Sometimes an idea is so simple that you have to ask yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?". Looking at How to Weave Without Special Equipment was just such an idea. What a fantastic, inexpensive, recycle-reuse kind of project to teach and learn about how fabric is made.
I like to add experiments to projects. For example, when I had a 4H club and the members were getting restless while they were waiting for batches of cookies to get done baking, I decided to give them some experiments to see what would happen. Simple things like, if you used parchment paper vs if you didn't, if you used air-bake cookie sheets vs. regular flat baking sheets and things like that. The experiment made such an impression that when the members were baking for the fair, they called me to borrow the air-bake cookie sheets and parchment paper that made soft chewy cookies.
I'm thinking preshrinking would be a great experiment in weaving fabric. I'm also think that giving them different types of fabric to take apart, such as a scrap of upholstery fabric and a piece of quilting weight cotton so they can see the different fibers that can make up fabric, will make them aware of the variations. Even handing them a piece of felt and a piece of knit fabric that they could unravel, so they can see that not everything is woven. Then clean out the craft supplies, threads and yarns so they have a large variety of fibers to be creative making their own fabric... with a simple sewing project in mind for their finished fabric.
When I wander around my house, I am usually bare foot. I have plenty of slippers, I just don't usually remember where I left them... or I wore them out the door and have them dirty. When I'm working around the house, it's rare for my feet to be cold. They only get cold when I am sitting around... usually when I am at my computer desk. My computer is in my sewing room and for a while I had a big scrap of fabric that I kept my feet on under the desk. Then we got a real cold spell and I came up with a better idea... check out the new free pillow instructions to sew a floor pillow with foot pockets... it works so well, I have to either make my husband one of his own or make myself another one since he seems to have taken my foot warming pillow as his own...
Slipping and sliding is part of the winter weather... the really dangerous part is the ice underfoot that causes people to fall and get hurt. Falling happens though... and many of those falls lead to needing a walker. I used a walker when I had back surgery and I would have lost my mind if it hadn't been for the walker caddy. The walker takes both of your hands and leaves you with no way to carry anything. The walker caddy is like getting a piece of your independence back. There are a lot of charity sewing projects you can make but I strongly recommend making walker caddies for local hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers.
Super Bowl Sunday is around the corner and there an awful lot of people who don't watch the game but sure enjoy the vittles that go along with watching the game. If everyone chips in, the food isn't a break-the-bank deal for anyone. The trick is keeping the food safe while it travels from one home to another without a heat source or a refrigeration source. Sew up your own insulators to keep the food safe!
