One Yard Adventure: Towel Trimming Tutorial

I’m continuing my one-yard odyssey by trimming a towel set for my bathroom. There are a lot of things I want to make out of this single yard of fabric, so I’m being very careful about how I cut it—nothing will go to waste.

TOWEL SET TRIMMING

Supplies

• Fabric
• Water-soluble pen
• Scissors
• Needle and coordinating thread
• Set of two each: large bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths

Step 1: Measure the width and length of the area where you wish to trim your towel set pieces; add 1” to each measurement. Cut out the pieces you need from the fabric.

Step 2: Turn the edges on the long sides in ¼” towards the wrong side of the fabric. Press.

Step 3: Carefully center your prepared trim piece over the section of the towel item you want to embellish, leaving a ¾” extra piece hanging off each end of the width of the item. Pin in place.

Step 4: Sew close to the edge on each long side.

Step 5: Turn under the end piece of your trim twice to meet the hemmed edge of your towel item on both ends. Slip stitch edge.

Step 6: Repeat the same steps for the other pieces in your towel set.

Tomorrow’s post will have another easy bathroom project.

One Yard Adventure: Shower Cap Tutorial

I’m on an odyssey to see how many things I can make with one yard of fabric. This is the first of a series of tutorials I’m sharing—all utilizing the same one yard of fabric (and very judicious cutting). The first four are designed to imbue a bit of freshness to my bathroom décor and the last two are for getting out and enjoying nature.

For this experiment, I bought a yard of Moda’s Chez Moi Posh Painted Patch Paisley Sunshine fabric. I’ve used this same fabric before and liked it so much I chose it again for my one-yard adventure.

SHOWER CAP TUTORIAL

Supplies

• Fabric
• Water-soluble pen
• Super-thin vinyl (near the tablecloth fabrics at Jo-Ann’s)
• Scissors
• Needle and coordinating thread
• ¼” wide elastic 2” shorter than the circumference of your head

Step 1: Draw a 24” circle with a water-soluble pen on the wrong side of my fabric and cut out. The size of the cap can be adjusted by adding or subtracting how many inches you need based on your size head. I consider my head to be of average size.

Step 2: Use the fabric circle as your template for cutting out the same-size circle from the vinyl.

Step 3: Place your vinyl piece on top of the wrong side of your fabric and baste to keep it from sliding as you work with it.

Step 4: Turn the edges of the fabric piece under ¼” towards the vinyl (and wrong side of the fabric) and press. Be careful not to use too hot an iron and stay along the rim of the fabric itself.

Step 5: Turn under the new edge an additional 1” and sew close to the inner edge (near the exposed vinyl), leaving a 2” opening.

Step 6: Sew ¼” around the circumference of the outer edge (no need to leave an opening for this part.

Step 7: Insert your elastic into the opening made earlier, place a pin to secure it in place while you work the elastic around the rest of the cap. When you reach the other opening, pull it out enough to overlap both ends of the elastic. Pin.

Step 8: Sew a small box on the overlapped elastic pieces to secure them, and then sew an “X” from corner-to-corner of the box.

Step 9: Slip-stitch the 2” opening closed.

You're done!

Blessings Friday: Cell Phones for Soldiers

Starting tomorrow and continuing through next Thursday, I will begin posting a series of tutorials I’ve written. I hope you’ll stop by to visit.



I found two old cell phones we’re not using and was wondering what to do with them when I learned about the Cell Phones for Soldiers organization.



Cell Phones for Soldiers collects and sells old unused cell phones. This funds prepaid calling cards which given to soldiers for free so they can call home. For security reasons, I can’t just send my extra cell phones directly to a soldier in a war zone. Most cell phones are not GSM-enabled and won’t work in the Middle East, hence selling them to raise money.



My package was mailed yesterday. Somewhere out there, a soldier will be able to speak with family waiting anxiously at home. It could be a friend or beloved member of your family.



You can read about the program here and find a drop-off point near you or download a mailing label.

Tasha Tudor Day

Clarice is celebrating Tasha Tudor’s birthday today at the Storybook Woods blog.



