SIO Tips no. 74 - Sew and Sew: Keeping it trim!

Getting to the end stages of a project is exciting but it is important to take the time to finish things off properly so your work looks polished no matter what you are making, whether you are sewing up a new dress or making a soft toy.

My number one tip is to trim your seam allowances after sewing, making sure to snip around corners and curves as you go. Press the seams out once you've finished trimming so that the fabric doesn't bunch up or look bulky when you turn it the right way out.

This makes the most of your careful pattern cutting and gives you professional results every time.

Be My Valentine

Get back to the true meaning of Valentine's Day and show your loved one that you care; not with big expensive gestures but with a little effort put into making a card by hand.

You don't have to be super creative or great at drawing to make this cute little origami Heart box.
I found the link on Pinterest ages ago and bookmarked the tutorial page, planning to find the two colour stiff paper in the meantime. What I ended up with was some thin red card, which was a little too thick to get really neat folds but I used the back of a spoon to make the folds crisp and jazzed up one side of the card with angled stripes to make it a little more masculine. (This one will be presented to my hubby in the morning).

Follow the instructions to make your own in the video on this link: www.origamispirit.com/2012/01/unique-ways-to-keep-romance-alive-part-1-of-3/ 

It's deceptively simple and perfect for those who are new to origami - decorate your own paper to make it really special and leave your loved one a message inside this Valentines day.

I cut a square of white paper to fit neatly inside to write my note on. The red of this card is great but I think it looks nice to have the contrasting bottom colour.

The main thing is to have fun and be a bit silly.
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

SIO Tips no. 73 - Sew & Sew: Using your pins

One nifty trick has seen me through many sewing projects (thanks Mum!); it's very simple and makes sewing using a machine so much easier.

When sewing by hand most people pin their project together with the pins pointing away from them running parallel to the edge of the fabric. This can mean they get in the way when machine sewing and slows the whole process down. 

Try pinning at right angles to the fabric edge instead, this means that you can sew right over the pins and pull them all out easily once you're done. 

Make sure the heads of the pins are on the outside so that they don't go under the foot of the machine, you only want to sew across the thinnest part.

SIO Tips no. 72 - Binding off

When you are ready to cast off; loosely knit the first two stitches of the row, then pass the first over the second leaving one stitch on your right needle. Loosely knit the next stitch and pass the previous one over it, again leaving just one stitch on your needle. Do this all the way across. When you get to the end cut the yarn, leaving about 8 inches of tail, and pull the end through the remaining stitch. Weave the tail in across the back of your knitting using a blunt yarn needle, doubling back to secure it.

SIO Tips no. 71 - Casting on: loosen up!

It's important when casting on to make sure it's neither too tight nor too loose. If you find that it's difficult to knit the first row after you've cast on then you need to loosen it up a bit; try one of the following methods:


1. As you cast on space your stitches out across the needle, it might be tempting to push them neatly together but this can make your stitches too tight.

2. Use a needle one or two sizes larger than the one you plan to use for your project. This naturally means the cast on stitches are looser.

SIO Tips no. 70 - Christmas with Kids

Christmas can get chaotic in a household with kids - one great way to reduce the running around ahead of time is to open your children's toys and remove all the fiddly bits, fit any batteries and make sure the boxes are easy to open. Then you can wrap them up knowing that they will be ready to play with on Christmas morning, keeping everyone happy and entertained.

Halloween Fizz Punch

Halloween is nearly here again folks - here are a few fab recipes for your punch bowl:

Fizz Punch - The possibilities are broad with this little recipe. Simply use half the amount of Sherbert to Soda of your choice to create a bubbling fizzing punch that looks like a science experiment. It's nice to use a hollowed out pumpkin as a punch bowl to make it feel more spooky! We like Lime Sherbert with Lemon and Lime soda to make a fab green punch.

Raspberry Ghoul - Place 2 cherries and 2 blueberries in each tall glass. Add 1 tablespoon of raspberry syrup into each. Gently pour 1 cup of lemonade over the fruit and top each glass with a scoop of ice cream.

Hot Apple - In a pot combine 1litre apple juice and 3 cinnamon sticks. Wrap 1/2 tsp allspice and 1/2 tsp cloves in a small piece of cheesecloth, and add to pot. Stir in 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and keep warm ready to serve on cold spooky nights! You can make this with Cider for the Grown-ups.

Have a spooky Halloween folks!

SIO Tips no. 69 - Embroidery tips

New to Embroidery? Here are a few useful tips to keep your work at its best:

1. Choose your hoop carefully. Make sure you get a hoop where the inner and outer rings meet snugly.

2. Cover the face of your work with a scrap of thin material before inserting into the hoop; carefully cut a hole to reveal the working area. This covers the rest of the fabric, protecting it from oils on your hands and keeping it clean

3. Always take your work out of the hoop when you've finished for the day. This will prevent the hoop from leaving marks.

SIO Tips no. 68 - Care for your Sewing Machine - Part Two

Keeping your Sewing Machine running nicely takes a little input on your part.
Here are a few more tips on keeping yours at it's very best, simply:

 
5. Be sure to keep your machine covered when you're not using it to keep it dust free.

6. Give your machine a clean up before you put it away if it is going into storage.

7. If you haven't used your machine for a while or it has been in storage, run it for a bit without any thread to get the parts all moving nicely again. It's also a good idea to practice on a scrap of fabric before sewing your final project.

Click here if you missed Part One.

SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time. 

