New Tutorial

Go here and check out the new tutorial for the Draft Guard.

How To

Last week we got our condo complex newsletter. Normally we skim over the two pages, take note of what you can be fined for and how much, and then pledge to keep an eye on any neighbors who are not following the rules (we really don't turn people in. To each his own, and let someone else get the neighbors in trouble!) This time, however, we read the newsletter thoroughly. There were a few odd things that caught my eye:

1) Please don't use your garbage disposals. Put your food in the garbage. Above all, do not put rice down the sink. (duh! If we can't throw rice at weddings because it kills the birds, then of course it will kill the sink! Also, if you don't want us having garbage disposals, why in the HECK did you put them in the units to begin with?!)

2) If you have wood floors, try not to walk on them. They are loud for the people below you. (So does this mean I can't use my kitchen? Or my dining area? How about you just say that we should just sit still at all times and magically transport ourselves to the other rooms of the house? Why should I even care? The people downstairs already hate us. I'm sure they couldn't possibly hate us anymore than they already do.)

3) You can do some minor car repair work in the parking lot, but we will decide what is too much and if you should get fined or not. (So, does this mean I can or cannot change my spark plugs? What if my car doesn't start because my spark plugs are broken? Are you going to get mad at me for popping my hood and staring inquisitively under it? Does that count as a repair? And have you been fining the people in units 85 and 86 for ripping their TRANSMISSIONS apart in the parking lot and leaving them there all day?)

4) Charcoal BBQs are not allowed. If you have one, please get rid of it. (We don't have one, but what if we did, and there wasn't any room in the storage closet to store it? Does that mean we would have to throw it away? Isn't that like, a waste a money, and something that should probably be avoided? And how come the people downstairs get to keep their charcoal BBQ?)

5) Your balconies are not to be used for storage. Please make sure everything is kept neat and clean, and there are no boxes or clutter on them. (So, what constitutes storage? Does this mean that the people in the next building over who store all of their kids' toys on their balcony have to find a new home for all that crap? What about our building rep's apartment? They have coolers on their balcony! Does that count for storage? I have an empty flower pot. Are you going to fine me because it is winter and my flowers are dead?)

The one that got me the most, though, was the wood floor one. Seriously, avoid walking on your wood floors? Hmm...yeah, okay.... in light of this, I have come up with a tutorial.

How to get your 2 year old to walk softly on the wood floor so as not to piss off your neighbors (the downstairs ones, as the next door ones slam their cupboards late at night and probably wouldn't care how much noise we made since they seem to always be partying anyways....stupid blender and margaritas on Thanksgiving at 1 AM!)

1. Intice the 2 year old into a game of peekaboo. Or, in our family, "Where are you?"

2. Play several rounds with your hands.

3. Start hiding under the quilt and see if he can find you.

4. Throw the quilt over his head and tell him to look for Mommy, who happens to be standing in the kitchen.

5. Try not to laugh too hard as he shuffles slowly and quietly into the kitchen looking for Mommy saying: "Mommy! Where are you?!" right before he runs into the dishwasher.

6. Take the blanket off and say "Here I am!"

7. Repeat until he tires of the game. Or until you tire of the game. Usually it's the latter.

The "Mary" Apron: Tutorial

This is my very first tutorial, so hopefully it makes sense! What we will be making is an apron for gardening. This pattern is for personal use only. Also, I would love to see finished projects, for any of you who decide to make my little garden apron!

SUPPLIES:
Rotary Mat and Rotary Cutter
12 1/2 inch square ruler. I use one by Omnigrid
Yard Stick or longer ruler. I use an Omnigrid yardstick
Tape measure
Scissors
Seam Ripper
Spools of matching thread
1 package 1/2 inch double wide bias tape
3 Fat Quarters in coordinating colors - 1 main color, and 2 colors for the pockets
2 yards of 7/8 inch ribbon
Not shown: chalk and starch (both are optional, but I use them all the time)

You'll also want a trusty iron and a good, steady ironing board. I have two irons, a Black and Decker, and a Rowenta Latitude. I prefer the Rowenta. It is a lot more reliable.

