My friend Enid taught me an easy way to make applique with finished edges, and I’ve used it ever since. All you need is: your appliqué fabric used dryer sheets marker thread Here’s how to do it. I draw or trace the appliqué shape onto the dryer sheet and pin it to the right (show) side of the appliqué fabric. … Read more
I’m not sure how so many of my clothes end up with bleach stains, given that I don’t use much bleach around the house. But they do. Thankfully, many of the clothes that end up with these stains are black. “Wait! That’s good?” you say. “Bleach stains are terrible on black!” Yes, it is good. Because there’s a really way … Read more
I have an old blanket from Target. It’s not the fanciest thing, but it keeps a body warm. Unfortunately, it’s made out of a fabric that snags easily. There was no easy way to mend this, so I decided to cover it up – and give the blanket a little more personality in the process. I took one of the … Read more
You may remember this awesomely damaged camisole from my post about Lilo, the Amazing Wool-Eating Cat. Draped over the shoulder is a folded sleeve I cut off from another shirt during this project. I bleached the fabric by setting it in a solution of 1 cup hydrogen peroxide, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon washing soda, and a dash of detergent overnight until … Read more
The past 9 days have been more about getting rid of obligations than actual things. Not obligations to other people, just to my own sense of completion. I tackled the mending pile. I mended two pairs of pants and a pair of shorts for Dekalb, who has been waiting patiently – and sometimes impatiently – since last summer for me … Read more
The other title I had in mind for this post was “Mending Socks – No Darning Required,” but who wants to read about that except for crafty/thrifty nerds? This way, I might suck in my friends who think that mending socks is only for old ladies in Dickens novels. A few years ago – maybe in 2007 – my friend … Read more