Snowballs!

Ahhh...  Sewing class has started again!  I have missed the challenge of trying to sew a straight line.  And, oh, how one would think that curved lines would be a breeze.  Not sew!  ~grin~

Since Alicia was still suffering from pink eye yesterday, Justin joined me for sewing class.  That was okay because the project for the day was a bit more suited to him.  We made snowballs!  (This was especially fitting since we have had very little snow this year.)

Our instructor had cut out circles of cheesecloth-- two layers thick.  They were about 6-7 inches in diameter.  We learned a new basting stitch that we did around the edge.  This new stitch made it a breeze to gather the edges all together. 

At that point, Justin had a ball filling each "bag" with flour.  Once it was full, we wound the remaining string around the opening until it was all wrapped up. 

Wa-laa...  springtime snowballs!

Imagine Wayne's surprise when he got home from work and got pelted with "snowballs!" 

Fun project.  Fun day.  And a new stitch learned.  What could be finer?!?

My New Ironing Board!

While I was surfing the 'net the other day I came across directions on how to make a small ironing board out of a wooden TV tray.  (http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2010/01/a-woman-a-plan-an-inexpensive-tv-tray-new-pressing-board.html)   I loved the idea.  When Alicia and I are sewing, it's always a bit of a hassle to leave the sewing machine and go to the ironing board.  But this one is table-top height, and extremely portable.  So, we can set it up right next to our sewing machine, and we're all set to go!  And when it's not in use, it can fold up flat.  Now I'm eager to use it!

I had a wooden TV tray already, and I had a scrap of some really cute fabric for the top.  I had to buy the cotton batting and some twill to put between the cute fabric and the batting.  Here's the one I made:

How to Tie a Knot in a Piece of Thread

Yeah... That sounds rather simple, but it's something everyone will have to do at some point in their life. Even people who will never sit in front of a sewing machine will want to sew a button back on a shirt at some point. So, everyone should know how to tie a knot in a piece of thread.

My daughter and I are taking sewing classes, and one of the things we learned early on was a quick and easy way to knot thread. (On purpose!) However, it was so easy, that I promptly forgot how to do it! Eek!

Well, Alicia is mending some of her doll's clothes and of course, we needed to knot a piece of thread. After a brief search on YouTube, I found what I needed. The sound on the video isn't very good, but you'll get the idea.

Happy sewing!