Pins and needles do rust/corrode over time and the damage is not visible to the naked eye.

Ran over a pin once when I was quite young and my mom dug the tip of the machine needle out of the corner of my eye....I NEVER intentionally sew over a needle! (I'm slightly OCD regarding safety.)

I pick up a new box of decent quality pins every few years and try to keep them separate from older ones, just so I can use for silks, etc.

I have yet to have enough time to make anything I don't need.

My Mom OTOH, at 80, had had shingles 4 times in her life. The third bout sidelined her with permanent nerve damage in her back. Having been hyperactive her entire life, she has to do something.

So she started crocheting potholders from heavy cotton thread. They are of excellent quality and actually look machine made as her tension is so consistent.  She first wanted to sell them, but when I showed her the Etsy price, we both agreed giving them away was the best answer. She of course is known now as "the potholder lady" at her local hospital and her doctors' offices.  Dad swears she yelled, "Gene, don't forget the potholders!" ,as they loaded her into an ambulance one night.

Drug/alcohol recovery centers and childrens'wards often gift blankets to the patients. Perhaps you could work within one of these facilities and donate your work. Seems such a waste for them not to be used.

Definitely #2 ! Gorgeous pattern and less cumbersome for in and out of the car.

No waistline is great. #1 would require a lengthy neck (which I don't have) to be comfortable.

Love the fabric. Reminds me of some silk blends I've seen.

So, I was 8 when that song came out - Mellow Yellow. I can remember singing it at the top of my lungs - a personal favorite. Assumed "Saffron" was a "cool hippie name" for a girl.

According to Wiki, it actually is about an "electrical banana" (as mentioned in the song) otherwise known as - a vibrator!

Great laugh this morning, ladies! Nothing like catching a joke half a century later!!!

@SewRuthieSews :

Very good list! I've always sewn fast, but I like intricate woven pieces, so I like working efficiently. Making groups of T-shirts at once works well for me, as I sew knits infrequently and prefer a variety of solid colors. Having to rethread machines every few hours is quicker as I just did it a few hours earlier -and can remember! If I'm doing 4 Tees I pull all of the thread and notions for each all at once. I have a rolling cart that holds all and can move between machines.

I like to handsew in the livingroom while watching TV. I bought a daylight bulb for a regular lamp, and the basket that holds the remotes is large enough for extra scissors, clip, snips, etc. - no running back and forth. Made my pincushion from a ceramic turtle - he "lives" under the lamp. A storage ottoman is only for current sewing projects, so things can be tucked away quickly.

I wax thread for a project all at once, always do extra, and it hangs from a straight pin stuck in the drywall at a steep angle, tucked to the side of the drapes in the livingroom. If the project gets delayed, its wound onto an empty TP roll and secured with green painter's tape - kept with the remotes.

Most important - take 30 minutes to an hour to reorganize as things begin to jumble. This is easy to do if everything has a dedicated space "to live". Waiting to organize once a year or so means wasting time searching for things - or running out to buy a duplicate (or triplicate!).

Organization makes a huge difference.

I also avoid large plastic tubs. They're much too difficult to manuever, hold too much to be practical for constant use and I can't stand looking at the things!

I would have just used the old cover as a pattern for a completely new cushion and kept a paper pattern for future use. It would be easy to replace every few years that way with fresh foam when needed - and no messing with adjusting a slip cover.

When I was young, I often sewed with no more than one try on , as I was almost always trying to get out the door for a party or a date..
Pull an inch from the rise in trousers, add 3-4 " to the hem, darts, full fly, and pockets all finished before try on to see how much to pull out of the waist and what length I needed for the leg to go with new shoes. BIG fan of tapered leg with heels.

I wasn't an off the rack size, but I'd learned my deviations from "normal". I always pressed at some point. Rarely followed directions - just sewed until I HAD to stop to press. I was fast, but picky with top stitching, hemming etc.

If I didn't have time for a proper hem, the shirt was tucked in without one! A few times wonder under held the hem in pants or a new pencil skirt until I had time to "make them right".

 Most people didn't know I sewed until they asked where I had found something.

My body is too distorted for all of that now. I think that makes the biggest difference.

And with some people, they don't seem to mind looking ,"homemade,"

This is great! 

Did anyone else notice there is a needle recommended for "poor quality thread".

I also didn't realize that there was an extra wide double needle. Need to see if my machine will accommodate that.