pocket calendar Cover

http://www.justagirlblog.com/i-sewed-something/

I Sewed Something

by Chris on June 21, 2011

It all started with a simple pocket calendar. My days are filling up way too fast, and I wanted something to bring with me that would help when making plans on the fly. That expression makes me feel cool. Like "I should be wearing Ray-Bans" cool.

I placed it into my purse (camera bag is standing in for purse in this pic), and you can see what it did. It disappeared. My purse is black, my phone is black, and my calendar is black. No way was I ever gonna find that thing. Huh…that's an easy fix. Just sew one yourself. Enter attempt exhibit A:

I blame it on the fusible webbing. It was too thick and made my seams all wonky. Thick webbing is no good for a girl who doesn't know what a straight seam looks like in the first place. Okay, get rid of the webbing. Attempt Exhibit B:

Woops. Apparently, even without the fusing, you still have to measure correctly. It was too flimsy, and the calendar didn't even fit into it! As you can imagine, bad words started entering my mind. Words that your dad used to use when his favorite team lost or when he'd hit his head on the hood of the car while fixing it. Yeah, those words.

Time to regroup. Some retail therapy would help. I purchased some thinner fusible webbing ($1.99/yard) and some new fabric. Surely, that would do the trick.

Hey now. This might be something I can deal with. If you squint your eyes and dim the lights just right, you'll never notice the fact that I must have sewn it with one hand.

If you put the calendar in there and wave it around really fast in your hand, you'd never be able to tell that it's slightly a hot mess. Me likey. Total cost? Well, it would have been free had I done it right the first two times. I paid a few dollars for the fabric since I needed so very little of it. Not bad.

You're wondering about a tutorial, aren't you? Even after all those exhibits, you wanna know, "How'd she do it? How did she pull it off?" Don't look this way. The best (and easiest) tutorial I found was over at Crazy Mom Quilts. AmandaJean knows what she's doing, and her pictures are good!

 

Billie C

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BilliesChristmasCorner/

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

 

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

"From Our Home to Yours"
Ozark First Church of the Nazarene
2004

 

Instant Potatoes, for 6 servings
1/4 cup Sour Cream
4 slices Bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Green Onions, finely chopped

 

Stir sour cream, half of the onions, half of the cheese and half of the bacon into prepared mashed potatoes. spoon mixture into buttered casserole dish. Top with remaining onions, cheese and bacon. Bake uncovered at 375F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Serves 6-8.

 

Billie C

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BilliesChristmasCorner/

Dog Paw Stocking

http://spoonful.com/crafts/dog-paw-stocking

 

Dog Paw Stocking

Create a Dog Paw stocking for your special furry friend.

Total Time 2 to 3 hoursAges all-ages

Cut your family's furriest friend in on the action -- this stocking's big enough to hold a bone that will last all day.

What you'll need

• Scissors
• 2 pieces of light tan faux fur, each 24 by 13 inches
• 2 piece of dark tan faux fur, each 24 by 13 inches
• Sheet of dark brown felt, 9 by 12 inches
• Long sewing pins
• Large-eye sewing needle
• Dark brown embroidery floss
• Clear tape
• 9 inches of tan twist cord

helpful tip

A Stitch for All Stockings
Thread your needle with a length of floss and knot one end. Begin sewing by pushing the needle up through the underside of the fabric and then out the top. Loop the needle back under the fabric and repeat the stitch.

How to make it

1. The Basic Stocking: Click here to download the dog paw stocking pattern.
   

2. Cut 1 paw shape from each piece of the light tan fur and 1 from each piece of the dark tan fur

3. Cut paw pads from the brown felt.

4. Pin the paw pads to the furry side of a dark tan paw and use the floss to whipstitch (see diagram and Tips) the pads in place.

5. Pin together the 4 paws with the dark tan paws on the outside, furry sides out, and the light tan paws on the inside, furry sides in.

6. 

