Sweety's Home Day

Thursday was Sweety's 15 year Home Day. We don't know exactly when his birthday is, so celebrate when he came to our home. We figure he is about 22 years old though.

We played some. He really likes to play fetch. As in throw things on the floor and watch the human fetch.

He really likes the homemade Chinese Jacks I made (I will tell you about those in another post).

I made him a new home too. He likes to tear them up and to buy them costs $25! This is how bad he tears them up:

His new home

And checking it out. (Really just seeing how to tear it apart). Yes he does fit in it, he likes his tail to stick out anyway.

It was easy to make, definitely didn't cost $25, and I give him two weeks before he has got at least one hole in it!

Happy Home Day Sweety! We love you.

Reusable Coffee Filters

About two months ago I was having my morning coffee and for the umpteenth time, had coffee grounds in my cup. When I am camping I will take coffee any way I can get it; but I am at home. The stupid paper filter fell over. Again.

Fine. I can beat this and make my morning coffee the tranquil event it is supposed to be. I sat down with my chewy coffee and thought about when I worked in a restaurant how the coffee was all premeasured, sandwiched between two filters. No grounds in the cups there! But I can't afford to purchase coffee like that, also I rarely make a full pot of coffee anymore (I had to cut back). So I needed something like the restaurant had but versatile and reusable, and most important, make crunch free coffee.

After several attempts I ended up with this and made 14 of them:

Here are my notes on how I did it:

This is the filters in action. I realize my coffee pot is not the cleanest and I almost stopped to clean everything, but figured "keep it real". So this is as real as it gets.

It works beautifully. Glorious tranquil, commercial worthy mornings. Especially when I remember to get the coffee pot ready the night before and set the timer.

Now I set up a weeks worth of morning goodness and coffee is a breeze now. I can even make it in the mornings! Mornings are and issue, believe me.

Do you see what the coffeemaker is sitting on? There is a method to the madness. Remember I said mornings are an issue? First it's sitting on an old rack from a long ago broken toaster oven, but was the right size to lift the coffee maker up. The baking sheet was a smaller one that came with a set, that was entirely too small for any thing I would do with it (if I'm gonna make cookies, then by golly I make a LOT). Then all that is sitting on an old towel.

This is because I can not see. When I pour water into the back reservoir I have been known to just about miss it entirely and short out my coffee maker. And that definitely ruins a morning. The whole contraption is now where if I miss, the water is caught in the tray and the coffee maker is not sitting in water. The other benefit is when I am in my wheelchair I can pull the whole thing closer to me to be able to reach to make more or get a refill. My coffee maker has lasted my attentions for about three years now, and that's a record.

Back to the filters. Once the coffee is made the used grounds get dumped into an old coffee can for composting, the filter gets a rinse in the sink with the dishes and then thrown in the laundry to be washed. I don't want to wash clothes in coffee.

So what do you think? Is this something you would try?

In The Craft Room

I am in the craft room today sewing up some gifts for Easter.

Makes things so much easier now that I have "filed" all (most) of my fabric. I just used either foam board or boxes to wrap the fabric around. The different sizes lets me know about how much I have. It keeps it nice and fairly neat. I can also put notes on the board to let me know what kind of fabric it is. 

I have to admit, sometimes I will just sit and stare at the fabric hoping for inspiration of what to do with some of it! About 90% was given to me, and I can't stand to have an idea of something I want to do and then have to wait because I don't have the supplies. Or money. So I treasure my fabric stash, and use it the best I can.

What are you doing this weekend?

Meal Planning

I am trying out this layout for my meal planning.

I did an inventory of my freezer (a good thing too - found some scary stuff! I have cooked for 6 to 8 people for so many years that I have a hard time cooking for just one. So I cook maybe 2x a week and put several meals into the freezer. Homemade TV dinners. It works very well for me, the freezing meals part; the planning, not so much. 

So the system I'm trying out: 

1. inventory freezer so I don't plan something I don't have. 
   
2. Figure out 6-8 meals to cook for the month. 
3. I wanted the plan to be flexible without a lot of scribbles and cross offs, which using post it notes is a beautiful idea (probably got it from Pinterest). I wrote the meal down on the post it notes and placed them into the corresponding week I thought would feel like cooking it. 
   
4. When I do my weekly layout I pull those appropriate post it's and place them in  the box "In The Kitchen" part of my weekly. I have changed my mind on what to cook 3x!
   
   
   
   
5. Once I have cooked the meal I place the post it note back in the meal plan spread in the box marked "Cooked"
6. Add the meals to the freezer inventory and how many is available. 

