Charlie: "Mom, watch me count to twenty."
Me: "Okay."
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20."
"Wow Charlie, that was really good! You're a smarty pants."
"I don't have any pants on. Call me smarty undies."
reThink • reWork • reMake
Charlie: "Mom, watch me count to twenty."
Me: "Okay."
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20."
"Wow Charlie, that was really good! You're a smarty pants."
"I don't have any pants on. Call me smarty undies."
I also took on a handmade challenge at work and made a special valentine gift for… myself!
This simple wristlet is made from a scrap of denim and a scrap of fuzzy Minkee. If you have button-sewing, hand-appliqueing, and scissor-wielding skills, you can whip this up in less than an hour.
Seven other staff members joined me in the handmade valentines challenge at work. Talk about getting creative on the job!
You can get the how-to for all of these Valentine’s Day projects on Martingale’s Facebook page (scroll down to the February 6th posts). The projects are all of the quick-and-easy variety, which means there's still plenty of time to create something special for your sweetheart. Even if your sweetheart is you.
If you'd like to stitch up a wristlet, read on!
a wildcards tutorial: minkee heart wristlet
Directions
1. Measure around your arm, 4" up from the bottom of your wrist (my measurement was 8"). Cut a rectangle that is 3" wide and as long as the measurement around your arm (my rectangle was 3" x 8").
2. Lay the rectangle flat, right side up. Space the buttons evenly along one short side of the rectangle, 1/2" away from the edge. Mark button placement with a pen; hand sew the buttons to the rectangle.
3. Using the button placement as a guide, mark placement of the buttonholes on the opposite short edge of the rectangle. Make small slits in the fabric for the buttonholes using a seam ripper. (Make the slits small—you should have to work to get the buttons through the holes.)
4. Machine wash and dry the bracelet so the edges fray; clip and pull the frayed edges until you like the look. Clip any stray threads away from the buttonholes.
5. Print out this heart pattern (it should be 2" high):
Cut it out, trace it onto the freezer paper, and cut it out again. Iron the heart template onto the back of the Minkee scrap, shiny side down. Cut the heart shape from the Minkee, adding a 1/4" seam allowance.
6. Center the Minkee heart widthwise and lengthwise on the bracelet; glue to baste in place. Hand appliqué the heart to the denim, turning the 1/4" seam under as you go.
7. Fuzz up the heart edges by rubbing the tip of your seam ripper quickly and lightly along the appliquéd edges. This releases the fuzzy fibers from the sewn edges and softens the look. Cut a 1/2" vertical slit in the center of the denim on the back of the wristlet where the heart has been appliquéd; pull the freezer paper out using tweezers. Whipstitch the 1/2" slit closed.
If you don't like the frayed-edge look, you can turn the long edges of the wristlet under 1/4" and press; then topstitch the folded edges down.
For more more repurposed projects, check out my book ReSew.
Thanks for stopping by. Cheers to an extra lovey-dovey Valentine's Day!
I’ve been away from this space for awhile, busy with a new work-related/writing-related project that I’m excited to share soon. (Not sure I’ve ever mentioned before that I work here. It's way cool.) Haven’t had enough time to share much on the blog, which makes me sad. However, Jack and Charlie certainly haven’t been slacking on the –talks and –speaks. So today, a Jackspeak.
. . . . .
Many already know that we’re a vegetarian family—me for 17 years, Jack and Charlie since birth. But we’ve slowly been taking a turn toward veganism. It’s been a fun experiment, and it’s been an easier switch than either Brett or I thought it would be. (Although I’m still not sure I can forever say goodbye to store-bought birthday cakes or Pizza Hut. We’ll see.)
Anyway, we’ve always talked a lot about where our food comes from. A few nights ago, Jack experienced an a-ha moment.
Jack: “You know, they shouldn’t call them ‘hot dogs.’ They should call them ‘hot pigs.’ Because they’re made from pigs.”
Me: “That does seem to make more sense, doesn’t it?”
“And veggie dogs shouldn’t be called ‘veggie dogs.’ They should be called ‘veggie pigs.’ Not because they’re made out of pigs . . . just because now the pig kind of hot dogs—I mean hot pigs—are called hot pigs. And it would be weird to call them ‘veggie dogs’ if we called the pig kind of hot dogs ‘hot pigs.’
“Makes crystal-clear sense to me, kid.”
Adding insult to injury… more old-person humor, this time from our eldest:
Jack: “I have a new friend! His name is Colton. Colton Platt.”
Me: “Hey, I knew some Platts when I was a little girl. Dennis, Val, Cathy, and John Platt.”
“Oh. Well, maybe those are Colton’s ancestors.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
Me: “Charlie, you are getting heavy.”
Charlie: “And you are getting old!”