Pillowcase Skirts

Spider Man pillowcase skirt with contrasting pocket (this was actually a valance, but same fabric-polyester from thrift store).

Pillowcase (sideways) with purple t-shirt fabric at bottom to give needed length.

And the back.  Exposed colored elastic at top makes this a super fast project:  stretch and sew right to top.  I used the bottom of a too-big t-shirt for purple hem--so no hemming.  The thing that takes the longest is unpicking pillowcase top, bottom, and folded hem where pillow goes in.  That becomes the width of skirt.

Neon dinosaurs, two pillowcases so hemmed edge where pillow goes in is the bottom hem.  I unpicked top and bottom of pillowcase and just cut edge opposite pillow opening and sewed the two pillowcases together, so this one is a little fuller.  Notice pink elastic at top?  Tuesday Morning had great "baby" elastic for cheap.

And last one to show you today is Archie and Friends.  There is a pocket on the left so you can't see the modesty skirts I applique added to the girls' mini skirts...Purple heart elastic on the top of this one.

Happy Valentine's Day to Your Hands (and His) a Little Early While it is SO COLD OUTSIDE!

My mom blogged about their smitten and I was intrigued!  Fantastic idea:  a mitten that allows you to hold hands with your sweetheart (or a young child) and stay warm, skin contact without having to switch back and forth between coat pockets...Perfect for walks in the cold!

Here is my hack:  Take a knit hat, inside it out, and from the top sew 2.5 inch smooth U shape, zig-zag because it is knit and you don't want it to fray.  Sew back and forth several rounds.  I tried increasing zig width, decreasing stitch length, using a variety to make sure it is good and stitched, secure and won't unravel when you do the next step:  CUT

Tried the straight cut, seemed to work fine.

Also tried a more key-hole shape and then CUT like this:

...which did not seem to make much difference.  I would recommend applique zig-zag stitch heart or other personalized decoration BEFORE you inside out and make center seam.

And write your name on at least one so you don't give them all away!

Coming in the mail soon to you, my Utah children.  There is one in there for Aunt Becca & Chris, too.  Thanks to Deborah for discovering this cool idea!

John's right arm in gray, me with my left hand in couple glove while taking picture.

Hack This?

I have 3 1/2 months before #1 daughter's wedding, and I am day-dreaming about my yard. It's not like I need another project...But this idea has me intrigued, and fits under "spiffy up the house for company" goal. And "cleaning up the sewing room" goal.

Trip with Tiffany to see the wonders of PA (she kept telling me to imagine these planters full of color!):

I see heavy duty felt, grommets to hang on vertical surface, a tarp-like liner against the wall side.

Buy them (watch the video) here. Or make them tutorial here.
These are on my must try list!

Stay On Power Hack

Gladiator Flip Flops for fun! I didn't have any black elastic, so I used bias tape, hid my white elastic inside!

I used one package of extra wide double fold bias tape-3 yard package for each pair and 1 package braided 3/8 inch elastic at 2 yards. I cut the bias tape length in half, cut the elastic in half, and sewed the elastic inside the bias tape, pulling the elastic tight so it ruffled and used 1.5 yards of tape for 1 yard of elastic.

Follow Delia's instructions for wrapping the elastic around your leg and flip flop, pin, and sew.


Super comfortable.

Altering Sweater Finds

Tis the season-for sweaters!

The blue 100% silk sweater ($2.48 at my favorite thrift store) used to be a turtleneck. Now it is a crew neck, very wearable. It was easy to cut off the offending neck and sew with matching thread.

I tried Day 13 from this blog inspiration, and Suzanna liked it! Take a white/off white sweater and sew couplets of lace on the shoulders. This is my favorite alteration, so far.


Imagine this without the silver turtleneck (the bottom half of the silver sweater turned into a bolero for a dance jacket---must get a picture of that on the beautiful model to show you!

I tried Day 15 with a nice ocher polar fleece sewn to the hem and neck of a yellow bolero and left longer piece to wrap around neck-super cute-and then made another ochre scarf, loving the organic leaf-look.

Flowers & Belly Bands

For a friend's baby shower I made these yellow coffee filter roses. I am not a coffee drinker, and it took me awhile to find them in the dollar store (not used to looking for them). $1 for 150 filters=150 flowers. I cannot re-find the original coffee filter tutorial that I learned from to make these rosebuds...There is a good link through M(artha) S(tewart) to a mom who sells them if you google the subject. Or, if you come by my house, I will show you how I did it. Not hard. ANY color possible! Two of my sisters-by-marriage are currently gestating. Luanna and I brainstormed for good, affordable gifts, and she said the thing she loved the most were the hacked belly bands I made her during her last pregnancy. These did not exist 10 years ago when I was having my 6th baby. Rather than starting from stretchy-fabric-scratch, I found some super stretchy t-shirts, and hacked them.

Literally.

Cut the shirt right below the armpits, both layers. Zig-zag stitch around the opening, leave the already-hemmed bottom as the edge that shows, and you have a stretchy tube-belt. Good support, good coverage for that peek-a-boo tummy.

$1.25 for t-shirt from thrift store vs. $30+ range for the original.

