Sewing with my neighbor...

The other day, my neighbor and I decided she needed a toaster cover. So we decided we could make one, how hard can it be? Right? I can usually sew most anything, without a pattern - as long as I have good directions - I can do it. So, I went to her house and we found a tutorial online, and away we went. We started at 9 am and we were finally done at Noon! 3 hours for a toaster cover!?! We should have started with a simpler version, but no, we had to make it ultra cool. Her kitchen is kinda country-ish. Her cabinets are cream and sage green and her curtains are burgandy and cream checks. Very cute. So we found 2 different fabrics, sage/cream checks and burgandy.

So start off taking the measurements of the toaster.

Front: height & width. Side: width & height and then total measurement starting at the side, going up and over the top and down to the countertop. Make sure when taking the measurements, you account for the knobs on the front and the widest width at any given point.

Next, you need to measure and cut your fabric. In our case, we we used the checked fabric for the front and back, and the burgandy for the top (measurement you took up the side and over the top of the toaster). We cut two pieces for each piece so that we could make it a little more sturdy - we put some batting in the center. Based on our measurements, we then cut 4 pieces of fabric for the front and back (2 for the front of the toaster, 2 for the back of the toaster), and 2 of the long pieces for the center piece. We then cut batting to match (3 pieces).

Next, we lined up our fabric with the batting. Make a sandwich - fabric right side down, batting, then fabric right side up. Do this with all your pieces, and pin them all together.

Next, you need to line up the center, of the long center piece (lengthwise) with the center of the shorter pieces (front and back of toaster pieces). Sew one on, flip it around so that the piece you just sewed on, is at the bottom of the fabric, and repeat. Now you have both the front of the toaster cover and the back, attached to the long piece of the toaster cover.

Next, you need to sew the sides to the front and back. It’s kinda like wrapping a Christmas present, fold the corner of the long piece down to the non-attached corner of the small piece already attached. Line up the fabric (right side to right side) so that your seam will hide the unfinished fabric on the inside, pin and sew. Do this for each corner, pin and sew. Now you basically have the finished product. Turn the whole thing inside out, and now all of your seams will be on the inside - ooh it looks so pretty!

Next you can either attach decorative trim to the bottom to cover the unfinished seam (wrap it around the bottom, and sew), we made our own basting tape, and attached it to the bottom. Or you could hem it, and sew with a decorative seam stitch. If you opt for the hemming, make sure you add a half inch to your lenght measurements, or your toaster cover will be too short.

Ours took a little longer, because we had to make it reversable, but probably took so long because we talk - a lot - and laugh.

This same concept can be used for Kitchenaid Mixers, can openers, coffee makers or anything else you would like to cover in your kitchen - how about the frig? Just Kidding.

You are all done, and it was so easy

Recycling Egg Cartons

What a dreary day in Northern Minnesota! The wind is blowing and the temperature is 44 degrees. I just walked down my driveway to the mailbox - it’s usually a 5 minute walk down there and back, but today I went much quicker. That wind is super chilly!! Good cardio workout though!

So today I am recycling my egg cartons and starting some new seeds. I have tomato, lettuce, jalepenos, peas, pole beans, and green peppers. I like to use my egg cartons and start seeds in those. Perfect size to get a seed going indoors before introducing the plant to the great outdoors. When you are ready to transfer the plants to soil outside, it all comes out really easy and you can just transfer strait to the soil.

Here is what you need:

1 empty egg carton, seeds, potting soil, cellophane and water. Just put a little bit of potting soil in the egg carton, add the seed, water until saturated, and then cover with cellophane. If you have one of those table top green houses, just put the egg carton in there. Otherwise, use the cellophane to cover the open carton. When you see the seeds start to sprout, let them grow a few more days and then uncover and let them grow indoors until you are ready to move them outside - preferably once there is no more danger of frost. Enjoy ~ it’s fun to watch plants grow from seed, and then get to enjoy the ‘fruits’ of your labor.

Getting More Website Traffic - Make more green!

From time to time I review new products on my blog. This is the most recent one. If you own a website, and are struggling to get more traffic, this is a great product. It teaches you how to get FREE website traffic almost instantly to your website. So go green - in this case green means making more money online. Oh, and it's also eco-friendly cuz it is all online, no trees killed for this one.

Check it out!

Getting ready to plant again!!

I love this time of year. The snow is almost all gone, each day reaches almost 60 degrees and little sprouts are coming out of the ground. This year I'm going to attempt a raised garden for my veggies. I have tons of lillies planted around my property and cant' wait to see those start blooming. I want to try some new flowers this year - give me some ideas!! I live in zone 3 and want some new perennials. I love spring, all the animals are coming out - I'll be sure and post some pictures.