As the Fabric Maverick reminded us, there are new beginnings happening all around us. I made a memory jar to commemorate my daughter's First Mother's Day. I was afraid she might think it was hokey, but she seemed genuinely touched. I have long thought that gifts revolving around memories will be appreciated longer than a gift of the moment such as money or jewelry. Memory quilts capture moments in time. A memory quilt can be a signature quilt, a photo quilt, a T-shirt quilt or a combination of all of these. These are all great fun to plan and make. I think a T-shirt quilt is ideal for the young graduate. With their help, you can select the T-shirts they love. Select a novelty fabric for the sashing which might recall a hobby or sport they were involved in. For instance, a football player might like BC-744 or a musical person might like BI-926.
At HGTV, you can find the full instructions with pictures to make a T-shirt quilt.
Instructions:
- Prewash all T-shirts, but don't use softener on them. The T-shirt fabric will not adhere to the fusible interfacing when softener is used.
- You'll need 100 percent cotton fabric for the sashing and backing.
- Fusible interfacing needs to be non-woven, glued only on one side and should not be paper-backed. Paper-backed interfacing usually means that both sides are glue-based. Misty Fuse and Fusiknit are good interfacings to use.
- You'll also need a clear plastic template cut to the desired size your T-shirt panels will be.
Steps:
- Place the clear plastic template on the T-shirt over the panel and make a rough cut around the template. Cut a piece of fusible interfacing the same size.
- Turn the T-shirt over so the panel is facing the table and place the interfacing on the T-shirt.
- Next, place a damp cloth over the interfacing and iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Place the T-shirt on a rotary mat and trim to desired size of T-shirt block adding 1/2-inch for seam allowances. Ours were cut at 12 1/2 inches.
- Repeat the above steps for all T-shirts, then lay out design.
- The sashing that goes in between the T-shirt blocks measures 12 1/2" x 2". The cornerstones are two-inch squares. Attach these to the quilt.
- It is best to tie a T-shirt quilt, but machine quilting is also acceptable. It's not recommended that you hand-quilt. It's very hard for the needle to get in between the fibers of the T-shirt dyes and motifs.
Here are some examples of T- shirt quilts from About.com :
These can be addictive. Graduates will enjoy these for years to come.
Graduation time is upon us. Our children will soon be graduating from high schools and colleges everywhere. This means something different to each of us. It is fearful yet exciting to see our children spread their wings. After years of not knowing what we were talking about, we have suddenly become intelligent again. If you are one of the lucky ones, your child will already have found a job. This is rejoicing on several levels. There will be newfound money. No more will you have to pay for health insurance and auto insurance! They will be paying for their own food and apartment. You will once more have money! Maybe you can still go to Italy someday!
Now come the real challenges of everyday living! Along with all the book learning, I hope that they have picked up some basic living skills. You are thinking "What am I talking about?" This is what I am talking about:
1. Can they balance a check book?
2. Can they create a budget and stick to it?
3. Can they cook?
4. Do they know about nutrition?
5. Can they sew on a button?
I am sure there are several things that you can add to the list. I have long thought about writing a book called "The You Cannot Eat at McDonald's Forever" cookbook. It would list what you should keep in the pantry at all times with basic cheap 30 minute recipes.
Every person should have basic sewing skills. If they have to take their clothes to be altered, they will soon find how expensive it can be. Consider giving them a basic sewing book with an inexpensive sewing machine. Then teach them how to use it. This is a skill that will last them a lifetime! Hopefully they will enjoy the process and advance to the next level. Even if they do not, they will know how to sew on a button and hem a pair of pants or skirt.
Good Luck to you all! May life treat you well!
Chef Bubba is a lover of all women. He loves women from 2 years and up. Miz Ona, his mother, raised him to appreciate women and everything they do for the family and world around them. Now Chef Bubba is the first to admit that his menus tend to be for the hearty male appetite, so he is breaking his rule of using only his own recipes to offer this delightful breakfast menu for Mother's Day.
Becky Luigart-Stayner; Leigh Ann Ross
Ingredients
Preparation
Spread softened butter on one side of each bread slice. Arrange 12 bread slices, buttered side down, slightly overlapping in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread marmalade evenly over bread; top with remaining 12 bread slices, buttered side up.Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through eggs), stirring with a whisk. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Sprinkle casserole with walnuts. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Yield
12 servings (serving size: 1 piece)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 293(28% from fat); FAT 9g (sat 3.2g,mono 2.2g,poly 2.3g); PROTEIN 9.1g; CHOLESTEROL 116mg; CALCIUM 132mg; SODIUM 315mg; FIBER 1.6g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.4g
Love from Chef Bubba.
