Fresh Starts

Here I sit on New Year’s Day, bored, unhappy with my job, scrolling through pinterest looking for something to do, some way to earn extra money, some way to change my career.  Finally the realization hits that all year my thoughts have been swirling around journaling, editing, proofreading, blogging, writing.  So why aren’t I doing it?

A new resolution:  Just do it.  Don’t worry about whether it will work or if anyone will read it.  Writing is catharsis, so just sit down and write something!  My 40^th birthday is exactly one week away, and while some wonderful things have happened during those 40 years, I would say they have been marked with a pattern of victim-mindset, lack of confidence, and fear.  This will also serve as another step away from that habit of self-defeatism.  I will do it, say it, mean it, and not apologize for being who I am.  That doesn’t have to mean selfishness or callousness.  I can still strive to be compassionate, thoughtful, tactful, honest and patient.  I just don’t have to sacrifice myself to get there.

Is it Spring yet?

All of a sudden I feel like spring is right around the corner!  The weather for the last week has been sunny and upper 50s, which is fab for early February in West Virginia!  I also got my seed orders, and will be seeding some lettuce tomorrow.  The latest Tractor Supply ad was about Chick Days (in less than a month!), which means that I need to get going on a project I am very excited about - building a chicken coop!  I have done a lot of research, and took elements from several plans/tutorials/tip lists, and designed one myself that takes into account our small number of chickens (I'm thinking 6 for this first venture), reclaimed materials available, the access points I want, and mobility.  Yes, I am going for a chicken tractor.  That way I don't have to dedicate an area of the yard to ruin, they can help keep the bugs down while having a more natural and lower cost diet, and they can help me dig up new garden plots if I want by just parking them in the same spot for a few days.  I'm a little nervous, it is the biggest carpentry project by far that I've ever undertaken, but nothing ventured, nothing gained!

It's been pretty quiet, craft wise, around our house lately.  I've been working on cleaning out the basement to make room for plants.  I did clear the area I wanted to, but there is still an amazing amount of junk down there.  I have been working on the block of the month at Craftsy, with reasonable results.

January was slashed blocks:

And February was half-square triangles:

I am enjoying it.  I don't know if I have the patience to do an entire quilt of the same square, so this sampler quilt is right up my alley.  My corners are definitely getting crisper with practice, but the jury is still out on whether I am truly quilter material (ba-dum ching!)

The kids and I had a great Fail yesterday - we tried to mimic the tutorial here, but I obviously didn't read the directions thoroughly.  We started out  coloring pictures on some scrap fabric with permanent markers.

Aaaawwww... my sweet babies!  Of course, K likes to do the opposite of what I tell her, so she left very little white space on her pictures.  In retrospect, I should have known to tell her to color as much as possible.  Anyway, we would up with these:

I taped them onto some shallow pie plates to catch to drips, and poured on some rubbing alcohol.  This is where I stopped reading and started just looking the pictures on the tutorial.  I was supposed to use and eye dropper and a few drops of alcohol.  Ha!  We used the bottle on these four 1'squares!  I didn't get as much of the gist as I thought.  Instead of the lovely patterns they got with a few drops, we got a big drippy mess!  First this:

Not bad, right?  I even liked the house in a horror-movie-about-possessed-children kind of way.  But they just kept spreading and spreading, and lost all there charm.

So, in the bin!  Oh well, at least we had a little science experiment, and a lesson in paying attention to all the instructions!  I guess you're never too old for a Kindergarten refresher!

Backpack Tutorial

My daughter has been using a beach bag for school this year.  She got it for her birthday last March, and fell in love with it.  It's just a cheap plastic oversize tote with colorful polka dots, but my girl knows what she likes and would not be talked out of it.  FINALLY she has gotten over it.  I let her pick out some fabric for a new book bag, but I had a hard time finding a tutorial for the style she wanted - just plain old, traditional zippered backpack with a pocket in the front.  I found plenty of toddler, drawstring (which I HATE!!), overly complicated, just plain funky...so I took some pointers from the ones I read through, and came up with this!

 My pretty Pookie with her hot new bag!

To start out, I created a template based on an old backpack we had hanging around.  I drew a rectangle 12"by 18", then rounded the bottom corners with a small circle (I used a votive candle), and the top corners with a candy dish, about a 12"diameter.  Just line your circles up with the edges and trace.

Ta da!  Now from this simple template cut 2 pieces of your outside fabric, two pieces of liner, and two pieces of heavy interfacing.  Go ahead and iron together (or baste if your interfacing isn't iron on) your front and back pieces: outside, interface, lining, with right sides showing. 

