Day 23 - Ladybug, Ladybug

Another sunny 70 degree day and my list was a long one.

• Wash outside windows
• Scrub screen doors
• Hang laundry outside
• Thin volunteer sunflowers
• Spray weeds
• Get the BBQ set up
• Figure out a story to tie into the broken winged ladybug who landed on Ed's hand

It was a great to-do list and I had every intention of checking everything off of it. But the sun felt so very good as we sat in camp chairs in the backyard.

And just like that the window washing, screen door scrubbing, sunflower thinning, and BBQ setting up was pushed to another day. Added in? Another spontaneous pizza picnic like the one we had last month. Camp chairs, little metal table, and a cheap pizza in the backyard. This time we tried Little Caesar's with their free delivery on orders over $10. Total bill, including tax and tip, was $12.20. Not bad for two people and we have enough leftovers for another meal tomorrow.

Something removed completely from the list? I didn't need to figure out what to say about the broken-winged ladybug as I had my own ladybug visitor today. She looks mighty fine, just like our day.

Day 22 - Sunshine on my Sunflowers

On a beautiful and sunny 70 degree day the windows in the house are finally opened. Getting fresh air inside the house is such a wonderful thing. Being able to breathe fresh air outside isn't too shabby, either. Lucky me getting to soak up the sun, and lucky that my sunflower quilt is finished, too.

Sunshine + blue sky + fresh air = aahhh...

Day 21 - A No Pleat Face Mask Tutorial Day

Due to the overwhelming popularity of yesterday's pleated face mask tutorial, I've decided to go ahead and show off the other version I've been working on. No pleats required for this one.

Today may not be a Tutorial Tuesday (heck, do we even know what day it is anymore?) so we'll just have to pretend it is.

Looking for more sewing and crafting projects? 

Click here to see all my tutorials!

For this project you will need:

• 9" x 14" piece of fabric
• 12" piece of 1/4" or 1/8" wide elastic, cut 2 
• Pins or Clover Wonder Clips
• Iron
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting ruler
• Cutting mat

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you sewing and crafting content.

Looking for a different mask? I have several other tutorials to choose from:

Looking for other travel accessories ideas? Check out these projects!

You can find the no pleat cloth face mask step-by-step how-to tutorial right here:

Thank you, volunteer model!

Remember, wash the maks after each use. And wash those hands and keep social distancing. Stay safe out there!

How to Make Easy to Sew Cloth Face Masks - Tutorial Tuesday

For today's Tutorial Tuesday I have a cloth face mask sewing project. With so many of us being asked (and in some cases, required) to wear them these days you may want to make several.

Looking for more sewing and crafting projects? 

Click here to see all my tutorials!

For this project you will need:

• 7" x 14" piece of cotton fabric
• 8" piece of 1/4" or 1/8" wide elastic, cut 2
• Pins or Clover Wonder Clips
• Iron
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting ruler
• Cutting mat

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you sewing and crafting content.

Looking for a different mask? I have several other tutorials to choose from:

Looking for other travel accessories ideas? Check out these projects!

You can find the easy to sew pleated face mask step-by-step tutorial right here:

Check out all my other homemade cloth face mask tutorials here.

Remember, wash them after each use. And wash those hands and keep social distancing. Stay safe out there!

Day 19 - Even More Sunflowers

My sunflower wall quilt project isn’t the only place you’ll find sunflowers around here. Look what I found in the garden today.

After a standard winter of cold weather and last week full of nothing but rain, today the sun came out. And so did the volunteer sunflowers, sprouting from last year's leftovers.

Day 18 - Sunflower Sewing on a Sunday

After putting the sewing room back together and after getting my fill of The Waltons on TV, I got to work on a new sewing project.

We've had an old wall quilt we picked up at the Idaho Youth Ranch Thrift Store years ago. It cost us no more than a couple dollars (cuz cheap is how I roll) so we didn't feel like we were wasting our money by hanging it outside. It has been on one of the walls of the front porch every summer, getting a little bit of rain and a whole lot of sun. Being it's now pretty well faded, Ed's been bugging me to make a new one.

I thought I'd only get so far as picking some bright new fabrics for a new one, but once I put on my headphones I really started to get to work. (Yay me for having batik fabrics to work with.) I knew I wanted to change the design so I looked at patterns in books and on the Internet. Even Ed got in on the action, sending me photos of ones he liked.