We will be celebrating Mother's Day this Sunday. For some of us, this will be the first Mother's Day. My daughter, Samantha, is one of the new mothers who will be facing all of the challenges that motherhood requires. By the way, Sebastian is a beautiful baby boy. I promise not to drag out all of my pictures!. When I think of Mother's Day, I think of the carefully handmade cards and presents from small children. There are some great children's craft projects at Woman's Day magazine. Here is a flower bouquet for Mom:
Bouquet for Mom
Kids' Craft
1. Bend 34 twelve-inch pipe cleaners into petal shapes, leaving a 1 inch stem at the bottom of each.
2. Glue each petal directly onto a piece of patterned paper. Let dry.
3. Cut patterned paper along the edge of pipe cleaner petals.
4. Gather five or six petals together along with a 12-inch-long green pipe cleaner for stem.
5. Wrap a 6-inch-long piece of pipe cleaner around petal ends and stem to secure.
6. Bend petals outward and glue a colored button in the middle.
7. When finished with six flowers, gather all stems together and secure with a 6" green pipe cleaner.
For the more advanced child in us, there is the Amy Butler fabric necklace:
Of course, it is always nice to add something to that bouquet. If your mother is interested in sewing, Fabric.com is the place to find something of interest for any mother. If your mother is a quilter what could be better than the latest collection from her favorite designer. We are adding some quilting patterns to our product line for every skill level. We have also added basic sewing books. These are always great to have. Checkout our gift section for handbags from Laurel Burch and Amy Butler. Of course, like the Fabric Maverick, I love gift certificates!
I have been reflecting on what to say about Mothers for several weeks. One thing that people seem to forget is that babies do not come with instruction books. When they cry, you need to figure out whether they are hungry, need a diaper changed, ill or just cranky. There is no training to be a mother. I think the reason it takes 9 months to have a baby is for us to adjust to the fact that we are giving up our own identities to someone who will spit on us, cry all the time, and wake up in the middle of the night. Any time we had for ourselves is a fond memory. I will not even say what happens to our bodies! Everything I am saying applies equally to biological mothers and adoptive mothers. This is the time when a young woman really grows up and becomes a responsible adult. To me, mothers are the glue that holds families together. When I had my daughter, my husband was my rock. He supported me when I was too tired to think straight. I give a special salute to the single parent who has had to be mother and father to her children. Mothers are frequently taken for granted. Surprise! The reason is that we will always be there to help in any way we can. We help with homework even if it means we have to learn new math, we are chauffeurs, make the house a home, set schedules, grocery shop and , in many cases, work outside the home. Our main job is to teach our children to be individuals and responsible adults. This means they will leave us someday to start their own lives. Many times this is thankless work. At times they will say they hate us. My best response to that was that I did not like them very much at the moment, but I still loved them. Our job is to love them which will break our heart when they leave that final time. We are no longer on the center stage but have moved backstage in their lives. I have now regained my identity, but I sometimes miss those after school conversations about the trials and triumphs of my daughter’s day. I recently read an article about the dos and don’ts of celebrating Mother’s Day. I agreed with some and disagreed with others. I decided to come up with my own list. First of all let me say I do not think gift certificates are impersonal. I do think they are practical when you do not know sizes or specific tastes.
!. Do not take your mother out to eat on Mother’s Day. I know this will upset the restaurants of the world. This is actually the busiest day of the year for restaurants. This means that you will have to wait for a table. Because there are so many people there, there will be no place for your elderly mother to sit. Tempers will be lost and no one will have any fun. I know that I would appreciate it if my daughter or son would prepare a meal for me in their home. They do not need to be a good cook. I would just enjoy the time spent together as a family.
2. Do not buy your mother a home cleaning gadget, unless she specifically requests one.
3. Do base your present on your mother’s personality. If she likes movies, buy her a gift certificate for the movies. If she is unable to go to movies, buy her DVD’s that she would like to see. What mother does not like chick flicks? Create a selection of Steel Magnolias, Fried Green Tomatoes, Under the Tuscan Sun and Atonement. She can laugh and cry at the same time.
4. Do not go with a generic present such as a box of chocolate from the drugstore or a bouquet of roses. If she is a chocoholic, go the extra step and buy her the best in chocolate such as Godiva. At the very least, give a gift certificate so she may select her own.
5. Do tell your mother that you love and appreciate the things she has done for you. I know one lady who gave her mother a jar with a pretty ribbon. Inside the jar, she had slips of papers with memories of moments from her childhood and thought of appreciation for moments when her mother was there for her.
6. Do help your mother around her house if there is something to be fixed that she can no longer do for her self. It may be something as simple changing a light bulb if she is uncomfortable about standing on a ladder.
7. Do not call your Mother at the end of Mother’s Day or the day after to tell her Happy Mother’s Day. The only acceptable reason would be if you are overseas, in jail or a spy.
