It feels good to feel like I am saving money in little ways. It also got me inspired to call Comcast and ask for them to lower our bill- which they did by $60!!! Gotta love that triple play.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
On a Roll
After sewing up a bunch of baggies yesterday I decided to make some fabric napkins while I was at it. I just so happened to have a 50% linen 50% cotton blend fabric, perfect for napkin making! I think I was able to make 16 of them.
It feels good to feel like I am saving money in little ways. It also got me inspired to call Comcast and ask for them to lower our bill- which they did by $60!!! Gotta love that triple play.
It feels good to feel like I am saving money in little ways. It also got me inspired to call Comcast and ask for them to lower our bill- which they did by $60!!! Gotta love that triple play.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Reusable Sandwich Baggies
I feel like I am always trying to find little ways to recycle more and to reduce our use of plastics. I saw the idea on a mommy blog about how to make your own reusable sandwich wraps. I figured I would try it out- but made my own very simple pattern to be more like a bag for snacks as well.
What you’ll need:
*Polyurethane laminated fabric
--PUL refers to any fabric that has been laminated with polyurethane on one side to make it waterproof. I bought my PUL at Kids in the Garden
* 1-inch length of 3/4-inch-wide Velcro tape (or whatever you have lying around the house)
* Pinking Shears
Tutorial:
First I cut a piece of the PUL at 7''x17'' with pinking shears.
*see bottom for added info before sewing
I hemmed both short ends by folding over twice and stitching.
Then I had to find where I was going to put my velcro. I folded the short sides over to find the middle of my fabric and marked it with a pin. I then used a ruler an placed the velcro 1.5" down from the center of the pin on the "right" side of the fabric.
Then sewed it on.
I then found the center of opposite side of fabric and marked it with a pin. I placed the other piece of velcro right under the hem on the "wrong" side of the fabric and sewed it on.
I then made my pocket by folding the bottom up (where the velcro on the right side is) and measuring 5.5" then pinned it to keep it from slipping.
I then sewed along the "long" sides of the fabric making a pocket. I stopped at the top of where my hem was and back tacked a couple of times to make sure that the seam would hold.
I then made my corners by pinching the bottom of the corner making a triangle.
I pushed the seam over to face the back of the pouch and measured one inch from the top of the triangle to the middle of my seam. I then sewed across to make the corner.
Then I cut the excess off with pinking shears.
That's about it. The first three are in the wash right now. I will let you know how they hold up in the washer and dryer. I am a little concerned that the raw edges might fray a bit, but I am hoping that pinking the edges and having the plastic coating on the back side of the fabric will help keep it from fraying.
*So I washed the bags and they were fine as is, but I wanted to make them a little bit more "heavy duty."
All I did (which I recommend) is to add an additional single folded seam to the long sides of the fabric before you hem the short sides.
When I snipped the corners, instead of using pinking shears I used regular scissors then finished it with a zigzag stitch to bind it.
Overall, these 2 little extra steps will make it way more durable.
What you’ll need:
*Polyurethane laminated fabric
--PUL refers to any fabric that has been laminated with polyurethane on one side to make it waterproof. I bought my PUL at Kids in the Garden
* 1-inch length of 3/4-inch-wide Velcro tape (or whatever you have lying around the house)
* Pinking Shears
Tutorial:
First I cut a piece of the PUL at 7''x17'' with pinking shears.
*see bottom for added info before sewing
I hemmed both short ends by folding over twice and stitching.
Then I had to find where I was going to put my velcro. I folded the short sides over to find the middle of my fabric and marked it with a pin. I then used a ruler an placed the velcro 1.5" down from the center of the pin on the "right" side of the fabric.
Then sewed it on.
I then found the center of opposite side of fabric and marked it with a pin. I placed the other piece of velcro right under the hem on the "wrong" side of the fabric and sewed it on.
I then made my pocket by folding the bottom up (where the velcro on the right side is) and measuring 5.5" then pinned it to keep it from slipping.
I then sewed along the "long" sides of the fabric making a pocket. I stopped at the top of where my hem was and back tacked a couple of times to make sure that the seam would hold.
I then made my corners by pinching the bottom of the corner making a triangle.
I pushed the seam over to face the back of the pouch and measured one inch from the top of the triangle to the middle of my seam. I then sewed across to make the corner.
Then I cut the excess off with pinking shears.
That's about it. The first three are in the wash right now. I will let you know how they hold up in the washer and dryer. I am a little concerned that the raw edges might fray a bit, but I am hoping that pinking the edges and having the plastic coating on the back side of the fabric will help keep it from fraying.
*So I washed the bags and they were fine as is, but I wanted to make them a little bit more "heavy duty."
All I did (which I recommend) is to add an additional single folded seam to the long sides of the fabric before you hem the short sides.
When I snipped the corners, instead of using pinking shears I used regular scissors then finished it with a zigzag stitch to bind it.
Overall, these 2 little extra steps will make it way more durable.
Monday, January 4, 2010
LoFi Halo
Our friend Chris is in town (haven't seen him yet), I guess he has been busy making music videos since he has been here. Hopefully we will see him before he leaves- I also am a bit jealous that I couldn't make a video with him on the song I sang with him. Ha!
These Things Keep Me Honest video next time Chris?!
Listen to this great band
These Things Keep Me Honest video next time Chris?!
Listen to this great band
Friday, January 1, 2010
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Cutest Nativity Ever
Jesse's mom gave this little felt set to Madeline on her first Christmas. It definitely is one of my favorite Christmas items we have in the house.
Unsuccessful Christmas Gift
I came across this article about how to make snow globes, and I thought that they would be the perfect gifts for my family. I made so many for all my family and they turned out so great....until....a week after I made them all the water went foggy. I am not sure what happened, I followed the directions and didn't take any short cuts. Ugg. By the time that I realized that they were not going to be clear I didn't have enough time to make new ones or get presents for my entire family. So, sorry everyone who got an overcast snow globe.
Nothing is worse than giving a handmade gift that you are embarrassed about. O well. Next year everyone will get something sewn, I can't mess up that- or can I? ha!
Nothing is worse than giving a handmade gift that you are embarrassed about. O well. Next year everyone will get something sewn, I can't mess up that- or can I? ha!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Music All Around
Our friends and neighbors Jeremy and Jenna came over during the big snowstorm last week for dinner. Jeremy, Madeline and Jane really had a blast singing songs during dinner and decided they were going to start a band called "Music All Around" and their hit song was going to be called "Milk and Cookies."
We gave Madeline and Jane a guitar for Christmas and Madeline has been practicing the new hit single.
We gave Madeline and Jane a guitar for Christmas and Madeline has been practicing the new hit single.
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