I went with none of those ideas and went with my own design. I still have more work to do, but I was able to make some good progress on a Sunflower Sewing Sunday.

Day 17 - A Leaky Faucet = A Messy Sewing Room

Well, what a topsy-turvy day it was. Or a mixed up room it has become. Or maybe it’s just a doggone mess I have on my hands. All thanks to the dang shower faucet.

This one...

The hot water side has leaked almost continuously for the past couple years. I’ve replaced it a couple times, had periods where I kept a screw driver in the shower so I could easily pop off the cap and tighten it (see the rust?) and even had a plumber come out to try and fix it. But he couldn’t get it. 

He did have a recommendation, though. A big expensive, $1,600+ recommendation. Thankfully today we were able to work around the high price tag, but not around the hard work. The day started with my sewing room being torn apart so he could access the shower - from the wall of my sewing room.

Since he was already tearing things apart in there to contain the leak we decided to upgrade to a single faucet handle. Pretty, isn’t it?

What’s not so pretty? The mess I have to clean up and the work I still have to do to make the wall look somewhat normal.

Oh yeah, and then I still have to put everything in the sewing room back in the right place.

What. A. Mess.

Day 16 - Back and Forth Sewing

It was a back and forth day of sewing. My mom and I did some back and forth texting about sewing, that is. Measurements, suggestions, and photos went both ways as we worked our way through our sewing project.

(Although I didn't send my messy photo. Probably shouldn't even show the mess I got myself into.)

What were we making? Face masks for ourselves for those times when we have to go out in public.

My mom used cotton fabric on the front and an old sheet as the lining.

I used the same fabric for both the front and the lining. My red and white floral one with the red binding doesn't fit as well so I'll give myself an F on that one.

I think I'll make a couple more of the good ones. If so, I'll turn one of them into an upcoming Tutorial Tuesday.

Stay safe out there. Wash your hands and keep those hands away your face. And wear a mask if you think you need to. Just don’t take them away from medical personnel and those who truly need them.

Day 15 - Do It Until You Can't Get It Wrong

A while back I heard a quote I really liked. I'm familiar with the practice makes perfect and practice makes permanent. This new quote made even more sense to me.

Do it until you get it right. Then do it until you can't get it wrong.

I searched everywhere today to find out who said it. I found several variations, but not the exact quote. (I'm thinking it was on an Oprah podcast but can't be sure.)

I wish I was getting close to living the quote when it comes to making throw pillow slipcovers for my daughter. I still have to measure and remeasure. Sketch and resketch a pattern. Turn the paper over and try again. Cut out paper patterns and arrange. And rearrange. And rearrange again. Sew seams and rip out seams. After the couple dozen slipcovers I've made her in the past year I should at least be able to get one of them right the first time through.

It still takes me most of the day to finally get two pillows done. Glad I have the time (and patience) to make pretty things for her house. I'm also glad I have a daughter who appreciates the work I'm doing.

Up next on the sewing machine is a project I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I'd have to make. But after seeing the doctor this week, it's one he thinks I should be wearing when leaving the house. 

Day 14 - The Longest Month Ever

March started out great. I taught my Cruising with Confidence class to a full house, only needing to spend a few minutes talking about Coronavirus. During those first few days of the month it was a distant issue on a distant ship in a distant country.

My, how things have changed.

I don't know about you, but March was by far the longest month of my life. The speed at which our lives were upended - and continue to be upended - is mind boggling. Exhausting, too. I'm afraid April won't be much better, but I am so very glad March is done.

I was expecting to end the month by finally getting myself to the doctor's office. I've been putting it off way too long, worried about being in a place with a bunch of sick people. With my primary doctor sharing space with the urgent care clinic my fear was warranted. They've just started sending patients with respiratory symptoms to another clinic so with March wrapping up I had to get in. As you can imagine, just like my grocery shopping last week, going to see the doctor was a surreal experience. Thankfully I came away with 10 more days of antibiotics.

As I was driving home from picking up my prescription I had a little talk with myself. I told myself I needed to really look around me. With traffic very minimal (at rush hour, no less), I could spend more time paying attention to the world around me and not the road. I paid attention to all the trees in bloom. To the spring flowers beginning to bloom in yards. I studied the dark clouds moving in.

Once home, after dinner and after dinner dishes were washed, I put my feet up in the recliner and we settled in for more episodes of The Waltons. I finally could relax, knowing March was about over and April would bring a fresh start. And that's when it hit.