8. Do help your mother in the garden if she is a gardener. You can help weed or dig out the beds if she is longer able to do the hard work. It is also great way to spend time together.
9. Do give a gift certificate to Fabric.com if your mother loves fabric but you do not know what kind she likes.
10. Last but not least- Do remember your mother on Mother’s Day even if it is just a card or phone call. Remember Mom will always love you!
Check in on Friday. I believe Chef Bubba from the Redneck Cafe will have some Mother’s Day recipes for you.
I have been proceeding at a very slow rate with my guest bedroom redo. Here is a "Before" picture of a small bedroom with beautifully painted apple green walls which I have faux painted to have a linen finish. Unfortunately I am not so good a photographer so you will only see the color and not the beautiful linen finish.
I am working from the floor up. I have started with a bed skirt; the next step will be the duvet cover and pillow shams. The final step will be curtains.
BED SKIRT
To determine how much yardage you need, you need to measure the length of the bed and the width of the bed. My bed measures 72" long and 54 " wide. You will need to measure the drop from the box springs to the floor. I add about 5-6 inches for hems and seams. My drop is 20". Depending on the weight of the fabric you will need 2 to 3 times the length and width of the mattress. I am working in 3 sections- 2 sides and the footboard. If I used 2 times the length, I would need 144 inches of fabrics for each side and 108 inches for the foot of the bed. 396" divided by 36" = 11 yards. But I only need a 26 inch cut for the drop (this allows for hems and seams). I am using 54" wide fabric. I will divide by 11 yards by 2= 5.5 yards. This is the total yardage I will need. I am using a Waverly plaid.
These are the fabrics I chose to use:
Waverly Deco Dots Fruit Punch, Waverly Claire Check Petunia Pear, Waverly Deco Dots white
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut fabric into desired cut sizes.
2. Since I am using a plaid. I have matched the plaid so the intersections will match.
3. Hem bottom edges 1/2 inch, roll over 1/2 inch and repeat.
4. Finish each side edge by folding the edges over twice by 1/2 inch and sew. I am not joining the individual sections together because of the footboard. I hate it when you purchase a bed skirt and it bunches up at the corner because of the footboard. I am going to overlap the edges at the top, leaving the sides free.
5. Sew a gathering stitch at the top. I usually sew 2 rows in case the thread breaks. Gently gather the top and pin it to the dust cover. I have not mentioned that before because I have recycled an old bed skirt and I am using the dust cover deck from it. If you do not have an old bed skirt to recycle, you will need a piece of fabric that measures the width and length of the mattress. Use inexpensive fabric such as muslin or an old bed sheet. No one will see this part anyway.
6. Sew each section to the deck adjusting gathers to match. Make sure your repeats match. Press finished bed skirt. Position on box springs to make sure of the fit. I use twister pins or safety pins to hold it in the proper position when I place the top mattress over the bed skirt. The pins, also, come in handy if you have made the bed skirt a little long and need to make minor fit adjustments. I am not wrestling that mattress off again!
Now, I said in the beginning I would tell of my mistakes. I only had 4 yards of fabric to work with instead of 5 1/2 so I made my bed skirt 1 1/2 times instead of 2. Like you, I sometimes miscalculate and, of course, the fabric was sold out.
Our next project will be the duvet cover.
I was rushing around this weekend doing errands when it suddenly occurred to me that I was a little like the hamster on a wheel in a cage. I was doing all of these "things" but ending in the same place. Sometimes life does rush at us and we must meet the demands the best way we can. April has been a busy time for all of us. We have had the opportunity to renew our relationship with the Federal government. Now I know why he is called "Uncle Sam"- he has what is left of my money! Raise your hand if you think there should be a tax deduction for the money you spend on automobile gas! The cheapest gas I could find yesterday was at $3.56 per gallon. I heard someone say that one reason prices were so high was to encourage people to not use as much gas. I do not know about you but I still have to drive to work everyday. My boss likes to see my smiling face everyday. I manage to work where there is no public transportation or I would use it. Now that I have vented, I feel better.
I took a little break this weekend to reflect on what is ahead for us. First, thank you to all the posse members; I have a special assignment coming up for you if you choose to accept it. Be looking for an email shortly. Summer is coming. There is something about the word which already makes you feel relaxed. This is a time of new beginnings for many people. Young people will be graduating from high school and colleges everywhere. People will be making a commitment to marriage. Mother's Day is around the corner. Enjoy these celebrations! The most important thing you can do for yourself is to be in the moment. Do not let your mind be planning the next day's activities if you are at your child's softball game, be there not somewhere else. I know that on Thursday, Victoria will finally be sharing some information on her guest bedroom redo. In the coming months, we will try to excite you with some easy projects that will fit into your summer time schedule. Take a break now. Kick back with your feet up and enjoy a magazine. There is no need for guilt- Enjoy!
