A Beginner's Sewing Tutorial: How to turn straps

This is a really simple sewing tutorial. If you are a seasoned seamstress, feel free to skip this post. But if you are new to sewing, this is an easy tutorial that will save you the pain of figuring this out on your own.



Yesterday, I was working on the Butterick 3477 pattern (I'll post pics soon) when I remembered my first experience making straps. I had no idea what I was doing. I naively thought the pattern would explain the process.



Needless to say, it didn't explain how to do this. All I had for instructions:

1. Fold straps.

2. Sew seam.

3. Turn and press.

It took me way too long to figure out how to do this, so I thought I would save you the trouble. I have a fancy tube turning tool, but I have found that I prefer to use my scissors (carefully!) or a chopstick if the strap is narrow. If you are sewing spaghetti straps, you will need a turning tool to do this.

You first need to fold your strap, right sides together, and press. Sew along the edge opposite of the fold and the bottom of the strap, leaving the top open. Clip the corner of the bottom of the strap to make it lay smoothly, being careful not to clip the seam.

To begin turning, bunch the fabric at the bottom of the strap (which has been sewn.)

Carefully, use your scissors (or a chopstick) to begin gently pushing the fabric up through the strap.

Continue feeding the fabric onto your scissors and up through the strap until you can see the bottom of the strap peek through the hole at the top.

Holding the bottom of the strap, remove your scissors and pull the rest of the fabric down.

Rub the corners to make the fabric lay nice and square. You could use your scissors to help push the fabric out in the corners, but it usually isn't necessary.

Congratulations! You have made a strap. Now press and you're done.

Garden Helpers

I am happy to report that one of my garden beds is now sown. We had so much fun! Daniel and his friend JT were amazing help with the planting. You can see them covering the row of peas with dirt after they put each seed carefully into place. I was impressed at the care that each of them took to give their seed a cozy spot in the row making sure that there was just enough space in between.

I ended up planting cabbage, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, onions, arugula, spinach, mustard, turnips, rutabagas, and peas. In a few weeks I'll be sowing the other bed with green beans, more peas, squash, radishes, cucumbers, and maybe some melons. Cantelope and watermelon are my kid's favorites. I'm looking forward to enjoying fresh produce from the convenience of my backyard.

You probably noticed my shabby little cabbage transplants at the bottom of the picture. I think they will be alright after a few days basking in the warm sunlight and soaking up the replenishing rain which we're expecting tomorrow. Honestly, we had a pretty severe cold front come through a couple weeks ago, just before I was ready to plant them. I had forgotten that I left them on our back patio exposed to the frost. It is hard for me to imagine now that two weeks ago we had temperatures in the 20's... I'm grateful for this February thaw!

My favorite snack lately? Cottage cheese and fruit. Any fruit. Today it was mandarin oranges, but pineapple is especially delicious, too. And I can hardly wait until my berry plants begin producing! Fresh blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries will be on the menu soon. I also have some grape transplants to place in my little garden. I just have to figure out what kind of trellis to build before they will inhabit their new home. Any suggestions?

Raised Garden Beds... Ready!

My garden beds are ready to be sown. Oh, how happy this makes me! One of the best things about living in Alabama is the lengthy growing season. Most early vegetables can go out in February. We are having a gorgeous weekend with temperatures in the upper 60's to low 70's (sorry to make you jealous.) I thought it was a great time to get a head start on Spring planting...

I believe I'll plant some lettuce, carrots, broccoli, arugula, spinach, and mustard for now. As soon as it warms up a bit more, I have the perfect spot for an herb garden. I can hardly wait! I am thinking about planting some peppers in containers in the same area. Maybe some tomatoes, too. I haven't quite decided. I would also love to plant some heirloom flowers there as well.

This is what everyone else was doing to enjoy the beautiful day:

A little jumping.

A little climbing.

A lot of swinging.

Hey, you guys make some room for me!

Serging right along

So, I finally took my Kenmore 16677 serger out of the box. I sat down with a nice hot cup of echinacea tea, and broke out the handy dandy DVD tutorial that came with the machine.

I made sure I had my scrap bowl nearby (and more tea) when I finally turned the machine on. I'm thinking, this isn't so hard. Isn't threading an inexpensive serger supposed to be difficult?

