Good Phillips Screw Bits

A few weeks ago I was working on a project with my cordless drill, screwing some two inch screws into a few two by fours.  The screw tip fractured and was immediately rendered useless.

“No problem” I thought as I remembered that several years ago my dad got me this Dewalt kit containing a wide variety of screw bits.

Well, it was a problem.  See the bottom tip in the picture.  That was the new tip after only five screws.  It is made of soft steel.  At this point I was even more heartbroken, because the first tip had been one that I’ve been using for about five years without trouble and I had no idea where it was from.

So, I’m in search of a few good phillips head screw bits.  If anyone has advice from their own experience I’d love to hear it.  In talking with my uncle about the situation, he recommended getting the tips that are always at the checkout counter at the lumber yard.  His rationale: they must be good quality because the contractors that are repeat customers buy them all the time, otherwise that bucket wouldn’t be sitting in such a prominent location.  And would the clerks put up with the constant complaining (as I realize I’m now doing) if the tips were poor quality? No.  They would move the bucket somewhere else.  Seems logical to me!

Thanks, Robert.

Chalkboard labels for canning jars

I must start out by giving my sister the credit for this idea and for doing all the prep work.  That being said, aren’t these the cutest.

Any idea how she did this?

Okay, I’ll tell you.  She painted contact paper with chalkboard paint.  Then she cut out pieces and stuck them on the canning jars.  Easy.  Now you try.

Thanks,  Courtney

Update:  Okay guys and gals, my sister, the one who did all the work for these, left several more tips in the comments section below.  She uses this chalkboard stuff on everything, she’s a teacher, go figure.

Making a duvet cover out of sheets

A few years ago at Walmart they had some sheets on sale that I loved for my son’s future bedroom.  They were on clearance and even though he was still in his crib I grabbed a bunch anyways.  I get crazy when I see stuff on clearance.  I ended up getting 2 sets of twin sheets, 1 set of double sheets and a matching polar fleece blanket.  My idea was to make a duvet cover out of the double sheets.

Well I am proud to say that I accomplished my goal.  Once we moved to a chilly climate I needed to add on several more layers to my son’s bed.  So out came the double sheets, scissors and the sewing machine.  It was a pretty easy project but it took me a few weeks to complete because I only had an hour here and there.

Here’s what I did.  I had a twin size duvet cover that I used as a template.  I layed the duvet cover on the floor and the sheets on top.  To get the fitted sheet flat I snipped the elastic in a few places and cut the corners.  When layed flat it looked like someone cut squares out of the corners of the sheet.  I used extra fabric from the flat sheet to fill in the squares on the corners and I made sure that this would be on the bottom.  Well, that was my intention at least.  I am not the best at seeing shapes turned upside down and inverted.  This is why I am not a pattern maker.  It just gets me all confused.  So I called Robert, my husband in to lend a hand and make sure that once this was turned inside out and upside down the patchwork piece would be on the bottom.  Well I think Robert was not fully devoted to my sewing question cause he we messed up.  It ended up on top but, oh well, it a kid’s comforter.  My duvet cover was a little more complicated than your typical two piece, buttons at the end duvet cover.  Which is how he we made our mistake.

Okay so back to my how to.  I used a easy trick of snipping the sheet and then ripping them to get nice straight edges that matched up to my template.  The portion of the sheet with the finished edge (the part that when the bed is made you fold down and it looks really pretty), well that part I kept intact and sewed it on the front fold over flap to give a really finished presentation.

All in all it was pretty easy.  I saved lots of cash cause those duvet covers aren’t cheep.  I think I bought the double sheets on clearance for $10.00.  Plus it all matches.   And what 2 year old doesn’t appreciate a matching bedroom set. 

Sorry I didn’t take pictures of the process just the finished results.

Thanks,  Courtney

Make your own furniture

That’s right.  Evenings and weekends lately have been spent in the garage building furniture.  No, I’m not making show-piece quality items, but rather a kids table and benches and also a step stool for kids to wash their hands.