The Fabric Maverick is taking a break today. She is working on something for her posse. Customer Service does a great job of fielding questions about fabric problems. Every once in a while they request assistance on a question. The Fabric Maverick is not the only person who can answer these issues.
The customer has this question: I have a quilt I bought with beautiful colors of red, green and white. I have washed the quilt and the reds have bled into the white. What can I do?
I wished the lady had asked before she washed the quilt. At this point, I know of nothing that will remove the red dye from the white. I have heard from several customers that Carbona Dye Magnets are great in grabbing the dye and not depositing in onto lighter colored fabrics. This will prevent any further dye bleeding.
Back to the beginning...If you have a quilt that you did not receive washing instructions for you want to check for color fastness.. A quick way is to take a wet white cloth or paper towel and rub it across the surface of the fabric. If color comes off, it has the potential of bleeding. You may need to dry clean.
Quilting fabrics that have vivid colors such as reds and purples should be tested for dye fastness. Here are the steps to performing a "Bleed Test"
- Cut a small piece of the fabric and submerge in soapy water. Water should be the same temperature as you will normally wash fabric.
- The fabric should sit submerged for 30 minutes. If dye has discolored the water, then there is a potential to damage other fabrics.
- If the water is clear, then try one more test to make sure the color will not transfer to other fabric. Remove fabric from soapy water. Do not rinse. Lay the fabric on a white paper towel. Wait for a while and check to see if any dye has transferred to the paper towel. If it has, then there is a chance the dye will transfer to other fabrics.
- Rinse out the fabric and let it dry. If it bled the first, perform the test again and see if it bleeds again. If it does, it is not a good candidate for a quilt.
You may have your heart set on using this fabric. You can try soaking the fabric in white vinegar or purchase a commercial dye fixative. Then perform the bleed test again. This may sound like a lot of work, but what is more heartbreaking than making a quilt and have the fabric bleed onto the other fabrics.
General rules of fabric preparation for all fabrics:
1. If you want to wash a fabric and it says dry clean, always test a sample to see how the fabric reacts. Does the fabric shrink? Does the color fade? Is the finish changed? Then you should have the fabric dry cleaned.
2. Do not wash a whole 10 yards of fabric to find that you cannot wash it- test a sample.
3. Do not apply laundry detergent directly to fabric. This may cause fabric to discolor. Detergent should be mixed with water before the fabric is added. This also applies to clothes.
4. Do not use a fabric softener sheet in the dryer with the fabric. Fabric softener sheets may deposit spots on the fabric because they are usually petroleum based.
5. Do not assume because a fabric is 100% cotton that it is washable. Finishes have been applied to Home Decor fabrics to give them that nice finish.
I hope that these tips will prevent any unhappy surprises in your sewing.
Now, don't you think I did as well as the Fabric Maverick?
My mother raised me to write Thank You notes when I received presents. The Post Office would probably appreciate the business but I would never be able to finish in a timely manner. I hope everyone enjoyed the first Fabric Maverick sale. I see that we have sold out of many fabrics. I had my eye on some of them, but I did not move fast enough. Thank you all for making this a huge success.
Over 50 intrepid sewers have volunteered to join my posse! Beat that Mark Lipinski! To these brave souls, I say thanks. I will be contacting you within the next two weeks. If you would like, you may repeat the oath now. Raise your right hand and place your left hand on your stash. Now repeat after me:
1. I will learn a new sewing technique this year.
2. I will use a color I have never used before.
3. I will try new products and give the Fabric Maverick an honest opinion.
4. I will use up part of my stash so I have room for more.
5. I will pass on new ideas to the Fabric Maverick so she can stay on top of her game.
I am looking forward to meeting each of you and hearing your ideas. Be in touch soon.
Victoria has refused to write today. She says she needs sewing time. If you have not noticed, there is a sale in my honor today. Finally, a little respect. I have found a quiz that will help you determine your decorating style. Join in the fun!
Take A Decorating Style QuizDetermining your home decorating style may not be as hard as you think. The trick is actually looking beyond your home decor and into your lifestyle. What you find may surprise you, whether your style leans toward country decorating, contemporary or another style of decorating altogether.Your clothes, car and - yes, even what you eat - can all be traced back to one thing: your sense of style. We've compiled a few simple (and rather fun) questions to help you zero in on your decorative style. Just choose the answers that relate to you most and then see below to find out which decorating style fits you best. While the answers are just for fun, you may discover a little more about yourself! Q: Which of the following would you label your dream car?
Now the results! I took the quiz! How did yours turn out?
For more information, check out Home Decor. |
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