Next, I made the zipper pocket on the front.  For this I traced another piece of outer fabric and inner fabric from the bottom of my template, about 10" tall.  I just cut the top of the template off straight across.  Then, I installed the zipper on my pocket.  Detailed instructions on this method here, but these are the broad strokes.  Line up your inner and outer fabrics right sides facing and draw a long thin rectangle where you want the zipper to go (about 1/2" wide and at least 1" away from top and sides of pocket).  Sew the fabric together on the rectangle you marked.  Then cut a line inside and down the length of the rectangle, and a "Y" shape to the 4 corners (forgot to take pics of this, but its all on the other tute if this is confusing).  Then simply turn it out so wrong sides are facing, and you should have a nice neat rectangle shaped hole.   Line your zipper up in the opening, and topstitch it in place.

Voila, you have cheated the zipper gods again, and left your zipper foot peacefully collecting dust.  I ironed the top under, and then basted it on the bag front with a 1/4" seam.  The sides are still unfinished.

Almost forgot!  I cut those little triangles on the bottom corners to help when I sew on the sides.  It just helps turn the corner. 

Okay, now for the sides.  The ones on the bag I was using as a reference were 5" wide, so I cut pieces 6"x11" from the outer, inner and interface fabrics and ironed them together for the bottom of the bag.  I then cut two 5"x12" pieces from the outer fabric to go up the sides of my bag, and sewed them onto the bottom piece.  You could interface and line them, but I didn't bother.

Those silly cats are my bag lining.  Just a reminder, this is for a first grade girl (cats and hot pink making sense now, right?)

Next, prep the main zipper.  I cut two strips from my outer fabric about 4" x 24" for my 22" zipper.  Since the zipper can show on this, I simply placed a strip on the zipper, wrong sides facing, and seamed it like normal.  Then ironed the selvedge over and repeated on the other side.  My zipper foot has such a nice cozy little receptacle that I hate to disturb it. 

You can see in the pic I trimmed it down to 6" - I did it asymmetrically, but you can put the zip in the middle if you want. 

Now to attach your backpack zipper, sides and bottom to the front of the bag.  If you are confident in your measuring skills, you can trim the excess off your bottom sides, sew them to your zipper panel to make a loop, and then sew it on your bag face.  If your measuring precision is more C- like mine, you can cheat.

I found the center of my zipper panel, and pinned it to the center of my bag face, right sides facing.  Then I sewed it outward from the center with a 1/2"seam, stopping a bit short of the end on both sides.

I did the same thing with the bottom, centering on the bag and then sewing outward.

I don't know why blogger wanted to turn this picture sideways, but I think you still get the point.

Once I got close to where the zipper was ending, I folded under the bottom-side piece, ironed it down, pinned it to the zipper panel, and seamed the two together.

Then this:

(Really?  Why, blogger?)

Then I finished sewing the side to the front of the bag.  I repeated the same nonsense fudging-job on the other side.

Whew!  Almost done, don’t give up on me now! 

Straps!  I decided that since this is for one girl, I did not want to mess with adjustable straps.  So I went back to my original paper template, and placed it on a new piece of paper.  I marked on the paper template where the straps should connect – about 1/3 in on the top, and on the bottom corners.  The top of the straps are about 2 ¾” wide and 1 ¾”on the bottom (that’s with ease).  Then I removed the front template, and with these guides I eyeballed a “J” shape, and then extended the top and bottom beyond where the edges of the bag front were.  I cut 4 of these from the outer fabric (2 mirror image).  I also cut this shape from some leftover quilt batting I had, but you can just use the interfacing again if you want. 

To assemble, I lined up the batting and one side of the strap and basted lines down the length of the strap.  Then I put another strap piece again the first, right sides facing, and sewed with ¼” selvedge.

BTW, those lines aren’t sloppy because I was sooooooo ready to be done, they are free-formed because I am quirky and unique.

Then just sew the other side together and turn right side out.  The batting/interface should pull through no prob because it is thoroughly basted.

Phew, almost done!  I went ahead and tacked the straps on the back of the bag.  I sewed the tops first, then pinned the bottom and had my muse try it on before sewing it down.

Now sew that beast to the sides, and you are ready for school!

DIY yogurt

I feel like I have been cooking nonstop since Friday!  Daddy doesn't get any home cooked meals while he's gone at work all week, so I try to cook as much as I can when he's here.  J and I made cupcakes on Friday while K was at school, and she iced and sprinkled them when she got home.  Then pork loin for dinner, bacon and eggs Saturday morning, and meatloaf Saturday night.  He got called back into work Sunday afternoon, so the kids and I had pork fajitas (yum!) for dinner Sunday night.  Monday I spent a large part of the day prepping stuff for the week: namely, veggie burgers to freeze and yogurt.

