how to make easy-peasy arm warmers

Take one old (preferably holey) pair of knee high socks.

 

Then take a pair of scissors, and cut off the toe of said socks and you're done! Ta-da: one pair of easy-peasy arm warmers!!!

 

Playing along with show and tell and my creative space

another of these skirts (with a how-to)

so, you may be starting to worry about me and these skirts (i know i am). ok, ok, i know i have already made and posted about these skirts twice (here and here). so far. so i thought when i made another of them the other day, i would add a how-to, (my justification of being able to post about them again). so here it is, made from the great op-shopped fabric i bought a few weeks ago. 

this is a seriously easy skirt. it takes a very short time to make. the front is straight and it has a draw-string at the back. the measurements here make an aust size 12-14, but it is easy to make bigger or smaller, just change the width of the sides... and lengthen or shorten as desired (although, being a fairly straight skirt, you would have to take that into account). still to be easy easy easy, just follow the instructions below:

basically, cut two rectangles - the front being smaller than the back - and the draw strings

front: L = 24", W = 20"
back: L = 24", W = 27"
draw strings: L = 26", W =  3" (cut two of these)

hem the bottom of each (or cheat and make it even easier, like i did, by just using the selvage as the hem). then sew up side seams right sides together (i start from the bottom to keep the hem in line).

fold over about 1 and 1/2" at the top and iron flat.

then sew in a little rectangle of interfacing (or use iron-on interfacing - even easier). make sure that you sew it on the skirt side, rather than the inside (i hope that makes sense- here's a pic). it goes right in the middle of the back of the skirt. 

then make two button-holes into the interfacing - like this. (its where the draw-strings will come out). 

 once you have done this, sew along down the folded top. 


next make the drawstrings - fold them in half lengthways (right sides together), iron and then sew the up (leaving the ends open)

turn them right side out (i used a knitting needle to help)

and iron flat. 


then its just a matter of threading them through your neat little button holes and sewing them firmly to the side seams.

and you're done!


phew - have a cup of tea and enjoy your fabulously easy new skirt...

skills from uni (or candlemaking with a how to)

well, i don't know about you, but i learnt some very useful skills while i was at uni - like how to make candles. i have never actually done it though, and it has been a number of years since i was at uni. however, i had a couple of candles that had burnt through the wick, but with plenty of candle left. in the reduce/re-use/recycle way of things, the other day i decided pull out those old university learnt skills and give candle making a go. i started with an old candle, some new candlewick, a plastic cup and an old can. i then chopped the candle into little bits. and popped the bits into the can and popped the can into a saucepan of water over a fairly low heat (the water didn't even need to be simmering). the peg held the can in place, as otherwise it tended to float and threatened to tip the wax into the saucepan. while waiting for the wax to melt, i set up my molds - plastic cups - with their wicks. i trickily tied the wick to toothpicks and suspended it from the top of the cup, to ensure it didn't get swamped when i poured the wax in. once all the wax had melted, it was simple to pour it into my molds. i then left it to cool down and solidify - i left them overnight for good luck. i ended making three candles like this. then i popped them out of the cups, trimmed their wicks and...ahhhhh... how lovely.

first felted project - a tea cosy (with a how-to)

yay! don't you love it when you have an idea in your head, and then when you make it up, it looks just like you hoped it would... yay! i am so happy with it, i thought i'd share it.

i wanted to make a felted tea cosy for one of my favourite tea pots, so i made up the pattern by drawing around the bottom of the pot, and then planning out the sides. i then cut out the pieces from the sleeves of the jumper i felted last week. this pattern took a sleeve and a bit. i hand stitched the sides to the base. i decided to leave the front open for the spout, but stitched up the back. (this pic is while i was part way through the hand sewing). i finished it off with yellow blanket stitch around the edges and a little feature button - also yellow (i tried a number of colours and button sizes, but i liked the simple yellow best). so there you have it, a simple felted tea cosy - to keep your tea pot warm, cosy and pretty looking...