The earthquake.

The 6.5 one, with an epicenter northeast of Boise.

As we each braced ourselves under the nearest doorways my only thought was we had picked the wrong doorways. I was on one half of the double wide and Ed was in a doorway on the other half. If our manufactured home slipped off the blocks he would go one one and I the other.

Thankfully the home stayed put.
Thankfully only a clock and picture fell.
Thankfully it was a rolling, not a shaking, earthquake. A movement like being on a cruise ship.
Thankfully our daughter was safe and her gas lines were intact.
Thankfully so far all the multiple aftershocks haven't required doorway protection.
Thankfully March is over.

I am working hard at going into April with a clear and calm mind, body, and soul. Let's start it with the colors of my world from yesterday. Yep, even the dark clouds. Because today is a new day and the sun is shining.

Let's keep it that way.

 

 

Make a Denim Heart Potholder - Tutorial Tuesday

Make Your Own Homemade Denim Heart Potholder in Minutes

For today's Tutorial Tuesday I'm up with another heart sewing project with recycled denim. We all need a little love right now so let's coordinate it with the heart coasters we made a while back.

For this project you will need:

• denim
• cotton batting
• Insul-Bright
• cotton fabric for heart
• cotton fabric for loop
• Basting spray or Clover Wonder Clips,
• Pinking shears
• Iron
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting ruler
• Cutting mat
• Heart template from here

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

Looking for something else? 

Check out some of my other Valentine's Day sewing and crafting projects!

Ready for the directions? You can find the step-by-step how to tutorial for the homemade denim heart potholder sewing project right here:

Day 12 - Slowing Down the Machine

As I was sewing along on my machine today, I realized I sew too fast. It’s not because I like sewing fast, but because I usually have set myself an unrealistic target date. Or I’ve gotten in over my head, trying to get too many charity kids quilts or stockings for soldiers sewn. (Remember the year I made 625 of them? Yikes.) But not today.

Today’s project was another one for my daughter. I regularly supply her with themed throw pillow covers for her couch. Slip cover pillow covers, if you will. Being I most likely won’t be able to see her until after the lockdown, I took my time with my sewing. In fact, I didn’t even do all four today - just the reds. The flower ones will have to wait. It was quite a nice feeling to be able to take my time and not feel rushed.

Slow and steady wins the race today.

Day 11 - Not Exactly Olivia Walton

Between the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and tending to the children, many times Olivia Walton could be found doing some hand sewing. But me today? Between the cooking and laundry and scrubbing of cabinets and washing of dishes I could be found with my feet up in the recliner, watching The Waltons marathon on the Hallmark Channel's free preview.

If you’ve never watched The Waltons, you should. It’s a TV series from the 1970's set during the Depression. The lessons they learned back then may wind up being relevant to our lives in these tough COVID-19 days.

Day 10 - Below the Clouds

Today should have been the day we would be looking at the clouds from above. We should have been on a flight to San Francisco on our way to join the Grand Princess tomorrow.  But as we know, not only were all cruises cancelled, the ship is still under quarantine and anchored off of San Francisco. Our crew member buddy is among hundreds still onboard, locked down in passenger cabins, with temperature checks twice a day.  Thankfully he’s stayed well (at least physically) throughout the ordeal. An ordeal with an unknown head-home date.

When I look at those I know around the world, I’m thankful I’m safe and sound in my own home. Whether I am able to see the clouds from above or below, I know I’m one of the lucky ones.

Day 9 - Cancellations x 2

As I mentioned on my weird Monday, the one where mayonnaise splattered everywhere at the checkstand (and on me) at the out-of-the ordinary grocery store trip, we had a plumber come out and take a look at our shower. We've had a leaky faucet for a couple years now. I've replaced it myself more than once and it seemed to help, but many months ago it started up again. Everything I knew to try (or read about on the Internet) told me the permanent resolution was above my pay grade. We've been traveling so much we're never home long enough to worry about a permanent solution. Since we're not going anywhere anytime soon it was time to tackle the issue.

The plumber tried. He really did. But even after running to the plumbing store for additional materials he couldn't get it. His only recommendation was a biggie, one we didn't expect to be such an expensive and time consuming solution. It would require working inside the wall behind the shower - from the other side of the wall. After being shell shocked at the $1,600+ price tag from the plumbing company we came to another arrangement. A plumber willing to work on the weekend, me doing some prep work beforehand, and a cash only job.

