New Life to the Keyboard Tray

I have recently "inherited" my hubby's old desk as my new crafting/sewing table.  Before this, I was using a folding table for all my activities.  So, this is definitely an upgrade.  Remember the days when you have to attach a keyboard tray under your desk?  Well, this desk is old enough to have one.
I thought about removing the tray, but wanted to see if I can use it to store my supplies.  Guess what, this tray can hold a lot!  My sewing feet, bobbins, pins, needles now sit happily in this shallow tray.  If you have an old desk like me, check quickly!  You might be one of the lucky ones to utilize an old tool in new ways.
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Color Chart for Color Pencils

Coloring with Copic markers, water color brush pens or color pencils has been quite popular.  I've seen crafters keeping a color chart for their tools.  I've never thought it was necessary until I tried making one for my color pencils.  I have taped the color chart to the inside of the tin lid of my color pencil set for quick reference.  When I fill in the colors, I could for the first time compare the colors of those pencils side by side.  For the browns, especially, I could see which ones have more red than others, which I was not able to do just looking at the wooden body of the pencils. This has helped me in layering and blending colors.  

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Compost Box Tutorial

Pinterest is a wonderful resource for all kinds of DIY projects.  I have been so inspired that I finally invested time doing research and installing a drip irrigation system for the front porch.  With that, the front porch project grew.  I got more plants to pot and found more tips to keep the plants healthy and happy.  Making compost then became a no-brainer.  According to several pinners, I do not need an expensive compost bin.  Just a few simple materials/tools could get any rookie like me started.  

I found a large 30 gallon storage bin I got from the Halloween sale and emptied the bin by dumping all the content into another container.   The bin is ideal since it has a latch lid to keep my dog and cat all pests away.  I use my handy dandy Fiskars hand drill to create holes on the lid, on the bottom and the side of the bin for aeration .  Hubby was laughing at my slow drilling and offered help with his power tool.  Thanks, honey, but no thanks.  I could not believe how easy it was and how much satisfaction came out of all that drilling!  It was so much fun that each of my 3 kids begged to help.  Yap, they begged because mama did not want to share her hand drill.  I had to very gently remind them that I did not need hundreds of holes drilled.  Please note that when JJ drilled the holes, my hand was holding the drill so she could turn the rotary handle and not hurt herself and her mom.  (I asked her to pause and post for these shots.)  JJ noted that the shaving looked like dried shrimp!  LOL.
After marking/decorating the bin, JJ and I placed crumpled up newspaper at the bottom of bin, sprayed water (the materials should be as damp as a rung out sponge), placed the composting ingredients on top (vegetable/fruit peels and bread crumbs mostly; no meat/fish, bones, grease or dairy), and topped with shredded paper to avoid stench.  Close the latch lid, place the bin outside the kitchen on top of another plastic lid to catch any leaks and voila!
I have been diligently collecting kitchen scraps for my compost box, keeping the layers of the content one green (kitchen scraps), one brown (shredded paper and leaves), and using a shovel to turn the content every 1-2 weeks.  In a few months, I should be able to "harvest" the compost!  My plants WILL thank me.

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Tutorial: Pattern Tracing--New Trick

In my October Aha!--Pattern Tracing Options post in 2011, I mentioned about using the clear folder as pattern tracing plastic.  Well, that worked for me...mostly.  With tracing the pattern onto the plastic using permanent marker, I still needed to write pattern information on the plastic.  Although the marker has the word "permanent", the ink did not stay well.  After just one use, some of the writing would rob off.  If I had a bad day, the ink would stain my hands, too.  Then, I would need to wash my hands before handling the fabric and rewrite the pattern info. yet again.  Not fun.

So, just a few days ago, I went through this whole routine of pattern tracing, my hand got stained as expected.  I looked at the plastic and thought, there's got to be a better way.  Then, a light bulb went on!  Here is my solution:

Picture 1: New solution on the left (pattern B) vs. the old way (pattern A)
Picture 2: (old way) Tracing with permanent marker with ink robbed off.  (steps taken: trace, cut, write pattern info.)
Picture 3: (new and fast way)
You'd need: your pattern, plastic sheet, masking tape or painter's tape and a pair of scissors
a) I use painter's tape (loop it so it works as double-sided tape) to secure the pattern on the back of the plastic sheet.
b) Then cut both the plastic and the paper pattern at the same time following the pattern outline.
c) Remove the double-sided tape and secure both layers (cut plastic and paper pattern) with masking or painter's tape around the outline.

Now, you have a sturdy pattern piece with all the pattern info.!  The seam allowance wheel works smoothly with the plastic pattern, too!   Best of all, your hands and fabric stay clean!!
 

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My Craft Notebook

If I ever publish a comic book,  Z's "Dr. Hot Dog" and "Peanut Man" would be the superheros in it.
I'd like to make an octopus stuffie base on F's drawing someday. (top right)

This notebook keeps all the little secrets of sewing, knitting and crafting I've learned along the way (bottom left) and sketches by me and my kids (top right).  If I have successfully created something, I'd write down all the measurements and materials here so I could reproduce it in the future.  I also take notes of things I could improve on of certain projects here.   With my Montessori training background, I often use illustrations as much as word descriptions.  Besides my sewing machine, this notebook is the best thing I have on my craft table.