It was back to my favorite pile of free used lumber. This is the spot advertised on Craigslist where I found the wood to build my Apple Grinder and Cider Press earlier this year.  I pulled out as many 2×4′s at least three feet long as I could find.  After spending two afternoons pulling nails out of these suckers, I thought for a moment.  Are these really free if I had to spend so much time prepping the wood and pulling nails?  After counting up the hours and assigning an arbitrary $20 per hour to my time, I found that each eight foot length of 2×4 would carry a value of $2.00.  I know that they cost more than that at Home Depot, so yes, this was worth while.  What a relief!

Our two year old loves to “help” me in the garage and that is half the fun.  He picks up the screws and nails and reallocates them to wherever he sees fit.  Sometimes he has a different plan, such as carrying the nails around in his tow truck. And then I get to play “go find them”.  Its great fun.

And here is the finished product.

Did you know that at most hardware stores with a paint section they sell gallons of paint at dramatically reduced prices?  Once in a while, the person mixing the paint pigments will make a mistake that can’t be reversed.  They have to discard the can and start over.  Those cans collect on a shelf somewhere and are relabeled.  A can that normally may sell for $26 will now be $8.  And if you’re lucky, the desk will be staffed with a young art student that would love to help you change the tint slightly to something you desire.  That is what Courtney did here, and ended up with the exact color she wanted.

Thanks, Robert.

Investing in Value Tools

I often see value in something that is priced very attractively.  My brothers tease me about being a cheapskate.  I just have a different perspective, I guess.

Last winter I wrote about a great Craigslist find, my first electric saw.  It was a Black and Decker jigsaw.  I hispanic gentleman in a trailer park had it listed for $20 and I talked him down to $15.

The saw was great to me.  It made my Chicken Plucker, Apple Grinder, Cider Press and many other smaller projects as well.  Notice that I’m using the past tense here.

During the last few cuts on my cider press, the trigger lock got stuck in the “ON” position.  I had to unplug the saw in order for it to turn off.  It just required better planning on my part.  I had to set it down on the floor between each cut (watch out for that cord) and unplug, rather than just letting go of the trigger and setting the saw aside on the work bench.

A few months later I started my next project, doing the same thing.   I also noticed that the saw motor was getting bogged down while cutting.  It was as if these 2×4′s of white pine were made of oak or ash.  It was slow going.  I started to get fed up.  I pulled the entire thing apart and fixed the trigger lock.  On the very next cut, the trigger lock got stuck again.  The saw eventually stopped working.

I did perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death and to see if I could fix/resurrect the saw.  Diagnosis: it’s busted.  Beyond my capability of repair.

Welcome the newest member of the family: A brand new Black and Decker 4.5 Amp Variable Speed Jigsaw.  Thats right, folks, I broke down and bought a new one!  I was surprised to see that they were only $30.  And notice that nice color – my two year old won’t be losing that one in the weeds any time soon!   I still got lots of use out of the old one, but I know this one will be around for many years.

I guess the moral of this funny story is: beware when buying used power tools!

Thanks, Robert.

Handmade baby blankets, burp cloths and loveys

I am getting close to my due date only a few more weeks to go, which means that I am hard at work making a massive collection of all things pink.  I have been making baby blankets in all sizes, burp cloths and even a taggie lovey.  My son loved to suck, well more like lick the tags on any thing you gave him so I figured his sister might have the same obsession.  Here is my collection and an upclose of each item.  They are really easy to make.  I should make a tutorial but I am too tired.

Here they all are.

This is actually a gift for a friend, shhh, it’s a surprise.  It’s one blankie and 2 burp cloths.

These burp cloths are the best.  My mom made me a set for my son.  You just line the middle section of a cloth diaper with flannel, minky dot or regular ol’fabric.  They need to be washed a few times to soften up and then they are ready to go.

Not pink but oh so cute, plus a matching burp cloth.

