Best Hacks for a Stretchy Headband Tutorial

I had thought making a headband was a project I just did not need an instruction for but after I set down to sew I ran into a problem turning the headband right side out. Here are my two favorite videos so far for creating this so simple but curiously tricky project. This video shows a simple technique that eliminated my problem...Yea!! 

TIP: pay attention to sewing the seams in the order described. Be sure to leave the recommended 1", 2" openings as you sew the headband length.   

This video covers another hack for dressing up the simple headband with a hack that makes a headband but with just a bit of a twist. Cute!

🧵⏰ QUILT-AS-YOU-GO - USE YOUR SCRAPS FOR GOOD PART 1

Early on in life my sweet Nana instilled into me a desire to sew. She had this really cool treadle sewing machine in the bedroom where we also slept in when we came to stay overnight.There were almost always a stack of projects off to the left, from aprons in the works for a client to buttons to be fixed. When we visited Nana we'd sometimes wrangle her into making clothes for our dolls.She inspired me to try my hand at lots of different projects...Over the years I learned to make shirts, hats, dresses and more. Scraps that looked too cool to just toss have accumulated over time just waiting to be pulled into a new project. I love seeing how others systematize and utilize all their scraps. Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts does a bang up job of doing just that. Join me and enjoy her methodology and how-to's.

Friendship Bread It's All About Relationship

Today I reflect on relationship and how it comes into play in so many areas of life.  My sister Kathi received a gift of some Amish Friendship Bread from someone in her life. Even though she is at a place in life where she does little cooking or baking she chooses to care for and share this bread starter... relationships will prompt us to take action. She shared this bread starter with me and I am planning to share this Amish Friendship Bread starter with some of my friends too as I have done with my Kombucha Scoby. 

This blog is about inspiration that originated from my Nana. One thing I learned at my Nana's house was that it's all about relationship. H-mmm you might say, why is that? Well when we went to my Nana's house it was not about "You kids just go outside and play", or "shoo, I've got a lot to do" or even "I'm too tired right now". All of those things were probably true as with so many of our lives but it never felt that way at my Nana's. Do I remember her lying down to rest, yes. Do I remember her life being full with church, friends, gardening, household tasks, projects, and more? Yes, that too. I remember my great Uncle Bobo driving quite a ways to pick us up even with their busy lives he was not too busy to do that. Thinking about this reminded me that we often exchange time to share in relationship. 

My friend Diane and her sweet husband Alan have been amazing examples of this. We did not know it at the time, but one evening in April of 2021 we said goodbye to Alan for the last time. He had been over at our home sharing relationship in the form of help to my sweetheart. They put up drywall for several hours after Alan had worked a busy day. We do not always know the impact of our actions, but this I know,"relationship counts". In hindsight his life was FULL of relationships that counted. 

So today is day 6 of the lifecycle of my Amish Friendship Bread starter so I am feeding the starter in preparation for more starter growth and eventually sharing. It reminds me that in life in order for us to have growth we must also care for our relationships consistently, keep it warm and happy, feed those relationships, then eventually we will have multiplied it and finally the sweet outcome is the ability to share it with others. Sometimes we share it fully mature like a loaf of this delicious bread...other times is is still in a stage where it requires much more maturity before it is ready to give and share. At each stage it is beautiful. 

I'm excited to create a delicious loaf of bread from this starter but even more excited to be able to share it again with another. 

Thanksgiving Trivet Time

 This year has gone by so quickly! My goal early in the year was to get familiar with the serger and incorporate it as I can. Sadly I haven't been able to find the standard serger foot for the Bernette 335 serger I purchased on Facebook Marketplace. It's original owner was using it for other purposes and no longer had that foot. Well it does sew...moving on.

I've been wanting to do some fun sewing projects I've seen on Youtube. This one seems sew (catch that play on words, ha-ha!) perfect. It is a fun mix of craft, sewing and function as well as using up this scraps that accumulate so-ooo fast! It is on Nancy's Notions channel. Remember Nancy?

I love Sewing With Nancy. Did you ever wonder what happened to her? This article on The Nancy's Notions Blog shares about Nancy's life, her program always inspired me. What wonderful content she shared in her lifetime. I'm so glad that her memory continues to live on! If you give this project a whirl please share yours, I'd love to see what you've done!

Making It Work; A Creative Makers Life

2020...Making It work is a creative makers mantra and certainly represents my thoughts especially as we experience uncertain times as we self quarantine and shelter at home. 

My Nana often started a sentence with "you go to work and..." For many, the word "work" has taken on thoughts of what we "have" to do rather than what we choose to do. I believe for Nana it was just daily living, it was life, it just WAS. I loved her practical no nonsense way. 

Today as we go out of our homes, we think of far different concerns than this time last year. Simple concerns...How do I shop for groceries safely, see the doctor when needed, get that part to fix the broken faucet and on and on.

Our world has experienced shortages of needed medical supplies as just on of the many side effects of this pandemic novel coronavirus. Because of this specific shortage of masks that help with viral spread,those of us makers, creatives and practical inventors do what my Nana did..."you go to work and...". There have been amazing solutions to making sure to be as safe as possible for all, safe as we go about the business of life. 

I have a beautiful and amazing granddaughter in law Angie who got her degree in fashion design. As my grandson and her began their married life she also began her business career and she opened her own fashion design business, Studio 93. We are so proud of the two of them!

