We just watched the DVD
Bring It Home Beauty Hair Edition Volume 1
it is GREAT!
Don’t throw those old used, stained t-shirts away!
You can make all kinds of things from them once you cut them into strips and crochet them.
These dishcloths are very durable!
Starting at the bottom of a t-shirt start cutting a strip about 1/4″-1/2″ wide;
spiral upward to make one long strip.
The smaller (thinner) you cut your strip the smaller/lighter your ‘yarn’ will be.
You can use scissors,
but I found that using my rotary cutter and cutting mat worked faster and neater.
If you need to piece it together just tie a knot and weave in the ends as you crochet.
Make a ball stretching your t-shirt yarn.
Use a large hook, I used a J.
Use any pattern for a dishcloth you like…easy peasy!
For dishcloths a thinner quality of t-shirt works best.
***
Here are a bunch of area rugs made from t-shirts
and
handbags.
Fiber art is anything that includes stitching, weaving, quilting, sewing, rug making, crocheting, knitting, spinning, etc…
Each Monday we can share ideas, patterns, finished projects and ask questions about fiber arts in the comment section.
You can also link up to your blog post or photo account that is related to fiber arts, I just ask that you link back to the most current Fiber Arts Monday post. Just leave your post link in the comment section and tell us what it is.
So how ’bout it? Do you have a project you are working or want to work on? Let’s share some inspiration!
Just a friendly reminder, if you do any shopping through Amazon, I’d GREATLY appreciate it if you go through my Amazon link in the sidebar, or here:
For every sale through this link I can make a dollar or 2…or more if your spending a lot of money! ;o) Share the love!
Many things have free shipping of over $25.
Salt is a great alternative to chemical weed killers and much less expensive.
This is our front sidewalk.
I poured salt on the weeds. It’s best if it can sit for a day or two without rain.
The dew helps it penetrate slowly. Then the rain will let it get down deep.
Several days letter the weeds are dead.
I usually do this a couple times during the summer.
There are three things that all of us need to be doing so that hard economic times (and they will come and go throughout our lives) will not devastate us.
First, live debt free. If you have debt, do all you can to pinch every penny to get the debt eliminated. The best source for how to go about doing this is Dave Ramsey. There are also tons of websites/blogs to learn how to be frugal. My all-time favorite is Money Saving Mom . I’ve also started using Southern Savers to help me with grocery shopping…love it!
Second, increase your ability to make money and save money. The more things you are able to do for yourself and for others makes you more ‘valuable’, not in the sense of human worth, but the more skills you have the more ways you will be able to increase your income.
The key is to have multiple streams of income. I do not make a lot of money making quilts, but I do make some. I don’t make a ton of money making cakes, but I do make some. I do not make a lot of money teaching classes, but I do make some. You see it is being able to do many things that keeps money flowing in while I also help my husband, homeschool, care for our home and so on; it all adds up!
This same thing goes for my husband. Several years ago when we were considering having a reversal Jeff was concerned about his ability to ‘provide’ for more children. His boss at the time, who was a very wealthy man, looked him square in the face and said, “Jeff, you are much more equipped to provide for your family than I am mine. I can only do a couple of things, you can do many things.” Oh, how true this is!
The best time to learn is when you are young, BUT you are never too old to learn something new. As parents we spend so much time and money making sure our children are educated academically (which is a good thing), but so often the practical things are ignored or even perceived as menial.
We have an older German lady that we do some cleaning for, she was a child during WWII in Germany. She will often tell us what life was like there, especially after the war when their money was worth nothing. It was their ability to work and know practical skills that got them through that time.
Third, and most importantly, remember that God is our provider. As long as we remain faithful, seeking His Kingdom here on earth He will provide for our needs, that is His promise!
Summer is the perfect time to learn a new skill, not just for the sake of knowing how to do something, but being able to use that skill to make money, or the very lest save money. The more skills you have, the more versatile you are, the more secure you can be.
What are your plans this summer? What life skills will you equip your children with this summer? What do your children need to know before they get married?
Everyone needs a draft stopper.
They are needful and easy to make, and a good project to give some sewing practice.
This is a very simple one I made using the pant leg of a pair of jeans.
I sewed one end (seam inside), filled partly with pinto beans (heavy and cheap), and some quilt batting. You could use small stones, rice or sand in a bag, and rags. Anything that will weigh it down and insulate. (Yes, this one is dirty, they are a couple years old.)
Then I just did a double seam at the other end (the end of the pant leg).
Very durable, next to nothing to make and keeps the draft out!
If you want to have fun with your draft stoppers check out these links:
This one is soooo cute! It’s made with scraps.
Here are some really, really CREATIVE ideas!
I LOVE THIS! Even if this is not how you would build/decorate your home, you have to appreciate his view on life! His view of teaching others skills, especially to the working poor (note he says “WORKING poor”). And if we will be completely honest, many (not all) people that live in huge, luxurious houses are house poor; their income is ate up by the monthly mortgage payment!
He requires $500 to buy your own tools and a stable job. This is requiring a reasonable investment and responsibility. People need to invest so it will mean more to them and not be just a hand out.
I can not begin to tell you how much ‘salvage’ my husband gets from local builders and lumber yards, not to mention stuff people will just cast aside.
I love when he says, “Maybe if you don’t have the discipline to wash your own dishes, maybe you don’t deserve the dishes?” How many homes need this lesson?
Do you realize how skilled these men (families) are once they have built their home from the foundation up, for $20,000? Do you realize the freedom they will have? Just think how building this way would push you to be creative and make it uniquely your own!
Let us all be willing to plant seeds in people’s lives, passing it on for generations!!! Revolutionary ideas last longer than mere mortals!
These bows are made from recycled materials. Great project for the kiddos.
Supper Easy Tutorial HERE!
Now that the gardening is over for the most part, and cool weather is settling in, it is time to be working on some indoor projects; perhaps some sewing projects.
How about making a list of people you can make gifts for rather than buying gifts?
Napkins made earlier this year.
This year I plan on making sets of cloth napkins as Christmas gifts. I will bundle these with some flavored coffee, spiced tea, or hot cocoa mix and some homemade biscotti. Theses are things I can make way ahead of time so I can leave the month of December open for festivities!
Get your kids in on the action, even boys can sew, or mix up cocoa mixes and fill jars.
Look over our Make It, Give It, Sell It series from last year for ideas and tutorials.