As much as we wanted the plan for tomorrow to go ahead, I had to cancel. I’ve thrown DayQuil and NyQuil and some antibiotics from Mexico at whatever it is making me feel not the greatest. As my symptoms don’t qualify me for you-know-what kind of testing I’ve decided to try and keep plugging along. And cancel any human interaction for now.

Cancel like the cruise line did on us earlier this month. (Which I completely support as the right decision, by the way.)  I check my account frequently to see if we've been credited for the cancellations. While no credit is yet showing, they really don’t need to be rubbing it in our faces. When I logged in today I see they are still showing the upcoming cruise on our account. Dang them!

Day 8 - Window Quiz

Back for the second week - Day 8 of my picture a day project - and I'm already having to tell on myself.

We purchased the house we're living in over seven years ago. My mom occupied it for the first year before we made the move, so technically we've lived in it for only six years. I need to say "only" six because it tempers the sting of how little I really know about it. Yep, if I took a How Well Do You Know Your House? quiz I just might flunk. Or at least flunk the window section.

Now I don't wash windows much in this house. We're either usually getting ready for a cruise, on a cruise, or just home and catching up on the must-do's before heading back out. When you travel all throughout the year, there are plenty of things getting pushed to the bottom of the list. For us, windows is just one of many things getting shoved to the bottom of that list. The list that never really gets completely checked off.

With lots of time at home, today was the day to put window washing at the top. With a full roll of paper towels and brand new bottle of Windex in hand I made a discovery as I tackled the very first window. The sliding part of the window comes out of the track so I can take it out and wash both sides. Surprise, surprise.

Some way, some how I never knew it was even a possibility in this house.  I can now pass the window section of the quiz! I can also now see the crazy tree out my sewing room window.

Believe me, it'll look better in the summer.

My goodness, what else don't I know about this place? Guess I have plenty of time to find out.

Day 7 - Vintage Sewing

Will you make me an apron?

It was a strange request coming from our hard-working daughter. Not the one to wear an apron or be much concerned about housekeeping or baking or cooking, she isn't the apron-wearing type. But she, like so many other people in American, has been laid off due to COVID-19. (Kudos to Kohl's for paying their employees two weeks' worth of pay.) To keep herself occupied during her empty days she's decided to focus on her home. (Kudos to her as well.)

That's where I come in. Any time an item of clothing needs repairing she calls on me. Need a wallhanging or pillow covering or appliance cover or quilt or something she saw on Pinterest? I'm on it. While I've gotten rid of so many patterns (not even close to what I had here!) I did find I still had a few apron patterns in my collection. After several back and forth texts and me sending pictures of the patterns and different fabric choices, she settled on one.

A vintage one. Like 1950's old. A falling apart, barely held together old pattern. Boy, following the directions in an old pattern is hard! It didn't help that I needed to add additional fabric to make up for the difference in female figures between then and now. And not surprisingly, kiddo requested the pockets be big enough to hold her cell phone. So an adjustment here and an adjustment there and just like that, she has a brand new apron.

She came by this afternoon to pick it up. We wrapped up in blankets, sitting under the carport while maintaining our 6 foot social distancing separation, as the wind blew and snow spit from the sky. Brrr, it was cold! We visited just as long as we could. Long enough to hear all her stories she's been holding onto since the last time we saw her. Long enough to even hear the story behind why she wanted an apron. During her time off from work she's being a tradwife. But without the submissive part. Huh? Tradwife? “Trad" as in traditional. This old lady had never heard of it before. It sounded like it's basically a stay at home wife. Rebranded by Milennials. Go figure.

I learn something new every day, and so glad she could explain it to me in person today. Because just a few minutes ago, Idaho has become the latest state to issue stay at home orders, whether sick or not. 21 days. Starting...now.

So thankful for being able to see our daughter when we did.

Make an Easter Egg Fabric Hotpad -Tutorial Tuesday

For today's Tutorial Tuesday I'm up with another Easter-themed project. It's somewhat similar to these Easter Egg Scrap Fabric Coasters I made earlier this month. While this hotpad uses a bit more fabric it goes together just as lickety-split fast.