These are the three fat quarters that I used. I picked garden-themed prints since this is a gardening apron.

STEP ONE

Square up your fat quarters. For help with this, see the Purl Bee. They have a great tutorial on rotary cutting and squaring up fabric here. When squaring your fat quarters up, try to trim off as little as possible. My 18x22 fat quarter ended up aroung 17 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches.

STEP TWO

Cut your main fabric into a 12 inch piece. Set it aside for now. Keep the remaining fabric. We will use it later.

STEP THREE

Cut your back row pocket fabric into a 9 inch piece. Set it aside. Take your front row pocket fabric and cut it into a 5 inch piece. Set it aside.

STEP FOUR

Now it is time to make sure your machine is ready to sew. Make sure your bobbin and top thread match. I picked a green thread that matched my bias tape as close as I could.

STEP FIVE

Layer your three fabrics on your cutting mat in this order: main fabric, back row pocket fabric, front row pocket fabric. Cut through all three layers so that the edges are even. Mine ended up at 17 inches.

STEP SIX

Measure out your bias tape to the front row pocket fabric.

Pin it to the top edge of the fabric.

Make sure that you place the loner edge on the back side of the fabric.

Stitch close to the edge of the bias tape.

Trim even to the edge of the fabric. Repeat for the back row pocket fabric.

STEP SEVEN

Layer the front row pocket fabric on top of the back row pocket fabric.

Baste the two layers together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Repeat with the other fabric piece. Note: If you want to, you can combine this into one step and baste only one time.

STEP EIGHT

Decide how big you want your pockets to be. I used seed packets and scissors to help me decide where I wanted to stitch my pocket lines.

STEP NINE

Using chalk and a straight edge mark the stitching lines for your pockets. This step is optional, but it is nice to have a guideline just in case you aren't too sure of how straight you sew.

Stitch the pockets.

You should now have two rows with several pockets stitched onto your apron.

STEP TEN

Trim up the edges of the apron so that everything is even.

Bind the outer edges of the apron with the bias tape. You can either round the corners and not worry about mitering them, or keep them squared and do a mitered corner. I chose to do a mitered corner on mine. Here is how I did it:

Apply the binding up to the corner of the fabric. Turn the binding, and lay it open underneath the fabric. See how it causes an angle to appear? You are going to fold the binding closed now on the other edge of the fabric.

This is what the back of the fabric with binding will look like.

Here is your mitered corner. Make sure you pin it in place so it doesn't come apart while you are sewing!

Continue applying the binding to the rest of the edges.

This is what it should look like when it is done.

STEP ELEVEN

From the main fabric color remnant, cut one 5 inch by 17 inch piece.

STEP TWELVE

On the short ends of the 5 inch wide strip, fold in 1/4 inch. Press with an iron.

With right sides together, sew the strip to the top edge of the apron using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. This is now the apron waistband.

Press open like this.

STEP TWELVE

On top edge of waistband press under 1/4 inch. Fold another 1/4 inch over and press again. You should now have a clean, pressed top edge with no cut edges showing on the back side of the waistband.

Fold the waistband over on the back side of the apron so that it is even with the edge of the seam between the apron and the waistband. Press.

STEP THIRTEEN

Measure out your ribbon into desired lengths. I used 2 pieces each at 36 inches (1 yard) long.



STEP FOURTEEN

Open waistband. Center ribbon on lower half of the waistband. Put the end of the ribbon about 1 inch in from the edge of the waistband. Anchor in place using a 1/4 inch seam allowance taken from the edge of the waistband fabric.



STEP FIFTEEN

Fold the waistband back down.

Stitch the edges closed at 1/4 inch and close to the edge of the fabric.

Stitch along the bottom edge close to the edge of the fabric.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You are finally finished. Once you get started, it really doesn't take too long. I think it took me just under an hour, and that included stopping to write down the instructions and take all of the pictures.

My Very First Tutorial!

It came to me one night. Actually, about two nights ago, while I was up late working on the quilt for my cousin (She loved it, by the way!). I quickly drew out what I envisioned in my head and picked out my fabrics. Friday I bought some of the notions I needed, and today I put it all together. I am so excited to share it with you!