Sometimes Joann’s surprises you with a really cute print, in which case I buy way more than I need just so I never run out.  Plus this is flannel, double score.

This is that super soft fabric, not fleece.  All you have to do is turn over the edge twice and sew.  It’s so soft my mom even requested a bigger one for herself.

Joann’s cheap version of Lilly Pulitzer.  Love it.

What I am most impressed by this is that I actually managed to keep it a square and not a funky diamond shape.  (This was thanks to my 10 1/2″ square ruler)

There you have it.  All my creations for my little baby girl.  Well actually not all.  I do have a quilt that I need to bind and I am making her a smocked bishop dress.  Those aren’t finished, one isn’t even started yet.

Thanks,  Courtney

Deciding how to clean a quilt

I am no authority on this subject but I have been trying out a few methods to clean some quilts I inherited.  I have discovered that the age and condition of the quilt dictate the cleaning method I chose.  This is the just my own personal mental checklist when I decide on how to clean a quilt.  When cleaning an heirloom piece remember that quilts can be destroyed during cleaning so take this very seriously.  Some quilt stores sell detergent specifically made for quilts.  I haven’t tried these but would probably use my Charlie’s soap or my own homemade soap because it is super gentle and scent free.

Excellent condition:  This is the quilt that you recently made with new fabrics.

• Wash on cold, hang dry or tumble dry.  If it is quilted it should be pretty sturdy.  Hand tied may be more fragile.

Good condition, new:  This quilt is not an heirloom piece but the fabric is starting to tear in places.

• Hand wash in the tub if you really cherish the quilt.  After wringing out the quilt lay in on the grass on a sheet to let most of the water evaporate, before hanging on the line.
•  If you use the quilt for picnics and other messy activities then machine wash on cold, it probably needs a good cleaning.

Good condition, antique, not too dirty:  Here’s where most of my quilts fall, they are old to very old and have some disintegrating fibers.

• First, if there are only a few tears from weak fibers, then try to mend them.  If successful then hand wash in the tub.
• If you aren’t able to mend all the tears then I suggest hanging out on the line to ventilate.  Sometimes this is all the quilt needs.  There may be stains but they might add character, smells don’t add character.
• Spritz quilt with a squirt bottle to really help release those smells.  Don’t use too much water though because it will be too much weight on the quilt and may misshapen the quilt.
• It may take a few days on the line to get all the smells out, just don’t let it get sun bleached.

Good conition, antique, very stained and smelly:

• In this case I would consider professional quilt cleaning.  I say this because the quilt is in good condition and it would be a shame to destroy a good quilt because you used the wrong type of cleaner or cleaning method.

Poor condition, antique, stained:

• Again this is the case for some of my quilts.  They are very beautiful but need serious restoration to be used in my house.  For quilts such as these you must decide if the risk of hand washing is worth it.  With some of my quilts it is because I can’t display them anyways.  Others I am holding on to until I can find a professional to clean them properly.
• (By the way I haven’t tub washed any of mine yet, because I am pregnant and that’s too much bending over for this big belly)

If you have any tips on hints please share them.

Here’s a good way to hang the quilt to distribute the weight and to increase air flow.

A view from underneath, this made a great fort for my son.

There are the character stains I mentioned.  And look at that scalloped edge binding and closely worked hand quilting…no detail was spared for this quilt.

You can easily see that this quilt is beginning to disintegrate and washing, even by hand could have damaged the quilt.

I absolutely love this pattern.  This quilt was air dried, spritzed a few times and put on a guest bed.  No more smells but still a few stains.  Who cares, I think it is beautiful.  I only wish I knew the story of this quilt.  i am sure my grandmother told me but I can’t remember.  It wasn’t made by her so it probably from my great grandmother’s generation.  I am guessing pre-WWII.  The fabrics look like flour sacks and depression era prints so that puts it around the 1930′s.  Can you imagine the women who worked on this quilt almost 100 years ago?  Quilts like these are so cherished and important to me.

