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.

Volunteer, Already

I volunteered to be the Recycling Artist for a school event. Taught 47 students how to turn a t-shirt into a spiffy bag!

Take a T-shirt

I taught Hannah how to take a t-shirt that she and her sisters weren't going to wear, sew up the bottom hem and cut off the sleeves and cut out the neck to make a great bag...

Or APRON!  Work pocket apron for berries, or tools, you could add pockets (this is what comes from brainstorming with a creative niece!  We had fun!)  Or a super-hero cape!

A princess hair veil, wrist bracelet out of a sleeve...pony tail holder!

Or head kerchief tied under your chin or tied behind your neck it is a snood to put all your hair in like a hair net!  Versatile!

The love bags I brought with me to share contained this ruffle-petticoat tiered skirt, that Roxie has outgrown but wore when she got baptized two years ago, before I added the netting ruffles.  There were 4 ruffled skirts in the bags.  Which surprised me.  I seem to go through creation phases, try something several ways, work out the kinks. 

Summer of Unplugged-ness

I am sure this is terribly idealistic.

If you have teenagers, you know how they can turn into summer slugs, never seeing the light of day, holed up in their dens of entertainment. Erratic sleep cycles. Endless naps. Plugged in.

The recent youth conference expanded on the theme of un-plugging. I love this goal, and the determination to live, and not lull our lives away. It's not just laziness, but dependency on media that wastes time. I love my computer and blog reading, but the goal is to make sure I've done the minimum 6 things each day, too. Reading, praying, and serving.

Chore charts, work reward calendars...we haven't tried any for awhile. The goal is to get my household of tweens and teenagers to be more social, learn new skills, do some work, but mostly to INTERACT with each other. This is a checklist, with spaces to write in the MINUTES our children work on each thing, earning time to play solo computer games. If they are watching a movie together, that counts as social time. I want them to create a community, a family identity, eventually not needing the checklist, just doing good all the time and finding their own balance of real living and achieving good goals (not just a personal best score in a game...).

The list of "Mom's Special Jobs" include things like building a tree house, inventorying my fabrics and paints, keeping outside plants watered, bleach projects, moss graffiti, drawing lessons, painting downstairs bathroom, painting back porch!

We will see how this works, and how it morphs over the 12 weeks of summer.

Minimum A Day to EARN 1st hour computer time:
1. beautify home/world: make bed, clean floor S M T W Th F S
2. read Book of Mormon on own 15 minutes S M T W Th F S
3. praying: AM/PM/MEALS S M T W Th F S
4. do daily HOUSE CHORE S M T W Th F S (this is a rotating list of dishes, garbage, emptying recyclables, every day stuff)
5. exercise 20 minutes M T W Th F S
6. write in journal/blog/email parents S M T W Th F S (if they don't want to journal, they can email me a letter about their day, and I will start keeping their electronic history for them!)

Extras:
babysitting ___S ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
cooking or sewing lessons___S ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
cooking family meals___S ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
craft project ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
dancing___S ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
Grandpa John work ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
magnify talent___S ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
Mom Special Jobs ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
more exercise ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
mow lawn ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
NAME EXTRACTION___S ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
personal history-scrapbook __S __ M __T ___W ___Th ___F ___S
piano practice___S ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
picking up sticks in backyard ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
pull weeds in garden ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
pulling ivy off of bricks ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
read history book___S ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
read a classic___S ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
read General Conference Talk ___S ___M ___T ___W ___Th __F___ S
read Church magazine___S ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
scrub downstairs bathroom ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
scrub upstairs bathroom ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
study Preach My Gospel___S ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
sweep back porch/sidewalk ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
sweep front sidewalk ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
sweep & mop KITCHEN floor ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
sweep/mop seminary floor ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
sweep stairs going downstairs ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
volunteer work in community ___ M ___ T ___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
write letter to missionaries___S ___ M ___T___ W ___Th ___F ___ S
write or research family history___S __M __T ___ W ___Th __F ___ S
___________________________S __M __T ___ W ___Th __F ___ S
___________________________S __M __T ___ W ___Th __F ___ S