For this project you will need:

• 4" x 8.5" cotton fabric for middle, cut 1
• 2.5" x 8.5" cotton fabric for top and bottom, cut 2
• 1.5" x 8.5" contrasting cotton fabric for stripes, cut 2
• 8.5" long piece of rick rack, cut 2 Caution...rick rack has polyester - it'll melt under high heat
• 8.5" x 10" piece of backing fabric, cotton
• 8.5" x 10" piece of cotton batting
• 8.5" x 10" piece of Insul-Bright
• Egg template downloaded from here
• Pins or Clover Wonder Clips
• Iron
• Sewing machine
• Matching thread
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting ruler
• Cutting mat

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

Looking for something else? 

Check out some of my other Easter sewing and crafting projects!

Ready for the directions? You can find the step-by-step how to tutorial for the Easter Egg Hot Pad sewing project right here:

Day 5 - What a Weird Day

Just as we always have toilet paper and paper towels on hand, we usually keep a well-stocked pantry. Rain or shine, summer or winter, we have plenty of food in our cabinets. We like being prepared for Idaho winters so we do our big pantry stock-up before winter and then do another after winter when our cabinets are again bare. With winter over it was time to stock up again.

Maybe it was a mistake in times like these.

Other than my disposable cup run the other day, we haven't been to the grocery store in a couple weeks. Yeah, I've read things about grocery stores on the Internet and have heard unpleasant stories from our daughter about what life is like in the stores now. Guess it had to be another one of those you have to see it to believe it things.

Our open 24 hours a day bag your own groceries store Winco, where we usually shop, didn't look like it did just two short weeks ago. Barriers at the door preventing more than a couple people through the door at a time. Someone counting how many customers were heading in. We didn't even have to ask why she was counting - the big huge sign outside told us no more than 200 customers could be in the store at a time.

Then even more signs once we got inside the second set of doors. So many it was a bit overwhelming.

Signs for new store hours and senior and vulnerable populations special hours. Social distancing reminders. Limits on purchases. A no-return policy for certain items. Another only 200 in the store notice. Notices about what they didn't have in stock. (We went first thing in the morning so the "out of the following" sign hadn't been updated for Monday.) The additional large bold sign about sanitizer tells me it must be an ongoing issue.

Once inside we saw those empty shelves we've been hearing about. Thankfully the type of things we were buying were plentiful. Fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. Canned goods - beans and tomatoes and chicken and tuna. Pastrami and turkey breast and bacon. Greek yogurt and Special K and Stevia. And mayonnaise.

I hate mayonnaise. Like really hate it. Can't stand the look of it, the texture of it, and especially can't stand the smell. But Ed uses it as a base to make his salad dressing so we had to pick some up. Twice. Sort of. Once when I put it into the cart and the second time from the floor at the checkstand. As I was bagging the mayo it slipped onto the floor and busted. Splattered everywhere. Across the floor, up the side of the checkstand. And up and down my pants. Did I mention I can't stand mayonnaise?

Between the mayonnaise incident, the weird out-of-the-ordinary grocery store experience, and the plumber who paid us a visit to fix our shower (with a $1,600+ estimate), today was just downright weird.

Tomorrow will be Tutorial Tuesday so it just has to be a better day than today.

Day 4 - Sewing Room Sunday

I used to spend my Sundays - and lots of other days - doing sewing projects for charity. 203 different days worth, at least according to my blog. Just like anything else you do to the extreme, a break is sometimes needed. I've been on break since last August so I guess I should get back at it, but I'm dragging my feet.

I read these stories about the virus and soft surfaces. The virus and cash. All the unknowns about how it is spread and how long it lasts on surfaces has been keeping me from moving forward. I even stopped the Encouraging Words Project this month. While I still believe wholeheartedly in the project I don't want anyone to be worried about picking up germs from me. Or from anyone else who may touched something after I left it.

So now I have:
no sewing projects for others on my to do list.
no Encouraging Word money pockets to print and stuff with money.
lost 90% of my income for the next six months.
too much negativity to read on the Internet.
no kitties to foster because Simply Cats is closed.

Which makes it a great day to change up the sewing room to give me a better chance of compartmentalizing my work/home life. This past year I had things set where I had both the computer and sewing machine within easy reach of each other. A quick swivel of my chair and I was onto the computer. With the computer always being on and very close by I found myself on it more than I needed to be. Doing too much travel agent work and wasting too much time reading junk on the computer.

But that is changing today with a new sewing room set up. Now if I want to get to the computer I have to physically get up, walk around my cutting table, and sit down in a separate part of the room. I'm hoping I'll just decide to stay put at the sewing machine instead of making my way to the computer.

Fingers crossed for more sewing!