Thanks, Courtney

Recovering a Crib Bumper Tutorial

If you are like me you really want to use your crib bumper again for the second baby but you looked at blue for soooo long that you just have to make the room pink.  I didn’t want to buy a new one, for obvious reasons so I decided to make a cover.  Something that I could put together quickly, that could be removed as needed and that was cheaper than buying a new bumper.

Here she is, I didn’t tie the ties because this is still Robby’s crib and as much as he likes the birdies on it I couldn’t seeing him surrounded by all that pink.

My first goal was to find cheap fabric.  After browsing through quilt stores to no avail I stumbled upon some really cute sheets at Target.  They are twin sheet set that I got on sale for $10.  That is far cheaper than any fabric I could purchase.  Plus I will have plenty of fabric to make other crafty things to decorate the room.  I was planning on making a bumper cover and a crib skirt but I found a Pottery Barn crib skirt at the local thrift store for $2.50 and couldn’t pass up the deal.

What you’ll need:

Fabric ( I can’t give amounts because I used a twin sheet set but I would guess between 1 1/2 – 2 yards would be plenty) 1 twin flat sheet is plenty, you will use about 3/4 of the sheet.

Coordinating thread

Ruler

Rotary cutter

Cutting mat

First gather and prepare your materials.  All fabric should be washed and ironed before you get started.

Measuring the bumper and ties:  I measured the total length of the bumper.  Mine was 156″ x 10 1/2″.  The ties were 9 1/2″ x 1/2″ and there were 24 of them.  I also measured the position of each tie.  Mine were located at both ends, plus 24″, 50″, 68″, 92″, and 128″.  The ties also come in pairs at each location and there is one at the top and bottom of the bumper at each location.  Which makes 4 per location mentioned above.  At each end you will only need 2 because the ends are tied together.  So trust me on this you will need 24 ties.  That sounds confusing but just look at your own bumper and you will see what I am talking about.  The measurements above will produce ties at the four corners and one in the middle of the long side of the crib.  This seems pretty standard so feel free to skip the measurement step and use my numbers.

Cutting the fabric:  I cut my bumper pieces so that I could obtain a total length of 156″ and I cut it 11″ wide.  That would allow a small 1/4″ seam allowance on each seam.  I relied on my cutting mat and rotary cutter to get all my lines straight with such a large piece of fabric.  I folded the fabric in half (like it would have come on the bolt) to make it easier too work with.  After I cut my first strip I sewed a small portion together and checked to see if it fit my bumper.  Mine was an exact match.  Cut out as many strips as needed to cover the total length of the bumper.

Next you will need to cut pieces for the ties.  I cut my tie pieces to 11″ x 1 1/2″.  I made sure I had 24 of these pieces plus a few extra.

Ironing the ties:  To iron the ties, place fabric wrong side up and fold one side in about a 1/2″.  Press then fold the other side in about 1/2″. Spray with spray starch, fold in half and press.  This will give you a tie that is about 1/2″ wide.

Sewing the ties:  Sew down the length of the tie with a very small seam allowance.  I didn’t measure mine I just keep it close enough to the edge that I caught both sides with my stitches.  Sew all of the ties as a chain and it will go much faster.  Now to prepare one end of the fabric for finishing, fold under 1/4″ twice.  Sew this edge closed.  It will help if you look at the tie on your existing bumper to get an idea of what I am talking about here.  The other end of the tie can be left raw because it will be buried inside the cover.

Sewing the cover together:  Sew strips together to make one long piece of fabric.  You should have two long pieces (each side of the bumper), match right sides together and measure and mark where the ties should be positioned.  As you sew, insert 2 ties at each measured location (stack them on top of each other), hold the tie in place and sew to secure.  When finished sewing sides together, sew one end closed, then turn it right side out.  Fit on the crib bumper and sew the other end closed, either by hand or on the machine.  You could add a zipper or velcro here but I was lazy and sewed mine closed.  If I need to take it off then I can undo my seam and resew.