If you haven't made yogurt before, you really ought to try - it is very simple.  All it takes is some milk and a couple spoonfuls of plain yogurt the first time.  Our Kroger had some milk on manager's special, so I made a ton.  Here's how:  

First, find a large pot and a smaller one that fits inside it.  Fill the larger with water, and invert the smaller over the top.  Heat until the water boils to sterilize both pots.

 I have one that works better, but it's filled with yogurt at the moment!  Next, flip over the smaller pot, rest it in the water like a double boiler, and add your milk.  Warm your milk until it starts to froth (185 F if you have a thermometer), then remove and let cool to about 110 F.  It should be hot to the touch, but not scalding - like a hot shower.  Add the last couple spoonfuls out of your last carton of plain yogurt and stir it in - this is called pitching your yogurt.

There are a number of ways to do the next part - you have to keep it at around 110F for about 7 hours.  You can use the double boiler, a crock pot, or heating pad if you like.  I find with these methods I forget about it, leave the heat on too long, and kill the yogurt cultures.  I do best when I don't stress about it too much - I run my hot water until it is as hot as it will go, plug one side of the sink, and make a hot water bath for the yogurt pot.

Keep the lid on the pot, and it will stay warm for a couple hours.  I check it every once in a while and change the water.  Eventually, it will look like this:

You can tell that it's gotten chunky and the whey has separated.  Don't freak out if it's yellow or greenish - that's normal!  If you've ever bought a large container of plain yogurt, it will look familiar.  It will also be a little thinner that you are used to.  Put it in the fridge to cool overnight, and it will be a little thicker the next morning.  Stir it all together and it will be the nice, smooth yogurt you are used to.  It will keep in the frig for several weeks.  And after you do it the first time, you can use you homemade yogurt to pitch your next batch - you don't have to have store bought to make more. 

A note about Greek yogurt - in my experience it takes a little longer for the culture to thicken up.  Just be patient!  Also, it will probably never get as thick as the kind you buy in the store.  Those are usually strained, which you can do yourself with a little cheesecloth and patience!  Just put it in the cheesecloth and either let it sit and drain, or twist the cloth around it in a ball and twist to squeeze the excess moisture out.  Happy yogurt!

Learning to quilt

So, all of  a sudden I am awash in quilting projects!

Quilting is one of those things that I've admired for a long time, but never really taken the leap on.  I made a rag quilt for my son when he was a baby - the kind with the frayed edges.  It was just a simple checkerboard pattern, and I tied it.  So, I effectively skipped all the steps that make it "real" quilting - precise design, binding, and quilting.  Around the same time I inherited a huge collection of old ties - I mean a person's 30 year career history as told through ties.  Actually, I asked for it.  I had this vision of making a really awesome contemporary quilt top out of all the different out-of-date tie patterns.  I even coordinated colors and paired them for blocks.  Three years later, my vision is finally materializing!  I stumbled upon something called Liberated Quilting (or wonky quilting) and realized it is exactly what I had envisioned.  I found several websites with examples and patterns, and settled on this: Wonky log-cabin block  This blogger is obviously very talented, she has a ton of beautiful pieces displayed on her site.  I had to laugh though, reading the instructions.  She actually gives tips on adding wonkiness! (snort-laugh)  I appreciate you sharing your expertise sister, but wonkiness is the only thing about this project I am sure about!  Wonkiness I got in spades!

I only followed the instructions loosely, just eyeballing and cutting instead of measuring strips and then injecting wonk afterward.  My wonk is au naturale!  Here are the first few blocks - I am very pleased so far.

 

My grandmother is an amazing quilter, and so I've always wanted to learn how to do it the traditional way as well.  Unfortunately, she is too far away to show me herself.  So when I found out about the Craftsy.com  Block of the Month class, I signed up right away!  No, still haven't done my January blocks - I've been having too much fun being liberated!  But I'll post pics when I do.  And finally, my neighbor invited me to go to a monthly quilt block class they are doing at one of our local churches.  I'm sure I can learn a lot there, too!

Sweatshirt remake

So we had a snow day on Friday, and then off for MLK day today, and it has been a Looooooonnnnnnngggg weekend.  Hubby was stuck in Pittsburgh, daughter K was sick Sunday, and I was about to cry with relief at bedtime tonight.  So I'm finally getting around to posting this sweatshirt remake that I finished Thursday.

Ever since we moved to WV I have been in desperate need of some cold weather workout gear.  I decided to take some of those ubiquitous huge, floopy sweatshirts that I always seem to have a drawer full of, and try to tweek it into something that doesn't make me look like a potato.

