Finished Project – Pajamas

I finished my first outfit!  Ok, so I couldn’t possibly wear it out in public, that is ok, I finished my first hand sewn outfit and I really like it.  I hope that next year I will look back and laugh at my silly attempts because I will have graduated to more challenging projects, but for now I am quite happy to have simply finished something other than curtains.

I used the Butterick B3314 pattern (on sale today no less) and found it pretty easy to follow.   Although I will admit to having quite a bit of trouble with the shorts, until I looked around online and found this helpful little tutorial.  I just couldn’t see quite how to attach those legs and do the crotch seam.  But once I navigated that hurdle, the shorts were quite easy to finish.

The shirt, well, I took one of my favorite shirts, added about an inch, and traced around it.  I then sewed it up, without pinning it.  Yes, my greatest challenge in sewing will be taking the time to pin and measure and do things right.  So naturally, my stitches were a bit crooked and I had trouble in a few spots with my thread, so I added the ribbon that you see around the arms and neck…and walla…problem solved.  I do like this sewing thing!

Only one remaining question.  I will have to ask around and see how other people address the cutting of the paper though, because now that I have cut the pattern for shorts, I can no longer use it to make pants unless I tape the paper back together.  I guess I can do that, but knowing me, I will never end up with a straight leg again and will no doubt end up with very strange looking pajama long pants.

In the New Year, I will Declutter

I am a regular reader of Christine Kane’s blog, and have been encouraged by her posts on many occasions.  I am especially excited to take her challenge to  pick a word to guide me through the year.  My word this next year will be Declutter.  I would really like to declutter much of my life, starting with my house.

I bought a book about 10 years ago I think, called The Messies Manual: The Procrastinator’s Guide to Good Housekeeping by Sandra Felton and realized quickly that I was indeed a messy, but did not resolve anything, as I procrastinated finishing the book.  So, over the past couple of years I have tried to fix things in my house, I have tried different ways to keep things picked up, but it times of great busyness or stress at home, my house always falls into disarray.

I blogged recently about finding the Flylady and putting her system into play in our home, and in this system, I have found some tangible steps that I can take to reach my goal.  I do often get a bit discouraged by how long it is taking for everything to be completely decluttered,  The Flylady does warn about how those of us who are unorganized tend toward trying for perfection, and thus constantly fail so I need to head her wise words and continue taking the baby steps to declutter.

Best Kitchen Cleaning Tip EVER

I spent much of this past weekend cleaning my kitchen. I know, I am supposed to clean my house little by little every day, but come on; I don’t always have time for that. Besides, I like having a lazy dinner and then catching up with the kids and watching our favorite TV shows together during the week. That leaves the weekend for deep house cleaning, and while I was whitening my stove this weekend, I was thankful once again for the best cleaning tip my mother ever gave me.

It was shortly after I got my brand new shiny white oven. Mom was there on Thanksgiving and I was pouting over my white burners no longer being white. Mom asked if I had any SOS pads and suggested I try those. They worked! My burners looked brand new, and NOTHING cuts through grease on counters, floors and tables like those little SOS pads. They even worked pretty well on my shiny sink.

A follow-up tip: if you have a red wine or red juice stain on anything white, try the Magic Eraser. I am not sure what this thing is made of, but we even got out dark blue dye from a friends antique wood table with this little gem.

I get mine from drugstore.com, inc. It is quick, easy, and usually delivered (for free) in a day or two. I save even more money by not going to the drugstore on my corner and filling my cart with things I had no intention of buying.