To make a perfect and tight fit, I cut put the cover on the bumper and cut the end to the exact length needed and then sewed it closed.  This is a better option than trusting my measurements because goodness knows that I always make a mistake somewhere.  Plus I want it to be a tight fit so it’s not a hazard to the baby.  It was very easy to sew the end ties in place while the cover was still on and then seal it all up.  Much easier than trying to take the cover off and sew the ties.

Good luck, Courtney

Cloth Diaper Cover Tutorial

It was craft day while my mom was here a few weeks ago and here is what we made.  Cloth diaper covers.  My mom was not at all excited about this project.  She was not thrilled about making a pattern for the diaper and I admit that it wasn’t easy.  But I needed her help, because whether she admits it or not she’s the real pro.  Besides I always work better with someone else, then I can ask ridiculously simple questions.  Poor mom whenever she visits she ends up working her butt off.  Last summer we canned everyday until my sister arrived and put a stop to that nonsense, work I mean.

Update:  After my first diaper I was able to complete one diaper in 1 hour.  I have 3 infant size and 1 large toddler now to add to my collection.  I still have enough fabric left to make at least 2 infant diaper, maybe 3.

Here is what you need:

1 yard vinyl coated fabric, (white preferably)

1 package double wide bias tape (white preferably)

Coordinating thread

1 package Velcro brand  Sew-On Tape, 2 ” x 3‘   Do not use sticky back style, you cannot sew through this to put on your bias tape.  If you plan on making multiple diapers I would buy this larger package but in white.  Each Extra-large sized diaper will need about 12″, smaller sizes will use about 8″.

1 package 1/4″braided elastic.  Can’t go wrong with purchasing a 8 yard roll like this.

Tools needed: Sewing machine, scissors, pattern paper (wax, parchment, butcher, or brown paper bag), pins, pen, pencil and patience

Creating the pattern from an existing diaper

This will definitely be the hardest part because you will need an existing cloth diaper to trace.

• Get a large enough piece of pattern paper (note it is impossible to tape together parchment paper so only use if you are doing a small diaper or you have a giant sheet)
• Recruit a helper
• Trace using a pen or pencil, whichever marks well on your paper
• Have helper stretch out the diaper and hold tight as you trace around the edge.  When tracing near the gussets (the gussets are the extra pieces of fabric on either side of the lower portion of the diaper, their role is to catch the poop from falling out), trace along the interior line, or the line of diaper itself.
• Now trace one gusset.   Each side is identical so you only need to trace one.  This is hard to trace so mainly note the length and then make a freehand drawing.  It should be a symmetrical convex shape.
• Next trace the rectangular front piece, for lack of a better name.  This piece is at the front of the diaper behind the velcro and serves as a double layer of protection for leaks and is soft against baby’s skin if the diaper cover rides up too high.
• Measure the length of elastic needed.  In total you will need 5 pieces.  One for the back top, one for each side of the diaper, and one on the outside edge of each gusset.
• To measure the elastic, let the diaper sit loose and hold a piece up next to the diaper and make a cut to match the length

Cutting the Fabric

• First cut out your pattern
• Pin pattern to fabric.  Look to see if you can position your fabric so that you can get another diaper out of the same piece of fabric.
• Cut out diaper, 2 gussets, 2 rectangular piece (mentioned above)
• Cut 5 elastic pieces (see above).
• Don’t cut the bias tape.  Take it out of the package and leave it all in one piece.  As you sew it can dangle in your lap and you can cut it off as you sew.
• Cut velcro.  Measure size of velcro needed using the actual cut diaper as a guide.  Velcro will extend all the way across the front of the diaper.  This allows the diaper to grow with the baby.

Assembly and Sewing

1.  Gussets first.   Sew the elastic to each side of each gusset.  Don’t worry about seam allowances just make sure to run down the middle of the elastic.  A zig-zag stitch is best when sewing on elastic.