I’m sure everyone participating will offer their own take on what this remarkable woman meant to them. For me, it was her way of drilling down to the essence of life and doing what sustained her spiritually, physically, and intellectually—exactly what I was talking about yesterday.

If having the courage and fortitude to live life in accordance with your own values brings such peace as Tasha Tudor seemed to cherish, then it bears my heeding the lesson. And although Mrs. Tudor is no longer with us, what she’s left behind is a shining symbol of true and simple grace.



Deliberate simplicity was Mrs. Tudor’s choice. Everything in her life had a useful purpose. This remarkable hard-working woman did not allow things to own her. I’m paying attention to that and trying to rid my own life of an embarrassing amount of clutter—in a lot of ways.



The excellent video The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard explains how “stuff” takes over our lives and the world, too. Mrs. Tudor never let superfluous things control her life or that of her family. I love that about her.

Happy birthday, Tasha Tudor—you are missed in our world.

Gift from the Sea: A Few Shells

"For it is only framed in space that beauty blooms."
~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea ~



These are my thoughts about this week’s chapter from Gift from the Sea for Lesley's Summer Book Club at The Bower.

“A Few Shells” considers the concept of selectivity. The author learns to cherish the simple beauty of just a few shells as opposed to collecting every one she finds on the beach. This leads to discovering how to be more discerning in other aspects of life.

I quite liked the following paragraph in this chapter:

“Simplicity of living, as much as possible, to retain a true awareness of life. Balance of physical, intellectual, and spiritual life. Work without pressure. Space for significance and beauty. Time for solitude and sharing. Closeness to nature to strengthen understanding and faith in the intermittency of life: life of the spirit, creative life, and the life of human relationships. A few shells.”



The notion of simplicity of living is important to me, especially at this time of year when I feel the need to reevaluate my life and determine where I need to go and what to do next. It is not at all my intent to settle for the mundane but to celebrate the exquisite.

Finding that balance Ms. Lindbergh writes about is an ongoing process of experiencing, thinking, learning, doing, and changing. I’m continually searching for my true “self” and trying to find a sense of simplicity in the very act of living. Living mindfully does not mean being stagnant. The quest will end, I believe, the moment I die. And how I conduct my life in the interim is the legacy I will leave behind.

Special Olympics World Winter Games Scarf Project

To continue from yesterday, each Stitch n’ Pitch attendee received a huge bag of goodies on Sunday.



In our new totes are yarn, patterns, kits, needles, needle protectors, knitting greeting cards, and lots of other things.



Because I photographed our adventures for Purls' newsletter and web site, they gave me a copy of the premier issue of Debbie Bliss’ new knitting magazine as a thank-you gift.



My knitting project during the baseball game was a scarf for the Special Olympics World Winter Games Scarf Project which I learned about at the Inspired Tokens blog. The goal is to provide each athlete with a scarf symbolizing our support (scarves must be received by no later than January 15, 2009). The games are scheduled for February 7–13, 2009.



This is what I made during the Stitch ‘n Pitch game. You can use whatever pattern you want; however, the Special Olympics Committee requires:

" ...that the scarves are knitted or crocheted by hand using delft blue (885) and white (311) Red Heart Super Saver yarn, because these colors perfectly match the Special Olympics logo and were chosen specifically by the World Winter Games organizers."



The pattern I used was created especially for the Special Olympics by Coats and Clarks, one of the sponsors. The only place I could find the specific yarns required was WalMart.

Stitch N’ Pitch

Fifty of us ventured forth from Tucson yesterday on a road trip to Phoenix to see the Arizona Diamondbacks–Florida Marlins baseball game at Chase Field in Phoenix.

We joined crafters from other cities as part of the National Needle Arts Association Stitch n’ Pitch Day. We were part of 31,518 baseball fans cheering on the two teams.

It was fun to see all the projects being worked on during the two hour bus ride to the game. The trip home again was much different, most everyone was too tired to do much other than nap.

When we arrived, each of the Stitch n’ Pitch attendees was issued fun t-shirts. The front says “D-backs” in a cross-stitch design.

We got to do a bit of crafty shopping at some of the various tables set up for us. This is the Purls of Tucson table.

I bought a pair of baseball knitting needles—perfect for using during the game.