SIO Tips no. 67 - Care for your Sewing Machine - Part One

Keeping your Sewing Machine running nicely takes a little input on your part.  
Here are a few tips on keeping yours at it's very best, simply:


1. Use your sewing machine's manual for care at home instructions and have it service by a professional annually.

2. Regularly clean lint from the bobbin case area & lubricate with a drop of oil.

3. Change the needle often. Blunt needles will make your machine work harder & won't give you such a good finish on your project as sharp ones.

Look out for Part Two coming soon...

SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time. 

Magic Heat Mark Removal - Wooden Furniture

It happens to everyone at some point; a hot mug of coffee or a cold glass gets put down onto a polished wooden surface leaving a dreaded cloudy mark. 

This happened to me recently, but not just a small ring on the table. I had been making roman blinds and used the table to press the seams; of course I had used a thick folded cloth to protect the surface, as I have done before, but my new iron is a little more ferocious and a very keen steamer. The resulting iron prints down the length of the dining table simply couldn't be regarded as 'characterful'.

I had a small panic and tried to polish it out to no avail. So, Google became my best friend. There were a few suggestions mentioned: Iron a damp towel over the affected area (too scary for me), use WD40 (I didn't have any to hand) and then I saw the suggestion of Mayonnaise, whole egg not fake stuff.
Well, I had that in the fridge so I decided to give it a go. I dabbed a test area thickly with the mayonnaise using kitchen paper and put the kettle on. After half an hour I went to check on the progress and to my utter amazement, found the less obvious marks had disappeared; I whipped out the jar and dabbed the whole table with it. The table was already well used and had various battle scars which could benefit from a little treatment. 

The magic mayo trick is so simple all you need to do is wipe it off with a warm slightly damp cloth after about an hour. I don't know the science behind why this works but all the heat marks had vanished and the wood glowed with a renewed lease of life. I left the table to dry really well before polishing with beeswax polish and I must say, it hasn't looked so good in years.

So, no need to panic! This simple, quick and inexpensive trick really does work wonders.

Fresh Summer Cooler

Summer means lovely picnics in the park and time spent in the garden but it's nice to have a cool drink to quench your thirst on a hot day.

Here is a simple recipe for a delicious Summer Cooler:

(Serves 6)

Crushed Ice
Angostura Bitters
1-2 Limes or a Lemon
Tonic Water

Half fill glasses with the crushed ice; top each glass with 5 drops of Bitters and a squeeze of Lime/Lemon Juice, slice the remaining fruit. Top the glasses with tonic and garnish with the remaining slices. You can also add mint for a fresh flavour.

Make your own: Lavender and Rose Petal Bath Salts

Everyone has a stressful day now and then; a great way to combat the daily grind and relax tense muscles is to take time out and soak in a hot bath. 

I like to add lovely scented bath salts to my bath once in a while. 
Here is a recipe for simple, soothing, Lavender and Rose Petal bath salts that will also leave your skin feeling lovely.

1 cup Sea Salt or Coarse Salt
2 cups Epsom Salts
1/2 cup Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Glycerine
20 drops Lavender essential oil
1/2 cup Dried Lavender flowers and Rose Petals

Mix all the salts with the baking powder, add the glycerine and essential oil to the mix and combine well.
Add the dry Lavender flowers and store into a screw topped bottle that seals tightly. 

Now all you need are some candles and an hour to yourself!

This recipe makes a fab little gift for someone special. Embellish the jars with pretty ribbons or fresh Lavender from the garden if you have some.

SIO Tips 66: Easy seam allowance guide

Keeping an even seam allowance can be tricky especially if you need a wider one than normal. This simple trick helps guide as you sew: stretch a rubber band around the base of your sewing machine to the width you are want to sew. It's easy to follow and stays in place securely; it's also really easy to move for wider or narrower seams.


SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time. 

Fathers Day Fun

I think Fathers Day should be as important and memorable as Mothers Day.

In our house there was never such a fuss made, perhaps because we didn't really know what little things Dad would appreciate. Mum was always touched by bunches of hand picked wild flowers clutched in clumsy fingers; she would even forgive the hole left in her flower beds. Growing up we would spoil her with little things to make her day more special; the usual breakfast in bed, a hand-made card that got stuck to the fridge and stayed there until next year when it was finally filed away with other treasures.

Fathers Day was different though, a card yes, Mum probably even bought his favourite treats for us to hand out too but we didn't do anything much together apart from the usual Sunday Dinner. All week long my Dad would work outside. I come from a farming family so sun up to sun set Dad was trudging around with no time for fun. Sundays didn't mean a day off, even on Fathers Day, so perhaps having a sleep in the easy chair after dinner was the best present he could have had!

I hope that one day, when I have kids of my own, we will focus a bit more on Daddy and make time to spend the day together, not just on Fathers Day.

So, if you have kids and also feel that Daddy deserves more than a card this Fathers Day take a look on Pinterest for some great crafting ideas to get the whole family involved this weekend. Not only will it make your man feel appreciated but it will give the kids precious childhood memories and maybe start a lifelong tradition of making time for loved ones in our hectic lives a bit more.

Some of my favourite ideas:

• Make tents out of blankets and have a picnic inside or even better, if you can, have a BBQ and make sure you remember the marshmallows for toasting!
• Collect smooth pebbles or rocks and paint them in fun patterns, use aboriginal art for inspiration. This can keep older children busy and inspired for ages and makes great paperweights for Dad's paperwork!
• Dig out the board games and have an afternoon of fun playing Cluedo, Pictionary or Go Fish...
• Use soda bottles filled with water as ten pin bowling pins. Daddy can show off his bowling skills and bond with the kids.
• Have a paper aeroplane making competition. Whoever has the best plane that flies farthest is the winner. You could also have prizes for the most funky design.