More Pillowcase Ideas

I've been making a lot of pillowcases the past couple years, mainly for the grandkids.  The idea came from the girl I used to work at Preschool with when she told me she makes them in seasonal material for a child she knew.  At one point I went out and bought a bunch of fabric with the intention of making pillowcases but never got around to it.  The turning point in this was when I found the pattern for pillowcases using the "burrito method".  I absolutely love this technique!  And by the way, all that material I originally bought for them was used on some other quilts.  So now I buy more relevant fabric.  The first ones I made for the kids were a sports one and a horse one.  They went over very well and now I think they look forward to them and even expect them.  I just mentioned to my hubby  that I should be writing down exactly which ones I make them so they are not duplicated.  I would definitely hear about that.  Last month it was Valentine's Day and needless to say, making one for a boy was tricky.  I did a soccer one and avoided the whole discussion.  This month is St. Patrick's Day (hers is shamrocks/his is pots of gold) and Easter (hers is pink and purple eggs/his is Snoopy at Eastertime).   As we were walking through JoAnn's, my hubby found some hockey material  -  wow, what a find!  Now when I need a holiday one for a boy and can't find it, I can resort back to this.  Another idea that came to mind is a birthday one.  They have adorable birthday-related fabric either with cutesy cupcakes or fireworks that would be great.  I've come a long way from the birthday presents I made some of my daughter's friends out of bought pillowcases with movie characters on them.  I cut them up and made a floor pillow out of them.  I knew they were hits when the girls would lug them to our house for sleepovers.

Spring Cleaning

Even though technically it is not spring yet, it still seemed appropriate to start some cleaning.  This week was supposed to be a tad warmer so I thought our sitting room would be more comfortable.  My plan was to start cleaning out the filing cabinets and sort through the mounds of papers we've been saving.  I have most of the paperwork I go through in a smaller cabinet that I've cut down to size before.  It's the ones in the sitting room that we need to clean.  It has proven to be slightly overwhelming as far as tasks go.  But on the other hand it has been interesting too.  I love going through old receipts and papers that give an insight into our lives back then.  Just remembering when we bought something, how much it cost, where we got it and how long it lasted has been a hoot.  I even found out that stamps only cost 20 cents in 1997!  We still have a bunch to go through and I have to admit at times, besides being overwhelmed, I'm plain bored.  There will be a sense of relief and satisfaction when we're done.  In fact, as far as therapy goes, spring cleaning is at the top of my list.

Pizza Dough Quest

I am still on this quest of mine to find the perfect pizza crust.  I've researched this and know that I need to use 00 flour to make the perfect Neapolitan crust.  This is the New York style foldable crust. I don't necessarily want it paper thin, just chewy, slightly crispy and full of air pockets.  My last attempt was combining bread flour and semolina flour which definitely gave me a different texture than what I had.  I've tried all kinds of combinations in the past such as ap flour and cake flour or cornstarch, all bread flour, more yeast/less yeast, long rise time in/out of the fridge, and different cooking methods (pizza stone, parchment paper, cast iron skillet).  I'll know it when I see it and it hasn't happened yet.  I even found a place to buy the 00 flour but it's out of my price range.  But I've just been able to sign up for a class where they sell 00 flour so I'm hoping we get to try that and I'll see if it's worth it.  I'll keep you posted.

Still Ironing

I guess the people from Monopoly who determine the piece that gets thrown out don't iron anymore.  They must not be quilters either because we know it is crucial.  For us it is part of that trinity  -  cutting table, sewing machine and ironing board.  Of course you can cheat to a certain degree by finger-pressing or using some small devices such as a wooden stick, but in the end you gotta iron.  I have even started setting my seams before I press them in a certain direction, as experts advise.  There are some people that insist on starching small pieces before they are sewn.  But it's not just quilters who would argue getting rid of the monopoly piece.  All three of my kids are still ironers.  It's not like I really pushed it on them as they were growing up, in fact I never had that Tuesday ironing day, but I did have the ironing board set up or handy for that occasional pressing.  Most things that would require ironing are hung up right out of the dryer and don't need it.  But I have some button-down shirts that always need the front bands ironed no matter how careful I am.  Anyway, it is a skill that is good to know even if not used daily and I will be looking for that metal iron as a collectors item.

Ahead of our Time

That's exactly what my older daughter and I are as far as binge TV.  I read about it in this morning's paper and immediately recalled those nights watching episode after episode of The Apprentice.  She was working at the video store and picked up the dvds for us.  Sometimes we would watch 3 or4 in an evening of a previous season.  Once she moved away and I got Netflix, I did the same thing with the Housewives.  Then I reached the roadblock.  Netflix and their deals halted my renting a bunch of the seasons  -  only Target has access to most of those.  I'm trying it again with my free month of Netflix.  After this movie is sent back, I'm due for the 1st season of Castle.  Of course, I can get my fill of binge tv already on TNT (Castle and Mentalist) and USA (Law and Order).  TvLand also does the King of Queens for me late night.  And I just found out that Curb Your Enthusiasm will be on too.  So, I'm not the only one watching tv and catching up on shows but I sure was ahead of my time.

Visit to Claire's

Every time we go to the mall to walk, we pass Claire's Boutique.  This brings back fond memories for me with my girls and getting their ears pierced (even if it wasn't there that we had it done).  It is synonymous with little girls and their ears.  Today I felt like one.  I've been having trouble with the holes in my ears for quite a while now and I knew this was coming.  I got a pair of earrings for
Christmas and when I tried to put them in this past weekend, I only got one of them in.  Unfortunately, only one is not my style.  So I mentioned to my hubby that the next time we go walking at the mall, I'd like to inquire at Clair's about getting my holes opened up again so I can wear earrings.  He took me at my word and before I knew it I was sitting in the stool waiting for my ears to be pierced.  I picked out a cheap pair of titanium blue posts and pop, it was done.  Now all I need is cotton balls to put the solution on them.  Hopefully, they will not give me any more trouble and maybe I can even buy more earrings.

Early Spring?

I certainly hope it's an early spring according to the groundhog.  Normally I don't let a little snow or cold get me down but come on!  Maybe one or the other but both is getting ridiculous.  I always gauge what the rest of the world is like by the main road by my house and that has been snow covered for quite awhile now.  Then factor in the bone-chilling temps and you have a mess.  It not only affects  going out but staying in.  The basement is too cold to exercise and the sitting room is too cold to clean.  Both activities are on my wintertime list.  Even yesterday when we ventured out to Wal-Mart during one of the so-called lulls, the forecast was spot on when they said more snow in the afternoon.  One the way home it started snowing.  Granted, I've seen a lot more snow in my day but it just doesn't seem as fun as it used to be.

One Potato, Two Potato

Yesterday I made my first potato bag for the microwave.  I've seen these before but talked myself out of it because of safety concerns.  Then I read more about it and discovered that they really are safe as long as you follow the right precautions.  I was unable to find the potato fabric at any of the shops , only pricey fabric on the internet so I used other 100% cotton that I had.  It worked well for me because there was stuff that I knew I wouldn't be able to use anywhere else.  I ended up using some blue fabric with coffee beans on it and a brown for the lining. That's the most important part of the whole process  -  100% cotton, including the thread.  What's nice about this is that it can also be used as a hotpad.  My only problem with the bag was getting the closure figured out.  It was supposed to overlap in the front of the bag.  I tried twice until I got that right as the instructions didn't explain it very well at all.  So last night, along with some spencer steaks and salad, I made 2 baked potatoes in my bag.  You are not supposed to prick them, just wrap in a paper towel and put them in the bag.  Cook according to your microwave and voila  -  delicious!