So far it's working.  As I have changed my mind so many times on weeklies on whether I felt like cooking and what I felt like eating, the use of the post it notes have really helped. No more scratching off, migrating, or ignoring it. 

What do you do for meal planning? How do you keep track? Please let me know! Any ideas or tips would be GREAT!

Double Knit Fix and My Next Challenge

I made lots of mistakes in my knitting. But that's ok, I am learning :) What is important is to not give up just because of it. So I am learning how to fix many oopsies, one at a time.

The most pressing and frustrating mistakes was losing a stitch. One of the places I went to was here.  Knitpicks' video was a very helpful, and the most comprehensive video I could find on how to pick up dropped stitches. I dropped many.

The next thing I wanted to challenge myself with was changing colors, I understand with double sided, intarsia, tapestry knitting that I am already working with 2 colors, But I was starting with those two colors and they were used throughout the whole piece. The idea of changing colors just blew my mind. I was trying to make it difficult. I hit Google up again and found these youtube videos.

AllFreeKnitting.com   and knittingtipsbyjudy


This pattern from the Geek-A-Long was my next project. Again it was too big for my comfort, so I reduced it and made this potholder, again for my sister:

I still was not crazy about the sides, cast on, and bind off, that is the next post. But a huge improvement on mistakes and catching them BEFORE getting too far!

Fun, fun, fun.

Stash Buster

O.k. a lot of my friends and family tease me about the fact that they have to ask before they can throw something away. I try very hard to use something up so much that it then becomes totally useless and can be garbage ;)

For instance all the sewing I have been doing, I have had little bitty pieces left over that I don't particularly want to sew back together!

But I save them. And as I get a bit, I make sure they are cut up small and use it to stuff little "Happies" like this:

Little dust collectors ;)

or even something fairly useful, like this:

Originally I found the original patterns at R&K Creations... here. But then once I learned the techniques behind it, I then did my own thing and made my own pumpkin patterns, and my own way of sewing them. And really after I have made a few, I tend to change something, a new technique or idea I saw, so I honestly don't remember exactly what their directions entail! So all my little pumpkins are totally different, and I like that :D

But that is why I save all the little bits and pieces for. And IT WORKS :)

More Mug Rugs

Hello All,

I have been busy the last couple of days, and I was going to blog about it yesterday, but I wanted to enjoy the award ;) I was (am) tickled pink about it.

But on Sunday I was able to finish 4 more mug rugs, 2 exactly like the ones before and 2 that were done "Krazy Quilt" style? I think? Well, whatever it's called I had fun with it :) And I truly hope the recipient enjoys them :D

The two on the left are the ones I made the other day and the four on the right are for my friend.

Not perfect, but made with love.

Mug Rug

I made me some “Mug Rugs”. I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to try out some different techniques, quilting, binding, different quilt blocks, etc. They are small, quick, useful, and if I mess up I have not devoted a huge amount of resources to it. Also on another craft forum I joined a “Craft-A-Long” or in this case a “Use-Up-Your-Stash-Along”. So right up my alley!

I found some green material in my stash that I liked, the challenge this month is to use up something green, which was an old Halloween costume (Peter Pan) that was my daughter’s. Some fun funky material that was one of my son’s shirts, and some aqua blue material that was daughter’s capris. All this I had saved to re-use at some point… although I didn’t expect to wait 15 years!

ANYWAY…

 I started simple, a basic four block with each block at 4 inches. I wasn’t going to get all technical on my first try and ease into it J.

Then I figured out my backing, an old 1960’s/1970’s polyester knit, pantsuit, type material that was green (I know it looks blue in this pic - camera phone!)

Sewed the blocks together using a half inch seam, I need all the room I can get because I cannot see what I am stitching (unless I get to within 3 inches – NOT a good idea!) So I sew by general blur and blobs ;).

I made sure to iron my seams open. 

I love my craft room because I have my ironing board set up right behind me and a little lower than normal so all I have to do is swivel around in my chair and iron the bits and pieces as needed!

Once I had the four blocks together I debated for quite a while on whether I wanted any batting in between the layers, and decided against it. Then I put my backing and my block together, right sides facing, and sewed around (another half inch seam) making sure to leave an inch or two to be able to turn right side out. Trimmed the corners and the edges, making sure NOT to trim my turning area so it will be easier to sew closed later.

 It's hard to see but the opening is in the upper left corner.

Turned it right side out with my handy dandy chop stick and ironed it flat, being sure to turn in the seams at the opening where I turned everything right side out. Then I top stitched the whole thing, including the opening to sew it shut. This time though a ¼ inch seam.

I thought it needed SOME type of “quilting”, so I quilted in the ditch (sewed where the blocks meet).

