Sewing Straight Seams: A Bedskirt

Well, I'm much better--but I have NO voice (just a whisper) and a lingering cough. 

If I'm upright, I don't cough.  Of course, when I lie down to go to sleep----it's COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!

I'm so glad there's not a single class this week! (Except the home school co-op class I teach).  Maybe I need some Ovaltine:

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 So, straight seams are about all I'm managing.  I finally finished up a bedskirt for the guest bedroom.  I'd previously done the hard part--stitching together the skirt bits and gathering them--so it went together fairly quickly!


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It's a very tall bed, but it has a trundle underneath so two people (if necessary) can stay.  I wanted a  bedskirt to hid the trundle bed on bottom.

I used some white muslim from the fabric stash for the flat part (top of the bedskirt) that is between the mattresses.  Then I made a ruffle (cut and finished to the correct length--don't forget to add the hem and top and side seams to your measurements!) long enought to go around each side and the end of the bed.  The ruffle is doubled.  Also, I made the bedskirt so that the corners are "open" to fit this particular bed frame.

Sorta like this!

Don't you think it looks nice?

Here's some places you can find instructions on sewing a bedskirt.  Again--it's straight seams--easy!

A Tailored Bedskirt

A Bedskirt with Pockets

A Simple Ruffled Bedskirt

Ill and In the Bed

Well, it turns out I've got a virus (I hope) of some sort, a tidbit of fever and a sore throat.

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Aspirin is a wonder drug.

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So I've been feeling too badly to sew.  Headaches and sore throats make it hard to concentrate!

Flitting around Pinterest (i.e. goofing off!), I've found something that I think would look so cool.

Combine this:



From the lovely Laura Beth @ A Step in the Journey

http://astepinthejourney.blogspot.com/2011/07/few-printables.html

With this:

From Katie @ Creatively Living Outside the Box
http://blah2beautiful.blogspot.com/2011/11/number-shelf.html

What do you think about this idea?

Veterans' Day

Remember our veterans today who have fought and died for our liberty



Wishing and Waiting to Sew

Well, last Friday I finished up one class.

Today I finished the last paper for my other class.

The only thing left is a group project. 

And now I have two weeks off from classes!  Time to SEW!

I have LOADS of sewing to do.  First up is curtains and a bedskirt for our bedroom.  Lots of loooonnnnggggg straight seams and not very creative (sigh...)

But I'm hoping I'll have time to do some real sewing....
Here are some things I'm thinking about:

I have some lovely red wool that would make up this jacket

so very nicely, and I could really

use a short, but warm, jacket!

 I also could use a winter dress or two to wear to church

and to school.  We have a dress code (basically no jeans),

but I get tired of sitting in slacks all day.

Dresses are SO comfortable!

This dress, Butterick 5556 has gotten great reviews:

 I'm thinking about this Very Easy Vogue 8509 (the 3/4 sleeve version)

as an easy-to-wear popover dress for

all sorts of days and occaisons:

 I have a vintage Marian Martin pattern that is similar

to this one that might be fun to make!

I'd make it with 3/4 length sleeves:

 This too would be a great winter dress (one of the versions

to the left--NOT the sleeveless evening dress!).  This is

a reproduction Butterick pattern from

Vintage Pattern Library.

I like the lace collar on the far left dress:

 There's probably no way to get all this done, but maybe one or two!  I'm a terribly slow seamstress! LOL



A Fall Wreath for the Front Door

Well, it was time to take down the "summer" wreath last month, so I made a wreath to last through October and November.

I vaguely remember (again, I don't know where!) a wreath made out of corn husks.  Maybe it was here at Martha's place (Stewart, that is):

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Or from The Nesting Place:

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Or perhaps At The Picket Fence:

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Or how about this lovely wreath from The Lottery House (via Remodelholic):

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Perhaps I should have looked for some examples of corn husk wreaths, but I just decided to wing it on  my own! 

First of all, you should be able to find corn husks at your local grocery store this time of year.  Corn husks are used to make tamales (yum! yum!), which are traditionally a Christmas specialty for Mexican Americans.  We usually have tamales for Christmas Eve.  There's a great place up in Dallas, but you have to order ahead of time!

So, get some corn husks:

I bought the bare wreath at the Dollar Store (for $1, of course!),

and 2 flowers from Jo-Anns (on sale plus a 15% coupon off floral stems)

and some ribbon from the bottomless closet:

 I got out some telephone wire that I have used in the high school homeschool science

class I teach (I've got gobs!).

I took two husks, sorta rolled them up, laid one on top the other

and wrapped with wire:

Then I wrapped the wire around the wreath.

(I used 2 husks at a time, overlapped, to save some time): 

 I neatened and tightened up the wires on the back:

 I hot glued on the two flowers, some of the leaves that were on the flower stems,

 and loops of ribbon:

 And Ta-Da!  A fall wreath for less than $5.00.

 And we've even gotten some fall weather to go along with it.

 

A Nightlite Fit for a Kitchen

Well, fiddle-dee-dee!  It's been WAAAYYYY too long since I've blogged!

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No excuses, except for LOTS of schoolwork.  I have a two (2!) hour class that covered enough for another class I think!


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 I wrote 14 papers, plus 2 larger projects and oodles of reading.

Despite the fact that it was more work than a 2-hour class should have, the class was absolutely fascinating, and I so enjoyed the teacher!  I don't mind doing the work when I'm learning something.

Anyhow, I've been doing some small projects over the last month when I've had a few minutes here and there.  One was a nightlight for the kitchen.

A nightlight in the kitchen is SO useful if someone gets up at night (to get a drink or go to the loo). It's amazing how just a little bit of light in the kitchen helps us to get around at night downstairs.  We often have overnight guests, and I don't want them to stumble over a cat in the dark!

I cannot remember where I got this idea for a cheese grater light.
Maybe on Etsy:

Thanks to CulinArt Classics http://www.etsy.com/shop/NanceyBr?ref=seller_info who has lots
of great lights BTW!

Or here:

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 But I've been carrying this idea around in my head for quite a while!

So I found a vintage cheese grater for just a few dollars (keep searching--there's some out there for just $4-5), then

I bought this small wooden placque for $1 at Jo-Anns and painted it red:

Purchased this teensy light bulb and socket at Home Depot (it was a package deal, I think--just keep looking, we found it on an end cap!):

Then used my new gadget Mr. Dremel Tool to cut out a hole through the middle and a slot on the bottom--
Also, I found the end off an old extension cord, and Dearest Husband soldered the wires together for me:

And I covered the bottom with sticky craft felt:

Oops! Upside-Down!

Ta-Da!  A new (old) nightlight!