These fast to sew gifts are perfect for last minute crafting.
1. Tissue Box Cover: http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2009/04/tissue-box-cover.html
2. Sleep Mask: http://www.wolfandwillowblog.com/2010/07/free-sewing-pattern-whats-new-pussycat-sleep-mask.html
3. Mini Makeup Roll: http://kellyrachel.com/blog/2010/06/22/make-a-bag-sew-along-mini-makeup-roll-tutorial/
Here’s another quick wedding gift idea for embellishing a purchased apron.
I dug through my scraps and cut 3 7.5″ wide strips twice the width of the apron. I hemmed the strips on 4 sides and gathered the top edge.
I top stitched the ruffles in place, so that the ends overlapped 1″. This hid the gathering line on the lower ruffles.
To finish the look, I roll hemmed a 1 1/2 inch wide ruffle and stitched it across the top.
To complete the gift set, I purchased matching dish towels and cut them in half, hemming the cut edgest for a quick set of every day napkins.
Wrapping is half the fun. I tied the napkins together with homemade bakers twine (cotton worsted yarn zigzagged over with red thread. A pintuck foot really helps here.)
Cord covers give a finishing touch to lighting. It hides the industrial feeling and makes everything soft.
They aren’t hard to make with a basic sewing machine and some ribbon. I used Organza ribbon because it was cheap (10 yard for $2.) I found the wider the ribbon, the easier it is to do.
Start by cutting 2 lengths of ribbon twice the length of your cord. Then sew them together along one side with an 1/8 inch seam allowance.
Wrap the ribbon around the cord and push the cord against the first seam. Stitch the other side of the ribbon with a 1/8 inch seam allowance, encasing the cord inside. Be careful not to sew into the cord and make sure your lamp is unplugged :).
If you get tired of the look, you can take the stitches out or just cut off the cord cover to remove it.
Are you losing weight or plan to but don’t want to lose your favorite skirt? Here’s a two minute alteration that will keep your clothes fitting great and can be undone if necessary.
Oops! Youtube linked a racy video to this one. I apologize if any of you saw that link. I’m fixing the problem but it will take about an hour. Check back to see the video.
How to Take in a Skirt Waist from Angela Coffman on Vimeo.
P.S. This skirt has a side zipper. If your skirt has a back zipper, put in 2 equal sized pleats on either side of the zipper. Instead of pressing the pleats to center on itself, press them away from the zipper.
Watermelons, canteloupes, and honeydew are in season around here. You may have some in your garden, or find them at the farmer’s market or at a street corner vender. I’ve seen some supermarket deals like a whole huge seedless watermelon for $2.99-$3.99. That’s a great choice when feeding a crowd. If you can’t eat a whole watermelon, put part of your cut watermelon in the blender, pour into posicle molds and freeze. It is delicious and no sugar needed.
Here’s a quick video on my favorite method for cutting melons. My sister-in-law Gena showed it to me, and her sister-in-law Chandra showed it to her. Chandra is a chef and is amazing in the kitchen.
I love Jack Mackerel. It is half the price of Salmon with double the nutrition per serving. Here’s a video for you on how to prepare a simple recipe and what to expect when you open the can. It’s not very clear in the video but the ingredients are:
1 Can Jack Mackerel–$1.32
1 Sleeve Saltine Crackers $.25
2 Eggs–$.16
This feeds four people for $1.73 (or $.44 a serving!) and is loaded with protein.
It’s move in day for the girls! They’ve waited several months for me to figure out what to do with their particle board floor and then 2 weeks while I found little chunks of time here and there to work on it and a week for it to cure. I’m so glad they’re sweet, patient little things. I finally decided on a canvas floor and polyurethaned it so I could mop it. I love how it turned out!
Here are some before and after pictures for you. I had to dig to find some before pictures which were some Daddy snapped for fun while we were organizing one day. We updated the room by hanging bead board wall paper and painting the trim white before redoing the floor.
Before
After
Before
After
We still need to build some beds and desks and hang the wall decorations on the other long wall. I can’t wait to have real after pictures to show you. But for now the girls are happy to sleep in their room again.
You can watch the video to see how we redid the floor with a $30 canvas drop cloth.