Check her out on Facebook :) As with many, life for her has shifted from her physical business space to her new space...her home. With "shelter at home" directives becoming the norm many business owners have had to rethink how to offer their services... as has Angie. Last year an interview on internet radio sharing about women in business, led to her own radio show weekly. Today she shares her many talents mostly from home like many following worldwide health concerns. Angie hosts her radio weekly shows Fridays on Facebook Live. Now Angie is busy making face masks to assist the health community needs due to this virus outbreak as well. If you wonder how she happened to find herself so busy click here to read about how this came about. 

For all YOU amazing designers, makers, creatives out there I want to send my applause and appreciation for being problem solvers and so much more! 

Let's take a look at some others and their mask making solutions.

   

Lexie Saks from Good Housekeeping shares a simple solution most everyone can put together. 

Do you have a bandana or 22" of fabric? Done.

Another simple no-sew mask from Crafty Caboodle made from stretchy fabric like a t-shirt will also get you covered and on your way. 

But since this blog pays homage to my Nana who was a seamstress extraordinaire I would like to share with you a simple mask like my Nana would have come up with had she been living in this time of covid-19. 

Step 1 Find some newspaper for a surface to draw a pattern.

Step 2 Draw out a basic design for your mask wearer.

Step 3 Lay out your selected pretty fabric and pin to your pattern. 

Step 3 Cut out the necessary pieces for the mask.

Step 4 Sew! 

For those of us who find it helpful to see a video I thought this blogger 

at Treasurie and her patterns made two sewn masks that I think do a great job. 

I hope one of these makers solutions will serve you well and keep you and others safe and healthy. 

I'm a Pinterest Food Fanatic

Today as I was surfing Pinterest I came across this very cool presentation for a basic bread dough. Sadly as often happens the site had been tagged as a spam site but I loved the idea so much I just had to share this so I added it to my blog. This blog was originally started in honor of my wonderful Nana, she was my best woman role model, and I loved spending time with her...especially in her kitchen! This recipe can be adapted to so many different things! Here are some ideas I am thinking about. Egg Salad, Shredded veggie, Mini Meatball Mozzarella with Marinara, Chicken Salad, Tuna Salad, oh my! I'm excited to whip up some variations!

Beautiful Bread Cones

Ingredients

Dough:

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

3 Tbs vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 beaten egg

1-1/2 tsp salt

2-1/4 tsp instant yeast

3-1/2 to 4 cups flour

Egg Wash:

1 egg

1 Tbs milk

Instructions

Heat water and milk in microwave to scalding (not quite boiling)

Pour into mixing bowl, and allow to cool slightly so you don’t kill the yeast.

Add oil, sugar, and salt. Mix until well blended.

Add in beaten egg and 2 cups of the flour, mixing well.

Add in instant yeast and mix well.

Allow to sit about 10 minutes uncovered.

Now, start to slowly add in more flour.

When dough starts to clear the sides of the bowl, allow it to mix for about 8 minutes. (or knead by hand at this point)

Add a tablespoon of oil to a clean bowl, tipping to coat bottom.

Place dough into bowl, flipping to coat both sides with oil.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest till double in bulk – about 1 hour.

Remove dough and knead a few times to release bubbles.

Cut the dough into 8 – 12 pieces (depending on the size you desire)

Allow to rest about 5 minutes.

Take each portion and roll into a rope from 24 – 36” long (depending on the size of your tubes)

Roll ropes around the greased cream horn tubes (or make your own form as shown), starting at the bottom as shown.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment (or silpat liner)

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 30 minutes.

Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds if desired.

Bake in a preheated 350° oven for between 18 to 22 minutes – watching closely for overbrowning.

Place on wire racks to cool completely before removing tubes.

Fill cooled bread cones with sandwich filling as desired.

Gifts From The Earth

In my early twenties as I was raising a family, learning the ins and outs of providing for my family and stretching our paycheck I often relied on these principles...





Fix it up,  reuse it, make it from scratch and sometimes just do without. When it came to taking care of the health needs of our family I had a wonderful mentor, my mother-in-law Alice. She was a wise, creative woman who loved quality, enjoyed a simple Godly lifestyle and often made things herself. She taught me how to care for my family using her knowledge of herbs, massage and reflexology so even though we had no health insurance my family was healthy and cared for.  Just like my great aunt Nana, she was practical, believed in using the many gifts from the earth God gave us to take care of ourselves.

With today's amazing array of products you would think it would be simple to find personal care items that are healthy, safe and effective. Shopping and reviewing products with labels listing long ingredient lists of names we can't even pronounce can be daunting. It is common to buy a product we see advertised as the next great thing and try it out, often judging its effectiveness without taking in to account what else it might be doing. Have you ever given thought to how a product penetrates? I discovered that our skins natural proteins were being broken down to allow certain products to penetrate. If the body's natural defense barrier has been compromised the body becomes susceptible to infection etc. Learning about ingredients in personal care products that were harmful to us as well as environmentally unfriendly set me on a mission to find alternatives that would be healthy, effective, and improve my family's health not destroy it.

My personal quest over the years started in my kitchen as I tried my hand at making my own handmade bath soaks, hair rinses, facial treatments. Since I do not always have the time to create from scratch and frankly I do not always want to take the time, I was searching for a personal care line I would be confidant to use on my babies and grandbabies too. My criterion: free of known toxins, environmentally friendly, choice botanical ingredients, safe on a variety of skin types and would it be too much to hope that these products would, nourish with clean and safe formulas?