• Make a few stitches to hold the elastic in place, then grasp end of elastic and pull it tight.  You don’t want it super tight but  you do want to have some.  You want the fabric to ruffle up when it’s sewn on.  While holding tight, sew all the way to the end.

I have the elastic pulled tight, but it’s hard to tell from the picture.

2.  Now sew the bias tape over the top of the elastic on only one side of the gusset (either side is fine cause they should be symmetrical).

• Open your bias tape and fold it in half around the edge of the diaper
• Close the bias tape around the elastic so that it is not showing.
• Try to stay near the edge of the bias tape about 1/4″ seam allowance with a straight stitch or zig zag stitch, it’s up to you.  Zig-zag stitches will be more forgiving and easier to guarantee you sew the bottom in place.  Remember that you need to be able to sew the bias tape on the other side of the sandwich you made.  If you go too close to the edge and you don’t have the sandwich folded exactly in half you won’t sew the bottom side closed.  Easy to fix (I did this like a million times) but even better to avoid in the first place.

Okay so this isn’t a picture of the gusset but it’s a great shot of wrapping the bias tape around the elastic.

Here’s what they gusset looks like finished.

3.  Sew elastic on the top back of the diaper (using zig-zag stich).

4.  Sew rectangular piece of fabric to inside front of diaper.  Sew wrong sides together.  (I didn’t do this for the infant diapers.)

5.  Sew large piece of velcro to outside front of diaper on the right side of the fabric.

6.  Now you will need to make the tabs that will catch on the velcro.  Cut two small pieces that fit on either side of the top back of the diaper.  Sew the velcro on the wrong side of the fabric.  Instead of a square piece try rounding the corners so they are less likely to snag baby.

6.  Sew bias tape to diaper starting on the sides because we still need to attach those gussets.  I will describe this in painful detail.

• Lay the diaper with the wrong side up.
• To get the correct orientation place the diaper so that the elastic is at the top and the velcro (if you could see it, it shoud be facing the table) is at the bottom
• We are going to put the right hand side gusset on first.
• Position the gusset so the wrong sides are together and the elastic side is lined up with the right hand side of the diaper.
•  Pin in place about 5 inches down from the top.
• Fold bias tape in half and make a sandwich around the edge of the diaper like you did before.
• Start sewing anywhere but preferable not on a turn (cause turns are tricky, work your way up to those)
• As you come to the gusset, match the edges and pull the elastic taught, sandwich it between the bias tape and sew.  Give a few extras stitches to secure the top and bottom of the gusset.
• You will need to pull the elastic tight as you sew on the gusset.  This is important so everything matches up correctly and so it bunches nicely when you are finished sewing.

7.  Continue all the way around the diaper.  When you get to the corners just do you best edging it around and take extra stitches to secure it in place.  When you get to the other gusset put it on the same way as you did the other side.  If you want to cut the bias tape and turn it around on the machine that’s fine.  Just fold under 1/4″ on the end when you start sewing again so it makes a finished edge.

The original infant diaper – Imse Vimse

Here it is unfolded, you can easily see the cutout for the umbilical cord

And the backside, here you can see the elastic at the top back

Update:  I have used and washed the diaper cover a couple of times and it works great.  It didn’t even bleed or fade in the wash even though a used a tiny bit of bleach.  I have also made 2 infant sized diapers.  Those only took me 1 hour each, start to finish, because I already had the hang of it.

Things I will do differently next time:  The diaper was much bigger than the pattern.  This was easy to fix, I just cut my pattern down in all the areas where it fit big.  I did this right away because I knew I would forget the next time I pulled the pattern out.

Thanks,  Courtney

Smocking My First Bonnets

Here they are:  Only took a few nap times to make them both.  Okay they were preassembled for me (I have a certain aunt and cousin to thank for that).  If you have always wanted to learn to smock I am here to show you it’s possible.

Here is the second one that I made.  It was a little more difficult with the strawberries.

You can do this.  Give it a try.  Check out my other post on learning how to smock.

Thanks,  Courtney