We built a quilt frame!

I use the cluttered basement as my sewing room. I used to sew in the spare bedroom, but was always worried about the mess. Our basement is for storage I don't have to worry about clutter or messes because company never sees it in the basement. The basemeent is also the only part of the house big enough to hold the quilt frame that my husband helped me build. Instead of a smaller frame, I wanted one big enough to fit a king size quilt. So the frame is 10 feet long.

Money was also a consideration. I am unsure if I will be able to hand quilt as very much. I couldn't justify spending a lot of money on something that I would rarely use. This project cost under $50.

We used the instructions given by Alex Anderson’s father at the following site.

http://www.hgtv.com/video/build-your-own-quilt-frame-video/index.html

Here are the materials we used for the project: Two saw horses; two strips of 1X2 pieces of lumber ten feet long; four hanger bolts; four wing nuts; wood glue; muslin; and safety pins.

We drilled holes for the hanger bolts into the saw horses at about an inch from the end and ¾ of an inch from each side. (Our pets like to participate whenever they can. This is one of our dogs making sure we don't forget he is willing to help.)

Then we drilled the holes into the 1X2 centered and about an inch from the end. (In the upper right corner, you can see the blurred image of one of our black cats curiously watching us.)

We did something a little different than shown on the video. We added muslin to the 1X2s. I cut 3 yards of muslin length wise so that I then had two strips of muslin 3 yards long. Those were then folded in half.

The ends were stapled to the wood so the folded side could be used to pin the quilt to the rods (1X2s).

We were not sure how close the staples should be so we tried to keep them around 4 inches apart.

Then glue was added to the wood and the muslin wrapped around the wood. Safety pins were used to pull the muslin tight until the glue dried.

The 1X2s were then placed over the hanger bolts to form the quilting frame. The safety pins are still in place because the glue isn't dried. (The dogs are inspecting our finished product.) 

Sock Bag

I have always had a sock box for those lost souls (socks) searching for their mates. I guess we have fairies in the house who like to carry off just one sock to leave the other useless. I used to have a sock box to hold them, but today, I decided to make a bag.

You can make this any size. I will need to adjust the pattern to fit a regular size hanger in the future, or I can just place ties on the top and tie it to any hanger that I would like. For this pattern, I used a slightly smaller hanger; it might have been from the kids section in one of the clothing stores.

I used a newspaper for the pattern. I traced the shape that could pass as a sock. Then I traced a separate toe section and a separate heal section.

I also traced a hanger section. I might make that one differently next time, because it seemed to take longer than it should have. I cut two strips of Timtex interfacing (two inches thick and the width of the sock-this pattern was 14 inches). I liked the stiffness and it helped hold the shape of the top of the sock better than some of the softer ones. Use whatever works best for you, though.

Sew an outline on the hanger interfacing to fold over so the raw edges do not show. I used dark ink to outline the hanger so it would be visible in the photo. The line that I am sewing will give plenty of room for the hanger.

Sew the toe to the sock body.

Sew the heal to the sock body. When I got to the corner, I left the needle down and turned to finish to the end.

The Timtex is an iron on interfacing. I folded the material over so there were no raw edges and then ironed in place. Do this to the front part of the sock and the back part of the sock.

Sew along the base to secure.

Sew the hanger interfacing onto the wrong side of the back of the sock. Do not sew the top hole where the neck of the hanger will come out. Otherwise, you won’t be able to fit the hanger inside.

Turn the sock pieces right sides together and sew around the side, toe, heal, and other side. Do not sew the top closure. That will need to remain open for the socks and hanger.

This might be old school, but I still often trim the material to get rid of bulk or just help it move better. If you do this great, if not and it doesn’t affect your project, then you just saved a step.

Turn inside out and place hanger into the hanger slot. There you have it, your own sock bag for those missing socks. I tend to wait until the bag it full and then match the pairs up. Whatever is not matched, I tie a knot in them as a notice that the other pair may really be gone forever. Eventually, they turn into dog toys to chew on or fetch. Not much sewing for those quick toys. Just roll up and toss.

My Shoe Strings

My ideas are often practical and come from something that I need or want to improve. My shoe laces are often too short because of the height of my arch and because I need to wear a leg brace. My husband bought me a pair of new shoes. I didn’t have any extra long laces around the house so decided to sew my own. I found some matching fabric in the box (large flat rate priority mail box-just one because I don’t like to keep a fabric stash) of scrap fabric that will in the future be used for small projects.

I made the laces as if I was making bias tape. I cut the strips to two inches wide and extra long at 60 inches. (I cut off the extra after I threaded the shoes.) The fabric was then ironed in half (lengthwise) and then the edges were ironed in half again so there were no raw edges visible. Then I sewed a straight line down each of the sides and sewed a zigzag in the center strip of the laces to give them a little body and stiffness. I could have used a decorative stitch, but I wanted a zigzag.

After I laced and tied the shoes, I placed a knot on the edge of the laces to prevent them from slipping back through the holes and cut off the excess. Here is a photo.

You can make these as wild or as tame as you would like. I think it is a great gift for kids or anyone who wants a fun look. Also, you can make these as wide or narrow as you prefer. I like the wider ones because on days that my carpel tunnel is acting up, I can’t seem to grab anything thin or narrow.