There were a few demonstrations of skills such as basket weaving and spinning.

A number of members of the Society for Creative Anachronism came in costumes to show us their handiwork. This couple both made their own outfits.

This is a close-up of some of the detail. They put a lot of work into these creations.

Source: AP Photo by Mary Altaffer

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Misty May-Treanor. I hope I don’t get into trouble using AP photos, but I was so excited about them being at the game.

Source: AP Photo by Ross D. Franklin

Misty May-Treanor threw out the ceremonial first pitch to her husband, Marlins catcher Matt Treanor. It seemed so strange seeing her at the baseball game since we watched her win gold in Beijing just the other night.

Then, of course, there was the actual game which is why we were all there.

The final score. Although I’m a Diamondbacks fan, I’m actually tickled the Marlins won because I thought it was a nice circle of success for Misty-May Treanor and her husband.

Stitch N' Pitch events are popping up all over the US and Canada, maybe there’s a game near you. Tomorrow I'll share the project I worked on at the game as well as the large bag of goodies we were each given.

Blessings Friday: New Treasures

I love Fridays. There’s something inherently magical about this day with its promise of adventures ahead. Before I get caught up in the excitement of the weekend, I want to share some fun finds that arrived at my house this week.



This is Moda Home’s Sliced Bread Blackbird Sewing Roll. Isn’t the Blackbird Design sampler fabric wonderful? I found it at Bella Quiltworks here in Tucson. The item isn’t listed at the Moda web site, but you can buy it at Snowy River Quilts.

The Moda web site offers free quilting patterns and some excellent reference documents you can download—look in their Fun Stuff section.



This gorgeous fabric arrived from the fabulous Karen (Mrs. Kwitty’s Cottage blog). She sent a 2009 calendar refill for the adorable agenda/day planner she made and surprised me with this extra lovely gift wrapped around it—even her tag is charming. I’ve been using that agenda/day planner this whole year and just love it, now I’m ready for 2009. You can find them at her Etsy store.



These beautiful cartellas (Italian for portfolios), one for bills to pay and one for to-do items, were made by Lesley (Small Meadow Press store and The Bower blog). Lesley has elevated irksome tasks from the mundane to the celebratory. The inside of each cartella is as lovely as the exterior.



Lesley also made the card on the left, inside is a sweet note from her. Aren’t the index cards the prettiest you’ve ever seen? And just look at her adorable little tags.

Have a great weekend!

Operation Christmas Stocking

You’re probably surprised I’m thinking about Christmas stockings in August, but that’s what I made yesterday. Eight stockings are being mailed off today as my contribution to Operation Christmas Stocking, a project I heard about via Alice’s House blog the other day.



This is an effort sponsored by Operation Care Package, a group of volunteers dedicated to making sure that no deployed Hero goes without mail. They need 10,000 simple stockings by October 30 in order to fill them and get them to the troops by Christmas.



Using the provided pattern (see Resources below), I made the stockings using homespun fabrics. Although not required, I lined them with muslin and added a cuff and hanging loop.



Stockings should be at least 14-inches tall and have a 7-inch opening in the top. They can be made out of material or felt and must be strong enough for filling.


Source: Graphic from Support Our Military; text added by me

The organization suggests adding a note addressed to “Any Hero”, so I made a tag to attach to each stocking simply saying thank you. I printed them on cardstock.


Source: Support Our Military

If you would like to participate, click on “Contact Us” at the very bottom of the Quilts for Cancer web site (listed below) to let Barb know your interest in helping.

Resources

• Operation Care Package
• Quilts for Cancer
• Samples of last year’s stockings
• Stocking Pattern

Five Stones Game

Christmas gifts are created year-round at my house. Here’s one I completed over the weekend for one of the children on our gift list.



It’s an ancient game called Five Stones and is very easy to make using this tutorial. The stones are actually little bags filled with rice and the game is played similar to Jacks except no ball is involved.



I made a little drawstring bag to hold the stones and playing instructions. Everything fits nicely in a red suede box found in my craft closet.

Ecology Tote Bags

I discovered a brand new item just put out at our local Jo-Ann’s Fabrics yesterday morning. Displayed at their cutting station were bolts of cut-and-sew fabric panels for making Ecology Tote Bags.



