Laundry days

Sometimes doing laundry can be fun. When your kiddlets get old enough to start helping with chores, most things seem easier. T is at the age where she LOVES helping Mommy, and sometimes that help is not so much help. So I'm always excited to find an activity she can help with.
We discovered a new one today that also helps her learn.

Matching socks from the laundry while I fold her clothes.

This keeps her busy for about as long as it takes to fold one basket, and it's done infrequent enough that it is still as fun and exciting by the tenth time as it was the first time.

Simple, helpful, fun, and she is developing cognitive and memory skills.

Win-win-win.

Upcycling/Recycling holey socks

So, I didn't take any before or during pictures as the following project was done during a hectic day of laundry.

Sometimes I see things on pinterest that I just HAVE to try. Such as the following:


But, of course I have to change it up a bit.
I made mine out of socks that I had that had holes in toes and heels. I was able to cut different ones to get the parts I needed to make the animal with no holes in it.
I knew that I wouldn't be putting beads on it either, since I wanted it to be totally baby safe.
I also decided to fill it with rice instead of stuffing. It makes it heavier, which equals fun to T right now, and also I can microwave it to make it nice and warm for those times it's needed.

It was a big hit, and it is totally cute for such a thrown together afternoon project.

The eyes and nose are all thread, which I sewed on in a satin stitch. I purposely turned the fuzzy side out just for character. All in all he turned out cute and T loves him, which is the important thing.

Rolled Hemming

I usually shuddered at the thought of doing a rolled hem on a sheer fabric (which of couse tends to fray). I never seemed to be able to get each fold just right and my edges were always full of puckers and twists. Just the thought of it made me pause when choosing fabric, and yet the princessy feel of all those lovely lightweight and perfectly spring-breeze prints and solids, I just HAD to keep them in my sewing plans.

Fear not!

For doing rolled hems is almost child's play if you have a rolled hem foot for your machine!

As you can see in the picture below, the regular foot is on the machine, and the rolled hem foot is on the right, so you can see what it looks like on it's own. If you don't have one, they're an easy purchase, almost all machines come with one, but they are only about $6.00 at a fabric/craft store if you need a new one.

It can be tricky to get right if you don't know how to use it, and the following pictures have things wrong in them just so you can be aware of what to look out for.

Here you can see the fabric is not inside the roller on the presser foot, and is bunching towards the right side instead.

 This is what happens: The hem doesn't roll and even though it is folded over once, you're left with a raw edge that frays.

Below the fabric was pulling too far to the left of the presser foot, and so the fabric bunches and twists instead of rolling and lying flat.

Here is the correct way to use the rolled hem foot. First, you will start by hand rolling the hem, and putting all the fabric underneath the whole presser foot, just as normal. Stich about an inch or so, and then leaving your needle down, you can raise the foot and maneuver the fabric into the the rolling part and then lower it back down and continue stitching. You will want the fabric aligned correctly as in the picture below. Note that the right edge of the fabric is aligned with the left edge of the right side of the foot. And the raw edge of the fabric is aligned with the right side of the opening on the foot. You will want to maintain that all the way around your fabric edge and it will give you the perfect and flat rolled hem you desire.

 If you come across a seam, you can simply leave your needle down an inch or so before you get there, raise the foot, unhook the fabric, roll by hand, and sew as if you had a normal presser foot on the machine until you get to an inch beyond the seam, and then leaving your needle down, you can raise the foot, and get the fabric into your roller again to continue sewing with the rolled hem foot. It comes out with the beautiful edge in the picture below.

So don't be scared, get out there and work with sheers! Your edges will be as light and breezy as the fabrics you choose!

By the way, rolled hems can also be done with heavier fabrics, but you'll want to have a bigger rolled hem foot. If you look at the bottom, you'll be able to see how wide the gap in the foot is, which is how big your hem will be. Lighter fabrics use smaller hems, and heavier fabrics need wider hems. You can get varying sizes depending on what type of projects you'll be hemming.