Then, I pressed the foot pedal. Uh-oh. Looking at the tangled threads, I realized I must not have threaded the machine properly afterall. I became a little discouraged, but I remembered what my mother taught me when I was growing up... If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.

Good advice.

I watched the DVD of how to thread the machine a couple more times, and tried to thread it again. Success!

It really wasn't that hard. I was missing one little loop that the lower thread goes through. Once I remedied that, it serged a beautiful seam. It was my mistake. I've also found that it helps to thread it in a particular order. Lower thread, upper thread, right needle, left needle.

I must say that I am really impressed with this serger. I got it on sale for under $200. It took me about an hour to get it up and running (including the time for watching the DVDs.) Not bad at all.

I spy... a new serger!

I've wanted a serger for soooo long. I became aquainted with one of these amazing pieces of machinery the summer before my senior year of high school when I worked in a sewing mill. To make a long story short, I sewed (actually serged) so many long sleeves onto shirts that summer that it burnt me out on the whole seamstress bit for quite some time. It was several years before I had a renewed desire to sew and my MIL gave me her old sewing machine. I have since purchased my own sewing machine (which I adore), but I haven't touched a serger since the tramatic mill experience. Until today...

I think it's about time I tried my hand at serging again. And since I have been so happy with my Kenmore 19233 sewing machine, I naturally wanted another Kenmore. I've taken the day off work to get aquainted with my new Kenmore 16677 serger machine. I'll report back any success (or failure) I experience in my latest adventure. Wish me luck!

Easy as pie... Holly Jumper by Bonnnie Blue Designs

I love this pattern. I've blogged about it before, but I thought this easy as pie pattern deserved another mention. After all, it is resposible for bringing my sewing machine out of hibernation. This is the first project I've finished in quite some time. I finished it in about an hour. Gotta love it!

I should warn you about one thing though - this pattern runs WAY on the small side. I sewed a size 5 for my daughter who currently wears a 3t. It fits her very well with a wee bit of growing room... which is always a good thing for toddlers. Don't they seem to grow an inch overnight? I can hardly wait until it is warm enough to slip this cute dress on my little sweetie. Oh Spring, where art thou?

On another note, my husband gave me a new MP3 player for Christmas. I have yet to load any music on to it. I actually just opened the package this afternoon. Yes, I am ashamed. I believe I'll head on over to iTunes and remedy this situation... See you soon.

Easy Ribbed Scarf... Knitting WIP

Okay, so it's a bit wonky... well, it is my very first knitted thing ever. The fact that it is a little wonky doesn't really matter to me. I'm just excited that I've finally learned to knit.

And I must admit, it's not terribly difficult once you learn how to hold the needles. There is something soothing about the counting and the knitting and the purling. It relaxes me after a hectic day of troubleshooting computer errors.

Yes... sweet therapy. Predictable. Dependable. Knit. Knit. Knit. Then purl, purl. I don't have to think it through. And the beauty of it is that I don't have to have a tremendous amount of energy at the end of the day. I just pick up my needles and the rhythym reminds me to slow down... and breathe.

Tutorial here by Firefly.

I modified the tutorial a little by using a worsted weight wool blend yarn on size 8 needles.

And in case you need the basics on how to knit...

http://www.knittinghelp.com/

One more thing... introducing Cocoa! He's the latest addition to our family. We're in love!

Learning to Knit

***This entry has been updated. I linked you to the wrong knitting tutorial in the post below. I did use the Stitch Diva for a few tips, but I found that the videos were more helpful. The video tutorials are actually located here:

http://www.knittinghelp.com/

**********************************************************

I stumbled upon the best knitting tutorial ever... it is a series of videos done by the Stitch Diva that shows EXTREMELY INDEPTH instructions and tips. I've been an avid crocheter for years, but never learned to knit. Mainly because I was never taught to knit - my grandmother taught me to crochet, but she never knit.

Sure, I've thought about learning to knit many times. But the instuctions in knitting books seemed a bit complicated, and quite frankly, made little sense to me. I am so glad I found this website. I literally learned to knit in under 30 minutes. REALLY.