Although they had other more “earthy” colors, I thought the brilliant pink version would be fun. I bought three panels at $6.99 each and was able to use my 40% discount coupon.



Here is what each fabric panel looks like. I was able to make all three pretty quickly yesterday morning—in fact, I used them the same afternoon. This project is ideal for teens (or anyone) learning to sew as the instructions are very clear and easy. It is also good for Girl Scouts working on their sewing or ecology badges.



Here is one of my new totes in action.



The words “Save the Earth” run throughout the fabric edges. I’m saving them because they’ll be fun as little patches for jeans, the yoke of a shirt, cover of a cloth binder, or any number of other uses.

Rubber Stamp Carving: A Mini-Tutorial

I’ve been thinking about carving my own rubber stamp for my letterboxing kit and now I have. The whole carving endeavor is totally new to me, but here is a learn-as-you-go tutorial.

Supplies

• Speedy Stamp Basic Stamp Carving Kit (includes rubber and cutting tools)
• Design or drawing of choice
• Iron
• Parchment paper
• Exacto knife

Directions

My design choice was a mermaid tail which I printed on my laser printer. I placed it face down on a piece of rubber, covered it with parchment paper, and pressed (don’t rub) with a medium-warm iron to transfer the printed design. You can also draw directly on your piece of rubber.

Using the Exacto knife, I cut out the size stamp I wanted.

Carving around the design was next. You don’t have to carve super deep—a mistake in technique I made.

Little crescent-shaped cuts evoke mermaid scales.

Ready for testing.

I made modifications in each test.

A quick bit of sewing yielded simple little pouches for the stamp and ink pad to keep ink off my new letterboxing bag.

Here is how it will look when I stamp journals in letterboxes I find.

Blessings Friday: Tasha Tudor Day and Blog Action Day 2008

There are two upcoming events I want to tell you about. One honors the life of a woman and one fights poverty. Although seemingly different, both are about living mindfully and taking responsibility for the way in which we live and interact with others.

Tasha Tudor Day August 28, 2008

Clarice at Storybook Woods is hosting a celebration in memory of this wonderful woman’s life as indicated in the picture. I’m joining in the celebration that day and hope you’ll join in as well. It’s going to be awesome to see how Tasha Tudor touched other people’s lives and discover creative ways of continuing her legacy.

Blog Action Day October 15, 2008



“Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day in order to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.”

I participated in Blog Action Day last year with a series of posts about making your own natural cleaning products and am registered again for this year’s effort. Poverty is the topic for this year’s campaign.

What Can One Person Do?

• Read about Blog Action Day here


• Commit and register your blog here


• Watch this YouTube video:

I’m grateful for role models like Tasha Tudor who prove it’s possible to live life mindfully. And I am grateful for the opportunity to help fight poverty.

Sole-ful Slippers

The February/March 2008 issue of Home Companion magazine featured a slippers project created by Heather Ross. I’d saved the article to try this summer. There’s also an online version of the project here.



Heather’s fabric choices are adorable, but I immediately thought Japanese slippers and chose to use some fabrics from my stash. I bought the needed felted wool at Bella Quiltworks. I opted not to use the rick-rack because it doesn't go with my Japanese concept.



I thought it would be amusing to embroider my nick-name Japanese style using a kanji for each part of my name. It surprised me to discover that kanjis are pictograms of Chinese origin. I did the embroidery before assembling the slipper components.



The left shoe says June and the right kanji means Moon = June Moon. In researching kanjis for the months of the year, I discovered that the Japanese don’t really say “June” but say “sixth month”. So, I guess that makes me “Sixth Month Moon”. That’s kind of fun.

Update: Ge Bei Si left a helpful comment that the word for "month" is the same as "moon" so I am actually "Sixth Moon Moon." Thank you, Go Bei Si! I did notice the two kanjis were the same but was hesitant to make the association. As I'm not fluent in Japanese, I worried the whole kanji endeavor would come out as some horrid curse instead of my actual intent. This new alteration is another layer of fun because I'm a Gemini; being "Moon Moon" goes quite well with the astrological association.