   Using the floss, whipstitch around the edges, sewing the paws together. Leave the top edges unsewn.

7. 

   At the top, sew together the front 2 edges, then the back 2.

8. Fold down the top to make a cuff.

9. Tape the ends of the cord to keep them from fraying, then sew the cord to the stocking for hanging.

 

Billie C

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BilliesChristmasCorner/

Good Afternoon

 

Hello ...  I slept in this morning. Rocky woke us up at 3:30 and I went back to bed after walking all three, When the alarm went off at 4:20, I didn't want to get up and asked Jerry if he would buy breakfast on his way to work today. He said he could do that. I slept until 8 am. I at least feel rested now. 
I've been busy this morning. After Breakfast, getting dressed and walking the dogs, I've been cleaning the back of the camper.  I know, it's is a small space but when I clean, a lot of small things add up quickly.
I made the beds, washed up the few dishes, made a pot of coffee, made up a bottle of flavored water for this morning. rinsed out the bathtub and scrubbed the toilet. Brushed my hair and watered and cared for my plantes that are in the back window.
 I moved the cat litter tub so I could vacumn that space. That's where I also store the vacumn cleaner. I pre-sweep the floor as well as sprinkled some carpet fresh. I've only vacumned the back half so far. It raises the dust so much I have to empty the canistar and let the dust settle. I'll have to dust everything in the camper after I get the rest of the floors done.
I packed up into a box the blanket that I tied for my Grand daughter. It's ready to have the address put on it, Then I'll have Hubby take me to the main post office in Danville to ship it off. I did find out what my Grand son wants for his Christmas Gift and I'll be able to pick that up this next weekend. He wants a remote controled car.  I know I can get one at Hobby Lobby if we can get there before they close. If not there, then I'll try Target or Sears before going to Wal-mart.  At 5 I want to get him a good one.  I know his daddy will play with it as well. I may get two of them so they can have races. That would be fun. I will get one that can be run outside as well as inside.
I still haven't looked to see what I want to send to my younger Grand Child. Her Mom has a wish list on Wal-mart and I may pick up a couple of things from there. 
I went through my Christmas CD's and found I have two repeats. I left a message to my youngest daughter to see if she would like  to have them. One in Mannheim Steamroller and I know her 1 year old loves Mannheim Steamroller. She's wiggle and dance when she hears any of their music.

 

Outside my door ... It's another wonderful day here in MIddle Virginia.. Yes, yesterday I wrote Tennessee instead of Virginia.Guess my mind was elsewhere.  The more we think about it, the more we would like to have a small place in Tennessee to retire to.

 

The Dogs ...  Besides needing out 1/2 an hour earlier than usual, are doing well.  When I took them out at 10, after doing what they are out to do, They wanted to play and didn't want to come back inside.

 

The Cats ... are wondering why I don't want them inside, then realise its too nice to be inside. I have the back window open and it has lost it's screen long ago so they are using that to come in and go out. I also have the door open but closed the port so they couldn't just jump in that way. Every time one would jump in, Barney would check out who it was and not let them come right in.  Then Macon would come to see what Barney was checking out. 

 

From the kitchen... I bought some large Chicken legs to fix for a couple of meals for me this week. It's hard enough to cook for two, now I'm cooking for one 4 days of the week.  Last nights stir fry was ok, but if I do that again, I'll change the vegetable for it.

 

I am hearing... Noon news and weather is on right this minutes.. 72 61 52 56 61. Not bad considering it's the first full week of December.  I'll have to find something to fix in the oven for dinner on Thursday when it's only going to be 52, the coldest day of the next few days.

 

I am wearing... brown sweat pants and my Jazz Band T-shirt from when Beth was in School.  I can honestly say I miss not having a kid in school or home schooling one.  Being around kids can help keep a person young.

 

I am reading... emails. I'll be filling in some Christmas cards this afternoon and will be reading addresses then

Billie C

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BilliesChristmasCorner/