Author: sarah

DIY 353: Dried Parsley is Tasty and Beautiful

My Italian (flat) Parsley has grown totally wild in the garden. Time to pull it up. I love when the herb gets to this point because it means the roots are large enough to use for soup. Plus, Italian Parsley retains its fresh green color even when dry~that makes it a great herb to give as a gift. I pulled out huge handfuls and spent an hour trimming and drying enough leaves to share with friends and have enough to last the summer. For dinner I am making soup with hot bread. My husband will be psyched!

Pull parsley up by the roots. Trim off the leaves for drying, cut off roots and use for soup.
Put dried herbs in a pretty container and keep close at hand near the stove.

How to dry Italian Parsley:

  1. Heat oven to 200ºF.
  2. On a clean, dry cookie sheet evenly spread freshly trimmed parsley leaves
  3. Place cookie sheet in warm oven for 15 minutes or until leaves are completely dry (They will be very brittle).
  4. Carefully scoop leaves into a glass container to display with other seasonings. To give as a gift, simply add a pretty tag.

Until Tomorrow~Sarah

Button bracelet made from screen printed scraps

Every time I screen print I use up the last little bits of ink on scraps of paper and fabric. These bits and pieces are super handy when I am looking to put my signature on some project. One day last week I was covering buttons with fabric and turned to my box of scraps to see what was there. I was so delighted with the buttons I wanted to put them all together! Follow this link to a tutorial on how to make fabric covered buttons.

I just love the YUDU. The ink colors are beautiful and non-toxic. The set up is so easy I can break it out and have it all cleaned up in under 3 hours. (That includes designing, burning screens, and going to town on anything within arm’s reach.)

DIY 354: Organize Sewing Treads in a Printer's Tray

This printer’s tray has been knocking around in a closet for years now. Seriously, I am surprised I still have it. It was a gift from my mom when I was about 12. I kept all my miniature glass menagerie in it until I started high school. Well, let me tell you how happy I finally found a use for it. And a “pretty” use at that.

Keep your treads handy:

  1. Buy a printers tray (search “antique printers tray” on Ebay or Craig’s List in your area) or a shallow shelf. Honestly, even this Bamboo Flatware tray at Target would work great.
  2. Hang it on the wall near your sewing table. Not only is it handy, you can see all the colors better than when they are in a drawer and it’s pretty too!
  3. Fill it up! I find the more colors I have the more creative I get with my sewing. I use a lot of the special stitches on my Viking sewing machine now and everyone is amazed. Really, the secret is knowing what I have and what my machine can do…but I don’t tell them that. 😉

Until tomorrow~Sarah

DIY 355: Organize Bobbins On Bamboo Skewers

I have been sewing a lot lately, and it is my tendency to trade up the colored thread on a minute-by-minute basis. You know~those of you out there who wonder about storing bobbins~that the more you handle bobbins the more tangled, lost and aggravating they become. Well, I have finally found a solution I want to share.

Keep Bobbins Neat and Organized On Bamboo Skewers:

Buy a bag of skewers at the supermarket and color a few (if you care to~I do!) from tip to tip with a permanent marker. I prefer about 5 bobbins per skewer.
Measure and wrap in tape "stopper"
Next you'll want to put a tape "stopper" to hold the bobbins toward the top of the skewer. Here I have my prescribed five bobbins on and tape stuck to mark where to begin.
Twirl the tape on until the mass is larger than the bobbin hole. This will stop the bobbins from sliding down to the bottom and falling off.
Once the bobbins are all on the skewers trim any loose threads. (Do this every time the threads get out of hand~it's that easy!)
Finally, put all the skewered bobbins in a narrow necked bottle and place on your sewing table. You'll be amazed how much simpler bobbin changing will be!

One last thing: I discovered I can take all my bobbins with me. Simply grab the whole shebang and lay them in your traveling case. A rubber band gently wound around the skewer tips can keep them from flying off. Happy sewing, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Until tomorrow~Sarah

DIY 356: Keep an Ideas Binder

Every time a magazine or website appeals to me, I clip out photos and ideas and pop them into a big binder. I keep it handy so it’s easy to file things and the clippings don’t pile up. It is, quite literally, my brain food. That, an a good cup of coffee, and I am ready to get creative.

Make your own Ideas Binder:

  1. Buy the largest binder (about 2″ will do) as well as clear pockets from your local office supply store.
  2. Use tabs to mark sections, like: Home, paper, embroidery, color combos, and others areas of interest.
  3. Start cutting images from all the magazines you receive in the mail, then move onto sites with good ideas.

In no time your biunder will be bulging with great references you can use!

Until tomorrow~Sarah

DIY 357: How to Make a Rag Flower Hair Pin

I have been admiring all the rag flower hair clips and pins in Anthropologie and I have been hankering to make some for myself. Turns out it’s really easy!

How to Make a Rag Flower Pin:

Cut fabric into strips (1″x20″)
Tie 3 strips together. Leave a little “tail”. It will be the center of the flower
Twist first strip.
Run lines of glue, and begin wrapping twisted piece around center knot
Tuck end in and glue, and repeat process with other 2 strips.
Twist, wrap and glue all three stips.
If you need to, secure with a pin until dry.
Choose a fastener and sew on the back after the glue is dry.
Snip center of flower to fluff out the center.
Use the iRock to apply some sparkle.

Have fun! Have a great weekend!

Until Tomorrow~Sarah

DIY 358: Easy Home-made Jewelry with Sculpey

The summer vacay bug has bitten, and I am getting really excited to go camping. So much in fact I made three charms using Sculpey and stamps I own.

Make your own charms out of Sculpey:

  1. Purchase desired colors of Sculpey at a craft store
  2. Buy or use inking stamps. The bolder shapes and simpler lines are easiest to work with
  3. Follow directions in working with Sculpey. I found that kneeding the clay in your had to warm it up makes it very easy to work with
  4. Press into the stamps
  5. Cut away excess
  6. Use a pencil or pointy end to poke a hole in the clay where you want it to hang
  7. Bake according to directions on the box

Zooming around on the internet looking for info about Sculpey, I ran across this funny little animated short…check it out.

Sculpey the Slug — an animated short from KMPer02 on Vimeo.

Enjoy!

Until Tomorrow~Sarah

DIY 359: YUDU, the personal screen printer does patterns

I love the ease with which I can create screen printed fabric on the YUDU. I made a simple leaf design and turned it 180º as I worked across the fabric. I will be turning these into curtains for my sewing room.

You too can screen print using the YUDU~Here is a resource if info and great tutorials:

  • Find an introduction to what’s in the box, here >>
  • Erin Bassett is a pro. See her video tutorials, here >>
  • Find some good tips and tricks, here >>
  • Buy more accessories and supplies, here >>

And have fun~I sure do!

Until Tomorrow~Sarah

DIY 360: New Life for a Baby Bracelet

Several years ago my mom was going through her old jewelry box and found my baby bracelet–a gift from my grandmother. Until recently, it’s been knocking around in my jewelry box.
I was lamenting to a friend that I didn’t know what to do with it, and Suzanne said, “put it on a necklace.” Now why didn’t I think of that.
Now, this is one of my very favorite pieces, reminding me of three generations.

Until tomorrow–Sarah