Almost embarrassing to admit, but I really, really like these. Now. For me. And my NOT-pregnant-just-chunky, shirts-not-quite-long-enough-for-my-current body.

VERY convenient. Does wonders for modesty so you can stretch without showing skin. Nice with pants, skirts. See the above photo, that darker, under shirt, that was once a t-shirt. Biggest advantage is how low you can wear it, without the layers and heat of a tank top.

Find the stretchiest, smallest tshirt that will fit around your waist. Cut. Try it on. Most of the t-shirt knits do not need to be zig-zagged if they do not unravel, so you can wear it as is.

Hack & Hairstyle

Do you have men's-style t-shirts that are unflattering, unattractive, uncomfortable?

To get the not-tight-fit around the bust sometimes you end up with a t-shrit with sleeves that come down to your elbows, not cool. I did this hack to a bunch of Emma's shirts to make them fit femininely and modestly.

Not hard, but a good pair of scissors, knit "ball point" needle on sewing machine, and thread to match shirt helps.

1. Take a t-shirt that you love the fit(=*A*), right shoulder seam length, good sleeve length.

2. Place *A* right-side up on top of shirt to be cut *B*, matching neck openings and laugh at the HUGE shoulder seam difference. Carefully move *A* out of way of your scissors but follow the curve of *A* and cut *B* to match. Don't worry about seam allowance, cut the curve.


3. Then reposition *A* on top of cut off sleeve, use the HEM of *A* and match it to hem of *B* and cut away extra sleeve fabric. This way you don't have to do any hemming, nice finished edge already made. You are just creating a new sleeve-shoulder seam!


4. Join new sleeve to body of *B*, stretching if necessary or gathering if sleeve is bigger than opening. On this shirt the armpit armscyle (I don't think I spelled that right--it's the space under your armpit in clothing) was lower than I wanted it, so I just sewed it up an inch and a half higher so it would match the sleeve length.


It isn't sewn in this photo, but you hopefully get the idea.


Roxie had a Princess Daddy-Daughter Dance last night, so we did an up-do. My favorite easy one. When she started to fidget because it was taking so long, I told her it was the same hairstyle I did for Emma before one of her dances. That made Roxie hold still.


It is actually pretty fast, considering...All you need are a pony tail made high on back of head, Bobby pins to hold braided sections--don't wrap ends, just twist into loop and secure leaving stick sections to spritz and flare out.


The amazing stake Primary presidency taught them how to waltz with their dads and supplied the tiaras! 80 princesses aged 8-11 twirling and dreaming their dreams true.

Three Tables Full

These kids are incredible! They came in cheerful and talkative. They sang! They followed directions! They didn't groan too loudly when I took their picture! I noticed some neighborhood kids walking to school do double-takes at the group of beautiful teenagers coming out of our home this morning! They are impressive, and a powerful group for good.


Pillows are allowed for the hard metal seats, yes. Young Men walking to the High School will be encouraged to be gentlemen and carry music instruments and book bags of the Young Women. I actually insist on it. (Nothing romantic or dating about it, just the proper thing to do. Encourage the YW you know to BE ladies, and encourage them to encourage the guys to act their part. If we hop out of the cars before they have a chance to physically get to our door to open it, we rob them of the chance to be gentlemen. Sit and wait for it. It is worth the respect, I think.)

Did you know they changed the name? Instead of "Early Morning Seminary" it is now known as "Daily Seminary." Suggesting, perhaps, that it become a daily habit that we take on after high school, to our missions/marriage and throughout adulthood. Daily spending time with the scriptures is a great goal for all of us!



Students chose reading charts today. One is a pretty color-in-as-you-read fun one, the other has check boxes that encourage 10 minutes a day of reading the Book of Mormon. They will finish the entire book in 36 weeks of daily seminary with no problem. Or, they can do a Parley P. Pratt and read it straight through without stopping until they finish it several hours later. Either.

Students have all "adopted" a Scripture Mastery verse. Refer to the attatched Devotional calendar for reminders. They should be able to tell you what their verse says/means. If you have ideas on how they can visually illustrate a memory trick for that verse, please make suggestions! Each student is responsible for creating a visual clue, and giving a devotional on that verse in the coming month.

Special guest speaker tomorrow morning! Please be on time. Seats are slightly shifted to pull the tables out from the wall, just look for your large/small/tiny plates and scriptures and Scripture Mastery pictures to find your spot.

And students, think of another something you are thankful for to add to your blessings list (to put in the "Tiny Plates").

24 students---so for the time being, we are going to postpone Friday "breakfasts" and do something else. There will be educational food sharing on this Friday and I will talk to the students more about new traditions.

Thanks for your support!
(I had thought of making small & large plates during the summer, and then last Saturday was shown a website selling Small and Large Plate journals, but for more than I could spend on our budget, even reimbursed...Hack your own with composition books and Ensign/New Era pictures! Every day I want them to write something in at least one of the books. Assignments will be glued in for them. Trying different teaching methods to get the students into their scriptures and WRITING down their thoughts and feelings, without calling it a "journal" or making it scary.