I'm not an expert... yet. But with a little practice, I should be knitting well within the week. It's a simple process. And since I already crochet, the movements come quite naturally. Go ahead... give it a try:

http://www.stitchdiva.com/custom.aspx?id=101

This is what I've started knitting:

http://scrumptiousliving.wordpress.com/2007/01/25/free-knitted-scarf-pattern/

It's a very simple and easy to knit scarf. I'm loving it and I can hardly believe how easily it is coming together. I will post a photo of the project soon.






In the meantime, the Craft Addict is doing a fabulous giveaway on her blog this week - hurry on over, the contest ends December 12, 2008. You can click here to view her blog and post a comment to enter the contest. You will not want to miss this - the items above are included in the giveaway. Major crafty score! And an added bonus: she's giving a little shoutout to our favorite charities. Mine is 100x Missions which exists to glorify God through the care of orphans and the sharing of the good news of Christ around the world.

Lost my crafty mojo?

Friends, I have a confession to make... I haven't been the least bit crafty in months. I know. A little depressing. I have several WIPs, but I'm having trouble getting back into the groove after my recent endeavors. Really and truly, I am just too tired.

I am enjoying my work, and my family is great about it. Everyone tries to pitch and do their part. My husband has even learned to do laundry (Woohoo!) I just find it hard to squeeze in time for crafting these days. And I do miss it. Really, I do.

I have managed to squeeze in time for cooking (we still like to eat, you know?) And I stumbled upon a couple of wonderful websites in my quest for good food:

Bob's Red Mill is an excellent site for grains, beans, flours, and all sorts of bread and muffin mixes. You can buy individual packages of their products, or buy in bulk for a substantial discount. Most things I've purchased have been in 25lb bags which I store in 5 or 2.5 gallon buckets with lids. It works out beautifully. Just be sure you have a place to store them - mine are stacked in a closet. If you decide to place an order, be sure you try the Apple Cinnamon & Grains Hot Cereal. It's more coarse in texture than oatmeal, and full of apple bits. My family loves it served with honey drizzled over the top. Yum!




The Fresh Loaf is a great site for amateur bread makers. I made this cornbread last night. It was soooo good! I used corn flour (no plain flour at all, just corn meal) from Bob's Red Mill and it was excellent. My husband said it was the best I had ever served, and that's saying something for him. He's really, really picky about his bread. FYI, corn flour is just corn meal that is ground very fine. Most corn meals are coarse in texture.





Psalm 34

1 I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

2 My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.

10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

12 Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,

13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.

14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;

16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;

20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

22 The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

I'm back, and I'm ready.

I cannot believe that it has been nearly two months since my last post. As you can imagine, it's been a very busy summer for me. I returned to the corporate world after being at home with my baby girl for 18 months. Yeah, it was a rude awakening. But we've adjusted well.

You're probably wondering what is going on in my head lately. Truly, my focus is on obedience to God. He laid it on my heart to prepare for a famine, and that is what we've been doing for the last year. And I must say, with the current financial crisis, I'm feeling pretty good about the measures my family has taken to ensure that we don't go hungry - literally.

Friends, I believe with all my heart that we must, as a nation, return to our first love. To God Almighty. I have hope that we will experience revival in this nation. God is pouring out His Spirit upon His people in a powerful way. We will experience revival, or we will experience wrath. The choice is ours to make.

I encourage you to make your own preparations. Buy extra rice, beans, grains, and canned goods on your next shopping trip. What's it going to hurt? If I'm wrong, and you prepare - no big deal, you have extra food to eat. If I'm right, and you don't prepare - big problem, you watch your family go hungry.

And don't get me wrong, this is about so much more than stocking up on extra groceries. This is about obedience and submission. God loves us so much. Too much to leave us in sin. He will get our attention, and unfortunately, it usually takes suffering to wake us up. It's easy to get so wrapped up in ourselves and our routines that we end up shutting out our Creator.

Luke 11:10 (NIV)
10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.


Check out this link to my friend's hubpage. She lays out God's plan of salvation very simply. We all need Jesus. There's no reason to live without Him. What are you waiting for?

http://hubpages.com/hub/speakingthetruthinlove