Blueberries and Blackberries

Here’s a cobbler recipe for you. I made it last week for my friend Kristie when she came over for craft night at my house. Her craft project was embroidering a beautiful floral design on a handkerchief and I worked on my embroidery for my letterboxing bag which I showed you the other day.

The recipe comes from my copy of the July 2001 issue of Our State: Down Home in North Carolina magazine.

Knitting Needles Sleeve Tutorial

Look at these gorgeous knitting needles I received from Kelli at Laurel-Hill, a knitting needle and crochet hook manufacturer. Their needles are made from laminated exotic woods—they look and feel glorious in my hand. You can buy them here. Kelli also writes a fun and helpful crocheting and knitting blog.



Wouldn’t a set of these exquisite needles be fantastic as part of a knitting gift set? I started thinking a pretty sleeve for needles would be nice to include. So I made myself a pattern which I’ll share with you.

Knitting Needles Sleeve Tutorial

Needed: Scrap fabric at least 12-inches in length and 6-inches wide

• Step 1: Using the pattern I provide here in PDF form, cut two pieces from your fabric. Adjust the pattern to fit your size needles by simply enlarging or reducing the page. I designed it to fit my size 10 needles.

• Step 2: Turn the Top edge of the first piece under ¼-inch toward the wrong side of the fabric, turn another ¼-inch, press, and stitch to make a finished edge. Repeat for the second piece.

• Step 3: Place the two fabric pieces right sides together, pin.

• Step 4: Stitch a ¼-inch seam around all three sides. Do not sew across the opening (Top edge) which is already finished and where you’ll insert your needles when done. Trim the corners of the bottom (narrowest part), being careful not to cut through the stitches.

• Step 5: Turn the sleeve inside out and press.

Slip in your beautiful knitting needles and you’re done!

Finnyknit’s “Not Ugly Car Trash Bag”

This weekend finally gave me the chance to try Finnyknits’ wonderful tutorial for making what she calls a “Not Ugly Car Trash Bag”—and she’s right as it isn’t ugly at all.



It’s an easy and fast project. I found both the sea shell and fisherman’s net fabrics at Jo-Ann’s Fabrics on sale last week.

Old Mermaid Self

Today's mermaid music:



The drawstring bag I was using for my letterboxing adventures worked fine for six years but doesn’t go with my mermaid rubber stamp very well and is somewhat boring. I finished a new one last night more keeping with my theme.



The Japanese Knot Bag tutorial works great for this project. The sides and handles are interfaced with flannel, a piece of Timtex from my stash interfaces the round bottom section. After cutting out the pieces and before assembling for sewing, I embroidered a mermaid on one side and waves all around the circumference. Variegated floss was used for embellishing the edges in blanket stitch. The next thing I want to do for my kit is carve my own mermaid stamp instead of using a store-bought version.



Quote from The Old Mermaid’s Journal which I added to a graphic

I’ve quite enjoyed my mermaid celebration week and thank Calamity-Kim for conceiving the whole idea. Have a great weekend and I hope you find your Old Mermaid self.

Mm…Mermaid

Today’s mermaid music:





Carriage House Samplings designs historic needlework patterns. They have a cute series of alphabets from which I chose M for Mermaid.



Their project was made into a little pillow ornament. I decided to make mine a patch to sew on my denim jacket.



The design was cross-stitched on 32-count linen. I created a half-inch seam around the design, used Dritz Fray Check around the edges, folded each edge under 1/4" and then again another 1/4" before sewing the patch to the center of the back of my jacket.

Mermaid Bags and Books

Today’s mermaid music to listen to while reading:




These two embroidered toiletry bags were made last year (pre-blogging). I embroidered the mermaid design on the fabrics before sewing the pieces together and installing a zipper. The bags are pretty roomy, I've stuffed a rolled-up bath towel inside and there's still room.



The bags are lined with vinyl and I painted a wood bead to add to the ribbon hanging from the zipper for each bag.



To make the toiletry bags, I used the instructions from Romantic Home Sewing: Cottage-Style Projects to Stitch for the Home.

Books are one of my loves in life as much as mermaids. I checked to see just how many mermaid books are listed at Amazon.com—33,290 at last check. The following are three in my collection (for adults, not children).


