From a Gal who Failed Home Ec Class

I am the mom of eight kids, home schooled them all, cook all meals from scratch, do all my own home decor and baby supply sewing (still sew for my grandbabies), yet I failed home ec class in high school.

Yes, we had Home Economics back when I was in school and, yes, I failed.

Technically, I only failed the sewing portion. It was awful. It seemed like the teacher was speaking a foreign language and I couldn't understand a word she was saying. I think she had an expectation that the entire class already knew certain things about sewing, but I did not. My mom sewed a lot, but I never did at home.

So, I had to make an item of clothing and wear it to school when it was finished. Oy. I chose a jumper because it looked easy and didn't require a zipper. Zipper fear gripped me; I wasn't about to take one on. I started on the jumper....it did not go well. I think I ripped out every seam at least twice and some three times. It was frayed, uneven and looked like it had been run over by a truck when finished. The teacher was totally exasperated with me, but I honestly couldn't understand why. I thought I was doing exactly what she said.

I finished the jumper, wore it to school the next day, then received my grade:

F

My very first and very last F, and it was big and it was red.

I went on to become the "Martha Stewart" of my friends (minus the prison part) and now sell things I sew! My home ec teacher would never have put me down for that.

Moral of the story: Do not let failure define you.

~Tricia

Hobby Lobby FABRIC HAUL!

Dollhouse Update! Progress on Decorating my Grandkids' Dollhouse!

Here's the latest update on the dollhouse I'm decorating for my grandkids.
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Thanks so much for watching!
~Tricia

How I Fixed Bird-Nesting on my Sewing Machine

Yesterday, I attempted to sew through a thicker-than-normal layer on a tote bag. My machine jammed, though, so I immediately stopped. However, even after I removed the jammed threads, the machine had problems. It was making very large loops on the bottom of the fabric while the top threads were normal. I think this is called bird-nesting in the sewing world.

I went to my user's manual and it said the problem was likely that my top thread was threaded wrong. So, I un-threaded it, re-threaded it, and tried again.

No success.

I went to YouTube and typed in the problem and a plethora of videos came up. I chose a few, and took their suggestions:

I installed a new needle.......no success.
I thoroughly cleaned the machine.......no success.
I removed then reinserted the bobbin.......no success.
I un-threaded and re-threaded the machine about a dozen times.....no success.

I took a break and went to the thrift store with one of my sons.
While there, another son called and we had a great conversation.
I came home, made dinner, ate dinner, watched Jeopardy! and only then went back to my machine.

I turned it off and back on several times.....no success.
I watched a few more YouTube videos......no success.

I decided to remove all plates, the presser foot, the presser foot holder and the bobbin. I left the needle threaded and manually lowered it, watching closely to see how it operated on top of the bobbin case. It got stuck. When I operated the needle faster, I saw that it pulled more thread through, pausing on the sticking point each time, making a large loop.....the same type of loop that had been forming on the bottom stitch.

The bobbin case was crooked.
I adjusted it by about 2mm...and it easily fell into place.
I manually operated the needle again and it glided right through!

Apparently, the jamming dislocated the bobbin case, causing the bird-nesting under my fabric!
Problem solved!

I am a sewing machine mechanic.
I saved a bunch of money by not having to take my machine in for repairs.

Try this idea if you ever have a bird-nesting issue.
I did not find this solution on any resource I searched.

Happy Sewing!
~Tricia

The Making of My TEA DRAWER! Tea. In a Drawer.

My Studio Looks Like a FABRIC STORE! Thrift Store HAUL

Easy Tea Towel Pillow Cover

I went to IKEA a couple weeks ago and picked up a couple packs of their tea towels. They have several types. They have ones with a red striped edge for 79 cents each and they have a pack of four that have either gray striped or a gray plaid design. They are about $4 for the 4 pack. Highly affordable. They have several others, too, but I got the gray ones.

I found a fabulous video online showing how to make an easy tea towel pillow cover and I just had to try it. It was just as easy as the video indicated! Watch that video by The Crazy Craft Lady here. I love how she did that video!

Here's my result:

Once I sewed this together, I did have to trim the inside edge because these towels are not always evenly printed, nor are they always evenly squared.

I do like how it turned out. I made one for you (buy it here in my Etsy shop) 

and I made one for my house.

They have an envelope closure, making it so easy to take off for washing.

They are machine washable and dryable and made from 100% cotton.

The finished product is 18" x 18" and I used an IKEA 20" x 20" pillow insert.

Note: IKEA is just a mile down the road from my house!

Happy creating!

~Tricia

Cross a Lighthouse Panel with Red Ticking

What do you get if you take a Lighthouse panel from a cotton shower curtain and cross it with red ticking fabric?

You get a gorgeous, custom pillow cover! 

I LOVE how this turned out. 

It's fresh, clean and easy to put on and take off with an envelope closure on the back. 

It seems to me that every piece of fabric can be re-purposed into something new.

This was a shower curtain.

It is now a pillow cover.

Get yours now from my Etsy shop by clicking here.

This is a gorgeous pillow!

~Tricia

The Story of the Farmhouse Pillow Covers

If you've never visited my Etsy shop, now is a good time. I recently learned a few new pillow cover patterns and decided to make and sell them so you can enjoy them, too. Read about these pillow covers below and stay tuned as I continue to add new items.

It all started when my 15-year-old Singer sewing machine was giving me trouble and I took it in for repairs. The quote to fix it was almost the cost of a new machine, so I wasn't about to put that much money into fixing a 15-year-old machine. So, I began shopping for a new machine. I ended up getting a Brother HC1850 (watch the unboxing video here).

With a shiny, new machine and its many features, I had to start sewing more than I had been. On YouTube, I found Farmhouse on Boone (click here) and Lisa, the owner of Farmhouse on Boone, did a tutorial on her Farmhouse Pillow Covers. I fell in love with them! So, of course, I decided to make some of my own and share them with you.

My first set of pillow covers are my favorite. Bright, clean and fun, this set was quick and easy to sew up and packs a visual punch. 

These are Farmhouse Style Pillow Covers with a peek-a-boo opening.

Technically, you have two pillow covers in one as this is a set and the blue striped cover works alone.

The blue striped cover is made in an envelope style, much like a sham, for easy on/off.

These are fun and easy to sew.

My next set of pillow covers was made from red ticking fabric and cotton canvas.

Again, I used the peek-a-boo style:

Some people bleach the canvas to make it white, but I liked it in its natural color, plus I didn't want to have bleach sitting in my washer for 8 - 12 hours. I figured if I decided I wanted a portion bleached for a project, I would simply bleach that portion only. 

So, this canvas has been washed but not bleached.

I did dye the ties with tea. They were originally white bias tape and I simply dipped them in tea for 10 minutes or so and let them dry overnight. I then ironed them to lie flat. I love how they turned out.

The pillow above is made with red ticking fabric, but I also made the same set of pillow covers in blue ticking fabric:

The last set I made so far is this one, made with  lace trim and a white insert:

The lace is white on a piece of beige burlap and I stitched it into the seams so it's not moving. I made a white envelope style pillow insert cover, so both pieces are easily removable for washing.

Making these pillow covers is fun and easy.

Check out Lisa's tutorial on her YouTube channel here. 

Check out all my unique offerings on Etsy here.

All Etsy items ship free.

In addition to these sewn projects, I continue to offer paper die cuts and will keep on.

Thanks for stopping by!

From Freedom Hill Creations,

~ Tricia