base fabric and quickly (or not so quickly) realized that that way would take FOR-EV-ER! It seriously took me 2 hours to measure out the batting, measure out the fabric and then hand sew about 5 inches. I ended up having to put it down because I had to go somewhere and busted out my sewing machine today to attempt to finish it. After busting the thread a good million and one times I have now resorted to using this:


So now I've gotten the base done and the border around it and I don't have time to finish it today (it's torture). My son is really excited about it so that's making all this work, worth it!