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Helpers on My Sewing Table

Helper #1:   

On my trip to the fabric store, I found a $10 self-adhesive measuring tape.  Good idea, but VERY pricey.  I happened to have a measuring tape (which used to be part of an auto rewind tape measure until my little one pulled it too hard and separated it from the rest...)  I use double sided tape to adhere the measuring tape to the edge of my sewing table.  From then on, I do not have to find my yard stick during sewing.  Technically, it's free. 

Helper #2:

I had on my project list to make a beautiful quilted thread catcher.  But, sadly, other projects always climbed to the top of the list.  At the end of the day, my thread catcher was nowhere to be found.  I needed one badly!  So, the compromise became a brown paper bag taped to the edge of the table.  Surprisingly, it has served me well!  Not only do I have a wide mouth thread catcher, it's deep enough to last and it's disposible!!  woohoo!

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Building Reading Skill--Matching Game

JJ has a box that was passed down from Z and F.  Inside, there are Chinese red envelopes.

   Nope, it is not Chinese New Year.  And those Chinese red envelopes do not have money in them.  Sorry for the disappointment...

Each envelope is marked with a letter (upper case and lower case).

 Open up the letter H envelope and find slips of paper.  

Spread the pictures on the table.  Line up the word slips in a row.

(the vowels are in red, digraphs are underlined) 

Say the name of each picture.  Sound out each word slip.  Then, have the child read the word slip and match the correct picture.

 The control is that there will be the same number of pictures and word slips.

JJ loves word matching game. 

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Size Down Hoodie

Went to the flea market with F one Saturday.  There was a liquidation sale.  Bags of brand new hoodies were $4 each.  I just could not let this opportunity pass me by.  Got a medium size for F.  It was baggier than I hoped for.

Baggie from every angle..

I turned the hoodie inside out and had F wear it.  Carefully pinned where I'd cut the excess with a few inches of room to wriggle.  Sewed along the pinned lines.  Cut the unwanted fabric off.  Zig zag the raw edges.  

What F had was a fitted hoodie.  

The only thing that puzzled me was that her smile disappeared when she put on the now "better" hoddie.  Why, honey, why?

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Bubble Wand Solution

Whenever the kids want to play with bubbles, I usually hesitate to say yes.  The most annoying thing about bubbles is that the kids ALWAYS get sticky.  Sometimes, I get sticky, too, when the wand drops into the bottle and gets too difficult to fish out.

 Like all kids, Joy loves bubbles.  My solution?  Bubble wand extension!  Just got a pair of disposable chopsticks and attached it to the wand with a piece of trash bag tie. 

 No mess, no stickiness. 

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November Aha!--Trouble With Stitches

Who does not love neat stitches on projects and those eye-candy fabrics?  But once in awhile, I’d see these ugly pucks.  And I know, I have stitch troubles.

Ugly in the front. (picture on top)  

Uglier in the back! (picture below)

 I knew this was mainly a thread tension issue.  Tried adjusting thread tension up then down; nothing worked.  But, whenever I took out the bobbin and replaced it with another one, the stitches appeared to be perfect again.  

After a few incidences of having to change my bobbins, I took a serious look at them and noticed the ones that caused the pucks looked unevenly threaded.  Funny that I've ALWAYS used the auto bobbin winder on my machine, and never wind the bobbins by hand...  That's when I realized that I DID interfere with the winding by hand a few times when I was so bored watching the winder.  I thought I was doing the winder a favor by pressing the thread down a few times to get "even" distribution of the thread.  Ha, I was actually doing myself a disservice.

Bobbin on top: what I need.
Bobbin on e bottom: uneven, trouble making bobbin; a direct result of my own foolishness.

The lesson learned: I will keep my hands to myself and trust my machine to do its job.

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October Aha!--Pattern Tracing Options

I have been looking for pattern tracing materials everywhere.  Joann carries sturdy plastic tracing sheets for $2-3+ a piece.  Quite pricy, I thought.  

I went across the street to Daiso and found these Translucent Poly File Folders (12.4” x 17.2”, 3pc.) for, yap, you guessed it, $1.50.  I figured that each folder has two sides that I could use.  For 3 folders, that’s 6 sheets.  For the price that I pay for these, it’s a steal.

 I like to reuse my bag and pouch patters, so these plastic folders are just the right size.  After tracing and cutting, I punched holes on each piece of the patterns and use brats o secure pieces from the same project together. 

 The down side of these plastic folders is that the permanent ink does not stay as well as tracing papers.  So I am risking losing markings or notes on those sheets.

 Then I found this: Plastic Drop Cloth from hardware store (10' x 20' for about $3.50). 

Be careful not to be greedy cut too long of a sheet since it's 10' wide.  Otherwise, you'll end up with a mess on your cutting table before you could even start any tracing. 

Lay the drop cloth flat on your pattern, using weights to prevent movement while tracing (as you would with tissue paper pattern tracing).  Permanent markers and rulers are great tools for pattern tracing on plastic. 

 Transfer markings and pattern number, size and details on the drop cloth.  It's surprisingly easy marking on it and the ink stays well.

Storage is a breeze.  You could fold it up as small as you desire.  (this sheet has 7 pieces of pattern on it, and it could still be folded up even more than this).  The beauty of this is when you open the sheet up, no wrinkles!

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