Halloween.......

Halloween........

Like it or not,

It's coming.

Are you ready?????

DIY Double Sided Door Draft Stopper

Boy, try saying that again really fast - 

DIY Double Sided Door Draft Stopper.

That is a mouthful.

But it is such a cool thing....you will see.

It is not only a draft stopper.  It is a noise muffler and a light stopper.  So, when you have kids sleeping and you don't want light and noise going under the door.......

But the best thing about it is that it opens and shuts with the door.  There is no stumbling over it when the door is open.  It doesn't make noise.  You never lose it.  It is lightweight.  It is cute.

It's a winner.

Start with some cute fabric.

Cut 2 strips 9 inches wide and 2 inches longer than the door you want to muffle.

Sew a quarter inch seam around the 2 long sides and one short side, to make it one long tube.

Turn it right side out and press.

There are different sizes of pipe covers.  You can buy them in Walmart for just a few dollars.  Cut them a little shorter than the width of the door.  You still want to be able to open and close the door.

You want to be able to slide the tubes inside the cute sleeve you just made.  You can slide them in now to see where to put the seams to hold them in there.

Measure and sew the pockets along the length.  You will have a pocket on each side for the tubes and a flat part in the middle.  That is where you will slide it under the door.

Then slide those babies in.

Fold the open end in a quarter inch or so and sew it with your machine to give it a nice finished look.  You may have a few inches to fold in depending on the door you want to use it on.  Just cut off what you don't need.

You are done!

So perfect.  

Now open and close your door a few times and listen to the quiet.

Shirt to Apron Tutorial

You can take this great shirt and make an even greater looking apron.

Follow along and see what we can do.

Lay it out flat.

Cut the arms and back out right along the seams.

Cut again, sloping down from the neck to the arm pit.  Yep, leave the collar in place.  That is the charming part about this apron.  I love this two tone shirt I found.  Levi shirts also look great.

I leave a little bit around the neck so I can turn it under for a finished seam.

I also angled the sides down to the bottom.   I leave as much of the bottom seam as I can.  Sometimes I have left it square from the sides to the bottom.  You just have to cut off the side seams.

Cut two 4 inch strips from the very back of the back.  These will be your waist ties.  The length turns out to be perfect.  

I fold the 4 inch strips in halve lengthwise and iron.  I finished both long sides with a rolled hem on my serger.  If you don't have a serger, you can turn in the unfinished edge and top stitch both sides.  The bottom seam of the shirt will become the finished end of the tie.  It a little uneven at the end but being that it was the bottom of the shirt makes it fun.

Put a little pleat in the tie and pin it about a half inch down at the waist.  Sew it in place.  This is where I serge all my raw edges.  But you can also zig-zag the edges.  Turn them under 1/4 and topstitch.

We are almost done.

On the front of the apron, to keep it from flying open.  I sew down both sides of the panel from about the third button down.  I leave the top open so it can be opened and closed as needed.

I made a cute flower with the fabric from the arm and I added the cuff as the base.

I just love this flower.

From a Cool shirt...........

.........to a Funky Apron!



Didn't take very long, did it?

Here is the same thing in Denim. 

So, what are you waiting for?

Bon Appétit!

Mamma's got a brand new bag.....I'm taking offers.....

It's a NEW BAG! 

Like I need another one.  And it is Red, White and Blue!

What could make it better?

It is a great little bag.  It is padded so I can carry my Ipad and phone.  There are no magnets to hamper my sensitive electronics.

But I need to find it a new home.

I just have toooooo many.

(Shoes for some but bags for me!)

Let me know if this one is speaking to you and we can make a deal.

Pieces of a Puzzle

These were made with a Twister Pattern.  I love it!

It was kind of hard at first.  I sewed all the pieces together, then cut them, then I had to piece them back together.  It just wasn't working.  I couldn't figure it out.  I thought I would have to throw all my hard work away.  And then "click" I saw it.

It was like the clouds parted and I could see how to put them together.  It was like getting to the end of a 1000 piece puzzle.  It felt so good.

You can find more information on "Twisted Patterns" here - http://country-schoolhouse.com/

It is really cool how they fit together to make this windmill.

She is done and I am happy.

I was thinking..........

fall is in the air and most people think of chili or hot chocolate or warm cinnamon rolls.

But for me - this is my comfort......