Tuesday, April 21, 2020

How to Sew a Cloth Face Mask with a Filter Pocket and Ties - Tutorial Tuesday

For today's Tutorial Tuesday I have one more mask pattern for you to try. You've been asking for one with a filter pocket and no elastic and I've now got ya covered.
Pleated Cloth Face Mask with Ties Sewing Project

Looking for more sewing and crafting projects? 

For this project you will need:
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.

You can find the step-by-step how-to tutorial for the cloth face mask with the ties and filter pocket right here:

Check out my other face mask tutorials:

And don't forget - wash your hands, keep those hands away from your face, and stay safe out there!

Monday, April 20, 2020

Day 33 - Flower Envy

With today being a work outside and grocery pick up day I had plenty of opportunities for a picture. I could have taken a picture of the two ladybugs that came and visited us. Or one of the sunflowers I thinned. Or the weeds I sprayed. The clothes drying on the line. The Canadian Geese flying over or the birds that are trying to build a nest in the carport roof. Or even a picture of our backyard BBQ hot dog picnic. Maybe even one of the whites and pinks seen on the spring trees as I drove to and from the grocery pick up.

Then there were the photo opportunities at the grocery pick up spot. We watched dozens of people filtering in and out of the store. Some masked, some gloved, some a combination of the two, and some with no protection at all. Sitting outside Walmart, especially during these times, has plenty of interesting things (and people) to take pictures of.

But I took none of those pictures. I went with the flower envy one.

We spent many years with multiple, large flower gardens. Over 100 roses in just one of the gardens!
July 2011
Nowadays we keep gardening to a minimum. A very, very, bare minimum. The only flowers I can see my from house require me to look into the neighbor's yard. Through the fence.

Just call me Peeping Deb.
So jealous.

Sunday, April 19, 2020

Day 32 - Double Sided Tape Sucks

When we first moved into this house there was a mirror hanging in the hallway, right across from the bathroom. Seeing your reflection staring back at you every time you opened the bathroom door was not a sight we cared to live with so we took the mirror down.

Unfortunately we found it was being held by about a dozen pieces of double sided table. Yet for some stinkin' reason we left that double sided tape on the wall. I probably didn't have the razor blade scraper nearby so I figured I'd get to it later. Well, later never came. In fact, for some other stinkin' reason I wound up painting over the top of the tape when I painted the hallway.

Now that I have plenty of time on my hands I had two choices.
  1. Scrape the tape and repaint the wall. For that one I would have to find the paint, pry it open, stir it well, and find a paintbrush. (Then wash said paintbrush afterwards.)
  2. Make a wallhanging big enough to cover every single piece of double sided painted-over tape. It would take me rummaging through my scrap drawer and piecing together some batting scraps.
I took the easy way out. Definitely a better view when leaving the bathroom.

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Day 31 - Snow and Sky

No, snow wasn't falling out of the sky today. But I did get the sky and snowy mountains done on my new quilt project. Boy, it was time consuming.
I think I might just need a nap now.

Friday, April 17, 2020

Day 30 - Quilt Procrastination No More

It was a short eight years ago when I bought a pattern in a quilt shop. We were visiting Sisters, Oregon when I picked it up and, not surprisingly, I even wrote about the day (and posted a picture of the pattern) on the blog back in 2012.

Over the course of the last eight years I've occasionally pulled the pattern out. I've looked at the minimal directions. The multiple pages of huge pattern pieces. I've looked over the fabrics in my stash to see if I had enough to start the project. Since that day eight years ago, I've continued to collect even more fabrics in the hopes of someday tackling the pattern. But year after year, I fold everything back up and put it into the plastic sleeve and tuck the pattern away for another day.

Not any longer. Today my quilt procrastination ended.

I took the pattern out of the package.
I opened up all six huge pattern pages.
I read the limited directions.
I started pulling out fabrics.
I began cutting pieces of fusible web.

This one quilt just might take more time/energy/effort/brainpower than any other quilt I've done so far. Crossing my fingers it'll be worth it.
So complicated!

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Day 29 - A Refrigerated Hotpad

I am not a soup person, but my husband is. Big time. So much so that he makes it several times a week. Sometimes it's completely from scratch; other times he uses a can of soup and adds to it. With all the soup he makes we almost always have a pot in our refrigerator. At times I might even find two pots of soup in there. 

I was getting tired of seeing pots sitting on a couple mis-matched potholders (dirty ones at that because he can't keep anything clean) every time I opened the door. So today I fixed that. A new, made-to-fit hotpad - with enough space to hold two pots - is now a permanent fixture in our refrigerator. And wouldn't you know, the hotpad is already being put into use.
I do believe fabric can solve almost any problem.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Day 28 - Spicing it Up

As I've said before, when we're not traveling we're cheapskate, boring, stay-at-home people. Our lives are definitely more exciting when we're cruising! We get to visit with crew members we love, see new places around the world, and eat and drink things we wouldn't get to at home. While I'm sad cruising is off the table now, I'm realizing we need to spice things up around here. The Mystery Treat Bags were a start. But I'm kicking it up a notch.

With alcohol.

We don't keep alcohol in the house. We don't go to bars and very rarely have we ever had an adult beverage outside this house. But when we're cruising? We I drink on three occasions:
  • When our favorite bartender is on a ship. He makes sure these rheumatoid arthritis joints feel pretty darn good. (Not surprisingly, we follow him ship-to-ship.)
  • When we're in a warm weather port. Having an alcoholic beverage on a beach - or near a beach - can't be beat.
  • On a snorkel boat in the Caribbean. As soon as the time in the water is done, the rum punch starts flowing freely. And that stuff is strong.
Maybe it was all of those things making me decide to go to the liquor store today. I've only been in a liquor store four times in my life. Today made number five. I figured if I was going somewhere I never go I might as well go big! As I finished checking out the cashier said, "Have a Good Month!"

I think I will.