Real Sewing Kit

It all fit in a small-size of an index card, clear, zip bag that originally held Avon hair curling pillows.
Inside: embroidery super sharp real scissors in their own specially made zipper bag so they don't poke through the plastic bag or impale searching fingers. Seam ripper (that I bought before I remembered these cool scissors) for cutting thread, opening up BRAND NEW SUIT POCKETS and back flap. Buttons! Shirt-sized white buttons! A couple of hook and eyes for pants. White & black pre-threaded needles for quick fixes and an extra needle for digging out splinters...or re-threading. Yes, he knows how to sew on a button, but this was for convenience, speedy help. He is on the Lord's errand, and his time precious.
Mending tape, in white & black. All it needs is scissors and hot iron and you can repair holes in shirts and pants made from fence wires, sharp edges, etc. You cut to size bigger than the rip, put it over the hole from the reverse side, and iron to glue it shut. Looks better than crazy stitches, and makes the shirt/pants last a little bit longer without ripping more. Velcro, just in case.

Tie Tradition

Stewart has been working with our local missionaries, teaching with them. Both elders presented him with missionary ties, signed on the back of the widest part with silver Sharpies, wishing him well, signing their names. Better than a yearbook or farewell card. Simple tradition of friendship & encouragement. I bough Stewart two silver sharpies to take with him.

Today we took our last trip with him down to the DC temple before he leaves.


He is chaperoning at the youth conference tonight, writing his talk for tomorrow.

I want to make rolls and cupcakes and frog eye salad for company tomorrow & goodbye last meals...Stewart requested pistachio pudding frosting and shrimp cocktail-Utah Grandma Laura-style!

Everything else is done that we can do for now. Except a good warm winter coat. John wants him to wait and ask other missionaries what they used, how warm, etc.

What happens when a quilter's son serves a full time Mormon mission? REAL sewing tools! I made him a sweet specialized sewing kit, with real scissors in their own safety pouch, JUST WHITE & BLACK thread, pre-threaded needles, extra shirt buttons, mini-safety pins, black & white mending tape, velcro. The rinky-dink travel sewing kits have horrible thread in them and cheap-o scissors that never work right.

Granola Guy

In my frenzy to make sure Stewart has good life survival skills before he leaves on his mission to Billings, Montana in 15 days, today was learn-to-make-granola day. Cheaper than buying it, filling, you can control the sweetness, and the ultimate comfort food. We used Alton Brown's base recipe, but made a bigger batch. Stewart chose cranberries and coconut to add in.
Oats, oat bran, pecans, sesame seeds, honey, maple syrup, oil, salt.

TIFFANY NEEDS TO READ THIS More Last Thursday Mother's Class results: I took Sam & Roxie shopping with me for a cereal container. Normally, I would have gone by myself, while they were in school. But the play/work class helped me realize I need to teach them how to shop--which is work!

I told them what I was looking for, the features the container needed (plastic, not glass, big to fit lots of granola, pourable spout, ergonomic handle or easy to pour, good use of space and fit in our cupboard, and not expensive.)

We started at Dollar Tree, nothing, and almost walked out, but they had swim noodles in two new colors for our pattern "teach sewing skills" game March 31st post! Then we went to the grocery store. Compared containers, calculated which one was bigger (one was listed as 1.5 gallons, other was 40 ounces. Which is bigger? Math in the grocery isle!). We then went to Ollies, and Dollar General, looking, walking out when we didn't find what we needed. The $8.99 Rubbermaid cereal container at ShopRite seems to fit the most of our requirements, except the cheap part. It took awhile, but I hope they learned how I shop, what I look for, what is important to me (price and function!). We came home and put the granola in ziplock gallon bags, until we find the perfect container!

Teaching Sewing Skills

My Two Tuesday Toddler friends aren't ready for a sharp needle yet...


But jump ropes and dollar store noodles, cut with a bread saw knife...


...made oodles of fun! Good pattern teaching potential. I got this idea from--someone else's blog not that one linked, but same idea. Not my original idea. Did find a great list of how to decorate with them here.