Ut Oh
My daughter moved this past weekend and being a nice mom (if I must say so myself) I made pans of baked ziti to feed the volunteer moving team. We did a pretty good job of setting up her new kitchen the day before the real move so heating the pans wasn't a big deal... until I reached for a pot holder. She had bought really nice heavy oven mitts. They were so heavy that you couldn't really feel what you were gripping so the first pan almost landed on the floor. Once she decides what her decorating theme is going to be I know I am making her new apartment new potholders and oven mitts. Since my daughter doesn't cook, I know I will be the one doing the cooking and I would rather not have my cooking land on the floor... or get any burns.
Christmas Ornaments
I made a resolution last New Years that I was going to sew new Christmas Ornaments every month... and I even kept the resolution for many months but as with most New Year's resolution, I quit being resolute. Now that Christmas is around the corner, I decided to make a bag to keep in the car. That way all those wasted moments that I sitting waiting for my daughter, I can get ornaments made. I'm working on soft sculpture Santa and Mrs Santa heads this week, but because ornaments are small most of them can be made into a take along bag or kit that's ready to sew when ever you have a spare moment.
Just for fun
I have never outgrown the hidden pictures games in Highlights Magazines. My mother had given my daughter a subscription when she was younger and we all had a sheet of tissue paper we placed over the pictures so they could be played over and over again. Threads has a game online that is just as much fun. I have to warn you though... their "Spot the Difference" game is addictive, so don't even think about looking if you have things you need to get done.
Great Grandmother's Gift
When I was very young and just learning to cook, my Great Grandmother sent me an apron she had made. Many, many years (more years than I want to count) later I still have that apron. The only problem is that the thread is now giving way so if I try to tie the apron, the ties break off the body of the apron.... so I decided it's time to remake that apron... and I did. It's a simple to sew, really great apron and doesn't have gathers that tend to "fluff" the waistline.
I can never get another apron from that wonderful Great Grandmother but I can carry on the tradition. I think I'll make them for Christmas gifts this year. Buying the fabric on sale will make them an economical gift. I know I am making a couple to have on hand for Thanksgiving so anyone that wants to help in the kitchen can keep their clothes protected.
Holiday Fabric Sales and New Retro Apron
If you receive the email sales newsletters from online fabric stores, you probably noticed that almost all of them have already started marking down the fall harvest and Thanksgiving print fabrics. I am ordering some to make the new apron I am posting this week... maybe some Christmas fabric while I'm at it to make this retro apron as Christmas gifts.
Thread
Who stops to think about thread? I used to think thread is just a basic that you have on hand or you buy when you buy fabric but there was no big deal... then I put some under a microscope and discovered otherwise.
Then I started teaching kids to sew... without going to the store with them like we did for a 4H field trip. Unfortunately it hadn't dawned on me to teach the kids about matching thread color before I sent them shopping. When we went on our filed trip we learned about choosing a thread color and the type of thread. We didn't have all the kinds of thread to choose from that are available today in fabric stores.
Turns out thread is a big deal after all!
- How to Choose Sewing Thread Color
- Is There a Difference in Thread? You be the Judge
- Coats and Clark Sewing Thread Company
- Readers Respond: Do You Use Coats and Clark Products?
- Superior Threads Company-- About Superior Threads Sewing Thread and Product
- Readers Respond: Viewers Experience Ordering from Superior Threads
- How to Use a Needle Threader to Thread a Sewing Needle
Talk Back
I love the sewing forum. I love people sharing knowledge and experiences. I love how the forum helps people learn to sew and solve problems.
Last Weekend Left
I tend to put things I want to do off until the weekend... I can get out of the housework if I save a big enough project. Halloween costumes usually qualify as a weekend project and this year is no different. I even made a deal with my daughter that she would have to do the laundry if I was going to make the costume. (Seems like a great deal to me! Who wouldn't rather sew than do laundry?) I am not going to count on getting things done next weekend... that would be cutting it too close for comfort.
Straight Intersections
When you come to a stop sign or traffic light there is usually an intersection that makes a perfect cross. Occasionally the roads are not directly across from each other. When they aren't it's as if someone didn't lining things up properly.
The same thing holds true when four seams come together. When the seams don't line up it looks cheap or homemade. Lining up the seams the way they are supposed to line up, also makes pieces fit together properly. The further an intersection is off, the less likely it is that the pieces will fit together.
Apples
In the great northeast, and I'm sure other parts of the world, apples are a big deal in the fall. There is nothing like biting into a just picked crisp apple. Every where you turn there are things with apples on them.
It shouldn't come as a big surprise that when I went to a local quilt show I just had to have some of the fabric that had apples printed on it. It was just too "seasonal" to not buy some. So once I got that fabric home I had to come up with something "perfect" to use the fabric on... a potholder to handle that nice hot apple pie was my solution... but I wanted it real homey so I decided to use plain muslin and applique a basket of apples on the pot holder.