Saturday, December 31, 2016

Make Do and Mend

My sewing machine has been inaccessible, but on Saturday I pulled everything away from it and piled it in the hallway. And I've been sewing! (Next I need to deal with that lovely little pile of stuff that I don't quite know what to do with!)

Yesterday, I took care of a pile of mending. First up was a stuffed Hello Kitty that had a split seam in the head. After that, I turned some raggy towels and the bottom of a t-shirt into some rags. Since I don't use paper towels, it is handy to have extra rags around.


I don't know why, but it is so satisfying to me to turn towels into rags. I don't like to just move them into the rag bin without doing something to them, because I don't want to clean toilets with a rag one week and then have it accidentally get back into rotation as a kitchen towel. So most of those I folded in half and stitched shut in some form.

I also fixed the hem on two washcloths, an easy fix which will prolong their use as washcloths.

My last fix of the evening was a pair of knit pants that my daughter has. These were hand-me-downs and came with a hole in the knee. She liked wearing them though, and the hole got bigger. I attempted to just zig-zag the hole shut, but it didn't work out. So I pulled out a stained t-shirt I had set aside and used the fabric to stitch a heart over the hole. When I showed my daughter she said, "ooooh", so I think she likes them. These are strictly for playing in - not running about town or anything - but this little fix will extend their use. I've always felt like it is nice to have pre-worn play clothes. Why buy new clothes to play outside in and get all stained up? Not that I want my daughter to wear rags! But she's always played hard outside so there's no sense in wearing designer clothes in the mud!


Thursday, December 15, 2016

Marshmallows


For the longest time, I have wanted to make marshmallows. I've had a stand mixer for quite a few years now, so really it was just about finding the time. This December I've been attempting to carve out more time to do things with my daughter, and one of the things on my list was marshmallows.

Recipes abound (just check Pinterest). I used a basic recipe out of my The Homemade Pantry (not an affiliate link) cookbook.

Will I make these again? I don't know. I rarely (as in: once a year or less) buy marshmallows to begin with. And it is not as though these are "healthy" or even "healthier" by any stretch of the imagination. They are delicious though, and it was a fun experience to share with my daughter!

Are you doing any special holiday baking or candy making this year? Do tell!

Sunday, December 04, 2016

Baby Afghan, Part 2

I finished another baby afghan!


I used the same pattern and yarn as before (see previous post), I really liked both the first time around so I stuck with it for the second time! Since we live near my sister, we went to Hobby Lobby together and she picked out the colors.


I wasn't sure how the teal would look but I have to say it adds a nice bright pop and goes well with the gray and pink!

All the details here on my Ravelry page!