I started with my old swim team sweatshirt (go Eden Estates Eels!):

Lovely, isn't it?  First I removed the waistband and cuffs.

Next, I took my waist and hip measurements (my real ones), and added 4 inches for 1/4" seams and ease.  I know that sounds like a lot of ease, but the sweatshirt material is not that stretchy  and I want to be able to move in it.  I also took my shoulder width where I wanted the seam to fall, arm length, and how far down from my shoulder the other measurements lie.  I halved and then marked the waist + ease and hip + ease, and drew in some curves.  I measured how far down I wanted the armholes to go, but I also used a fitted shirt as a guide since measuring one's self is not optimal.

(I <3 my curve stick!) I also added a center line, because I want to add a zip down the front.

Then I took a deep breath, cut along the sides (but not the zipper line yet), and re-seamed them.  I traced the new armhole on the sleeve, then a straight line down to half of my wrist measurement + 1. 

 I really wanted to add a thumb hole, but my sleeves were not long enough.  If you want to, just adjust your sleeve length to go over the bottom of your hand to the thumb joint (with maybe an extra inch or two), and measure around your hand at the thumb joint instead of your wrist. 
Next I sewed the long seam of the sleeve.  Then, keeping the sleeve inside out, fit the cuff inside (right sides facing) and sew on the cuff.  If you are putting in a thumb hole, I would overcast the cuff and sleeve edges (you know, the little triangle stitch?) before seaming, and remember to leave about 2 inches open a quarter turn from the bottom seam.  Then, attach the sleeve to the body of the sweatshirt.  You could reattach the bottom ribbing if you want to, but mine was still too short.  It would have bunched the bottom, and I don't want that.

Hey!  It's starting to look like something!  I tried it on at this point to check the fit.

Not too shabby!  I like it so much I almost chickened out on the zipper.  But, Fearless - right?  Another deep breath, quick prayer, and cut open that center line!

Just in case you haven't done a zipper before, you first turn the shirt inside out and baste the two sides of the zipper opening together with at least a quarter inch seam.  It is easier if you do it a bit wider, like 3/8 or 1/2, just remember you are eating up your ease!  Next iron the selvedge open - one on each side.

Put the zipper face down on the seam, swap in the zipper foot and sew from bottom to top up both sides of your zipper.  I stopped short of the collar, I want to finish it differently.

(Note to self:  learn to sew in a straight line.) 
Now if you're like me and you got your zipper off the clearance rack, it may be a bit too long.  (You thought the red zip was a fashion statement, didn't you?)  You can just hand stitch over the teeth where you want the zipper to stop and then cut off the excess.
Finally, I measured on the collar 1/2" in from the zipper edge, tucked the top edge in to make a triangle, and sewed a topstitch along the edges.

And finally...

(drumroll...)

Voila!  Ready for a jog!

A new outlook

This year has been one of upheaval and change for my family.  My husband's job was downsized just over a year ago, and so after seven and a half years in sunny Myrtle Beach (our entire marriage), we packed up and moved to rural West Virginia.  My grandmother passed away a few years ago, leaving behind the house that my grandfather had built himself about 63 years ago.  It made sense to downsize our monthlies and try the job market in another area, so we moved into the family home and have been adjusting to West Virginia ever since!  It was a scary move, leaving behind old friends, the beach, our church, and my oldest daughter, who stayed behind with her father in NC.  But despite its challenges, the move has proven to be a blessing for our family.  Our marriage is growing in new and beautiful ways, our children are experiencing a different climate and a different, small-town way of life, and my husband has temporarily found work.  

When we first moved here in August, the kids and I literally wandered into a small church in town (we happened to drive by just before service and saw the time noted on the marquee).  The pastor was preaching on the beginning of the story of Joseph - the coat of many colors, being sold into slavery, and eventually interpreting Pharoah's dreams and saving all of Egypt.  But the sermon was about the very beginning of the story, when Joseph's father Jacob was living in Canaan, his father's land.  As he put it, prospering in the land of his father.  And so I made that my personal tenet for the time we are here - to prosper in the land of my ancestors.  I've always enjoyed creating things with my hands, and so I plan on using my time here to fix up the house, start a large garden and a small chicken flock, continue living frugally through sewing, crafting and knitting, feeding my family healthy, home-cooked food, and  infusing value into our lives in any way I can.

Of course this will require some experimentation - a lot of these things are completely new to me, or I have only dabbled in them before.  But I take my cue from my grandfather:  when he built this house, literally with his own two hands, he wasn't a carpenter, or a mason, or a roofer.  He was a fearless amateur, and he built a solid, beautiful home for his family.