I liked the results so much, I made TWO! So can have matching ones (if I so choose) for when daughter comes home and we have tea together J

Action shot ;)

I think I like this!

And just because I love to learn little tips and tricks others use, this is mine:

I keep a piece of tape by my sewing machine to put all my little pieces of thread I cut off onto the tape so it doesn't get all mixed up on the fabric when I am sewing. The tape keeps it all together and AWAY from my project!

Half Apron

I got one of my aprons done, it was based off one of my vintage ones that was getting so thin that, well, it wasn’t doing its’ job! So this one I don’t have a pattern for and just cut how I wanted, by looking at the old apron, seeing what I liked, using it, and making adjustments where I knew I needed them (ie: I wear long skirts, so needed a longer apron). Altogether it took 2 hours. That is the cutting, sewing, ironing, everything.

2 hours to sew, but; it took 2 DAYS to work up the nerve to make the initial cuts! That is my problem, I am terrified to start a new project with sewing, and especially if it is fabric I love, as I am afraid to mess it up. It is as if I would never be able to get that particular fabric ever again! Silly I know. But am trying to take to heart one of the sayings I have seen on another craft forum… “No saving for best”. In my case, that is exactly my problem!

On to the apron J Unfortunately I left my camera at my mom’s house L Or I would have taken more pictures of the process.

 The "skirt" of the apron - basically a rectangle cut to the length I prefer

From top to bottom - The ruffle, then the ties (I prefer longer ties so can go around the back and tie in front as I can't get my left arm behind me), and then the waist band. The waist band is curved along the top, it is easier to see in person than it is in the pictures.

FINISHED!

I am quite pleased with it J

Treadle Sewing Machine Belt Fix

I was on a forum boo hoo’in that I have a treadle sewing machine but have not been able to use it because the belt snapped. Being that my Great Aunt died at 96, I can understand that oiling, polishing and general upkeep of the sewing machine was not, had not, and should not, have been high on her priorities. Bless her, I certainly wish she were still here.

Great Aunt EW 2004

Well, it had been sitting for some time without any love. Completely my own fault! I decided it was high time to quit the boo hooin’ and start doin’! The first thing I wanted to do was see if I could make a belt instead of waiting for money to buy one.

What I did:

I had some leather lacing, I have no clue where, when, or why I had it, but I do and I figured that would be my best bet, because really, back in the day, they didn’t wait and wait and wait to fix something, without trying for themselves first.

This is all the info I know on it - if you can decipher it, PLEASE let me know too!

So I had the leather lacing, and I used the old belt to get an idea of the length I would need and cut the leather about 8 inches longer. Then I threaded the leather through all the little holes and guides and marked it where it felt there was enough tension.

Cut longer (by the way - that is not dust - it is from the leather lacing)

Do you see the two marks right above my thumb?

Then I took a deep breath and trimmed it, not straight across, but diagonally… and promptly dropped the leather…

Trimmed diagonally

So after rethreading the leather through all the holes again I realized I had not gotten my sewing needle ready… so had to set the leather strip down again, where gravity does what it always does, and it fell through the holes again. I left it this time and went and got my needle and thread, which was upholstery thread and a small needle. So small my metal needle threader didn’t fit. So I had to go get my eyes.

I think this is a jeweler's visor, a gift from a friend, it is wonderful and enables me to continue with crafts - THANK YOU MS K!

So needle is now threaded, leather is cut, I am ready to go. I rethread the leather through everything again, when it occurred to me that it might be better to thread from the top, at least then if I drop it all I have to do is guide the leather for the bottom fly wheel and not have to try to get my fingers through the small holes!

Go down through BOTH holes instead of down one and up through the other... It takes me a while but I do eventually catch on!

Got all ready to go when I remembered about the guide hole that guides the belt around the fly wheel… nope, I hadn’t threaded it. This is behind the wheel and in the back. I could not get under there to take the picture so I just angled the camera till I got it – I think I have the picture right side up!

Don't forget this, like I did!

Finally I sewed it together

I Pushed the needle through both pieces (realized I needed my thimble!) and then wrapped some, pushed it through again and wrapped some more, then pushed the needle through and tied it off.

I wasn't going for pretty - and blue shows up well for the picture!

It WORKED!!!

Please ignore the dirty floor...

Though I know in a bit it will start slipping, that’s ok, I need to go through and clean everything anyway (you learn a LOT when you take pictures!) and next time I will wet the leather and THEN sew it on – leather will shrink when it dries J

BUT THIS WORKS!!!!

PS: just a side note... treadle sewing machines and office chairs with wheels, DO NOT MIX! Wheee - I went wheeling backwards the first time!!! hehe