Simple mending can save a piece of clothing from the rag bag or trash. Usually it just takes a couple of minutes, but thinking about doing the mending is hard. Just do it! You’ll be so glad you did.
My daughter’s favorite shorts had a drawstring with eyelet holes. One of the eyeles ripped out and left a hole that threatened to get bigger. Normally I would have slipped it into my mending basket and left it to sit until they no longer fit. Fortunately my daughter needed them for camp and I had to act fast.
1. First I removed the drawstring which was for style only and not really functional.
2. Then I used a scrap of fusible interfacing on the front and back to reinforce the torn fabric.
3. Then I picked a scrap of fabric from my stash and ironed a piece of Wonder Under Regular-Weight Paper-Backed Fusible Web
4. The Wonder Under has a paper backing that is easy to draw on. I used a pencil to draw a heart shape patch and then cut the fabric on the pencil lines. (It’s so much easier to cut out fusible shapes after the wonder under is fused to the fabric than to cut the shapes first.)
5. I peeled off the paper backing and ironed the patch over the hole. I set my machine to a satin stitch (a zig-zag with a width of 3.0 and a length of .5) and top stitched all around the edge. It’s not perfect, but it’s sturdy and the whole process took about 5 minutes.
My son is blessed with a thin waist and has been able to wear the same swimming trunks for 3 years. Finally chlorine rotted the stretch right out of the elastic and he couldn’t hold his trunks up any more. My first thought was to pitch them and buy a new pair, but finding time to go to the store was harder than just fixing them.
I use this same method to add elastic to the back of garage sale found jeans and slacks too. It helps the kids wear a wider variety of sizes.
Note 1: Since this was a real mending job, my thread matches perfectly and may be hard to see. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them and see more details.
Note 2: I keep a stash of basic mending supplies that I purchase when the thread and notion walls are half off. My stash includes hanks of elastic in all sizes ($.50-$1 each) basic colors of thread: red, black, khaki, navy, white, pink etc., interfacing, and sewing machine needles in all sizes and types. This allows me to do quick sewing and mending without a trip to the store and I never have to pay full price for notions!
Step 1. Use a seam ripper to cut a slit in the inside of the waistband at each side seam.
Step 2. Measure the width of the opening and choose elastic that is about 1/8 in narrower. Slip a pin in one end and pull it through the waistband. (Wait to cut the length of elastic until the end.)
Step 3. Set your machine to a wide satin stitch (a zigzag with a very short stitch, so the stitches lay right beside each other.) Satin stitch over the hole you cut, catching the end of the elastic to secure.
Pin the elastic in place before satin stitching
Step 4. Adjust the gathers in the back to be even and trim the elastic to the desired length. Satin stitch over the other end to secure and repair the hole.
Step 5. Straight stitch through the center back of the elastic to keep it from twisting.
Confession: After the mending, he wore them once and we plan to donate them to Diabled Veterans instead of throwing them in the trash since the fabric is still good and the elastic gave them years of new life. I thought he deserved a bigger pair of trunks and this time of year is the perfect time to buy a swimming suit. They are on clearance for less than thrift store prices!
Eggrolls! I love egg rolls, but they can be expensive either at a restaurant or from the frozen section at the Grocery Store. Eggrolls are easy and inexpensive to make at home. I prefer to make them ahead and then bake to rewarm for the meal. (It saves my nerves if I’m making stir fry to go with them.) You can triple this recipe and keep some in your freezer.
1 lb ground turkey (or chicken, pork or shrimp or any combo)
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 package (12-16 oz) coleslaw mix (this is just shredded cabbage and carrots and often goes on sale between $.50 and $1 a bag.) (you can also add other chopped veggies like broccoli, onion, celery, mung bean sprouts etc, water chestnuts etc. I just kept mine simple and fast.)
10 egg roll wraps (or click to make your own)
1 48oz container of oil
We’ve spritzed these with olive oil non-stick spray and baked them in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes with good results. They don’t have the same texture as fried egg rolls, but still yummy. We’ve also skipped the wrapper and just eaten the filling. It’s commonly known in the fitness community as “Eggroll in a Bowl.” I’d love to try these in an air fryer. If you have one, let me know how it goes!
What’s your favorite dish from a Chinese Restaurant?