The Forgotten Voyage of the H.M.S. Baci

This photo of the front/back cover provides a synopsis of the tale (click on the picture to enlarge for reading). Think Darwin’s voyage on the HMS Beagle, but Sir Roberts’ expedition has mermaids and he falls in love with one. This is the companion volume to Robert Kline’s erotic Sea Maiden paintings (definitely not for kids) which I went to see at a gallery at Topsail Island, N.C. last year.


The Mermaid Chair

Jesse discovers a secret that shaped her life during a time when she is also discovering herself. It’s about guilt, redemption, sin, and forgiveness. Jesse wonders if the Mermaid Chair really has power and discovers it’s something that comes from within as opposed to without. Loss of self is one Sue Monk Kidd’s premises. The author describes her protagonist as a woman “who wanted only to belong to herself”. Isn’t that what all women desire?


A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids

Advice, wit, and wisdom about getting your life together; the book is described as “an enchanting way of hydrating your weary mermaid soul”—I love that phrase.

A Day in the Life of a Mermaid

Today’s mermaid music is:



I’ve mentioned my love of Tai Chi and most of you know my secret mermaid persona. Yesterday I picked up the new catalog for Tucson Parks and Recreation’s fall program and found a perfect marriage of water and Tai Chi—just right for a mermaid.



I called and signed up right away—there’s more to mermaid exercise than just swimming.


Graphic from The Vintage Workshop; text added by me.

A mermaid’s skin needs care and attention—all that swimming about in the salty sea, y’know. Naturally this calls for Mermaid Lotion, a recipe found in a library book years ago (I don’t remember the book title but this was the actual name of the recipe). This takes a bit extra effort but is a wonderful product. My ingredients come from the local New Life Health Center.



It’s been a busy day; now it’s time for a nap in my beach dollhouse. A new addition is an embroidered linen bedside rug from A Touch of Fancy.

Mermaids

Calamity-Kim celebrated mermaids last week. Mermaids fascinate me, so I thought I’d continue the celebration this week on my own blog. To start, here’s some mermaid music to enjoy:





Mermaid Paper Doll created by the ever-amazing Calamity Kim herself via her Etsy shop.



I’m collecting mermaid fabrics to make a quilt and will use this gift of Laurel Burch mermaid fabric given to me by my dear friend Kristie (web site and Etsy store).



Glass mermaid wine bottle stopper, a recent gift from my brother-in-law Jeff.



Artist and musician Lisa Thiel painted this portrait of me as a mermaid in 2003.



Replica of an old mermaid tavern sign from Boston, a gift from my husband who strangely enough found it in an antique shop in Bisbee, AZ.



I framed three mermaid pictures for our master bath and found bits of poetry to go with each. This sample picture has a quote about mermaids from Alfred Lord Tennyson.



Dish towels I’m embroidering using Aunt Martha’s Hot Iron Transfers (The Mystic Mermaid #3984). So far I’ve completed four, only three more to go.

There’s much more to my mermaid collection, but I’m pretty sure you get the idea of my love for all things mermaid.

Blessings Friday: Lughnasadh

Summer is flying by and here we are at the first of August. Even though it’s in the triple digits where I am, our days are slowly growing shorter and our shadows longer. We’re entering harvest time.


The Harvest by Vincent van Gogh

Today is what the ancient Celts called Lughnasadh (pronounced 'loo-na-sa'). The medieval Christian name is Lammas. Whatever it's called, August 1 marks the beginning of harvest season and was traditionally a time of community gatherings, market festivals, and reunions with distant family and friends. It is still honored in many places around the world.



A Lughnasadh tradition is to bake bread with the season's first wheat. I’ve made a loaf of Cinnamon Raisin Bread. This morning I will spend time writing in my journal using prompts from School of the Seasons as there are other sorts of harvest in addition to food.


Source: World Food Programme

In this time of bounty for many of us, I’m mindful of those who go hungry. If you want to help fight hunger, a simple Google search will net you numerous humanitarian organizations—locally, nationally, and world-wide. I’ve made my choice.



Although I don’t personally have crops to harvest, I sincerely thank those whose hard labor provides us the blessing of food on our tables.