Part 4 of Recovering Lawn Chair Cushions – Making Matching Buttons

When I was removing the buttons from the cushions prior to taking the cushions apart, I started thinking about where I was going to get new buttons that would match the new fabric.   I checked out the price of new plastic buttons and also those fabric button making kits, but quickly realized that with the number of buttons I needed (40), that was way more money than I wanted to spend on this project.

The solution turned out to be very simple and inexpensive.  I removed all the old buttons from the lawn chair cushions and covered them with the same floral fabric I used for the main part of the cushions.

Onto the back of scraps of the floral fabric, I traced 40 circles large enough to cover the front and most of the back of the button.  (The top from a spice container turned out to be the perfect sized template.)

Next I hand sewed a gathering stitch around each fabric circle.

Then I placed a button in the center of the gathered circle.

I pulled the thread as tight as I could without breaking it and then knotted it firmly.

Pictured below are three of the 40 buttons that I covered with fabric.

Installing the buttons:

In order to correctly position the buttons on the back of each lawn chair cushion, I placed the paper pattern over the completed back cushion.

When making the paper pattern, I had transferred the positions where the old buttons had been onto the paper pattern.   I placed a pin at each of these points and then lifted the pattern away.

Then I carefully flipped the cushion over and repeated the process on the other side of the cushion back.

Then I sewed a button front and back at each position using heavy duty thread and a long doll making needle by bringing the thread back and forth several times through each button shank and the cushion and pulling the thread tight on each pass through.

This also turned out to be a two person job and our son wasn’t available that day to man the camera, so unfortunately we don’t have photos of the actual sewing on of the buttons but if you look closely at this before and after shot you can see the fabric covered buttons blend beautifully on the newly recovered lawn chair cushion.

On the left, one of the old cushions that didn't get taken apart to make the pattern but did have it's buttons salvage to be covered and reused. And next to it the beautifully recovered lawn chair cushion complete with covered buttons.

Welcome WiseBread and MSN Money Readers

I’d like to welcome the readers of WiseBread and MSN Money who arrive here after reading 10 Home DIY Projects You Can Do In One Day which linked to my post How to Make a Garbage Can Compost Bin.

Please have a browse through the archives for more money saving ideas such as these frequently visited posts:

How to Cut Up Chicken Breasts

10 Simple Steps to Reduce Your Water Bill

How To Sew a Round Table Cloth

And thinking ahead be sure to check out my Christmas on a Budget Series which provided monthly budget friendly ideas to help you prepare for the gift giving season.  The link to that series can be found in the left side bar.

You may also like to click through to these other DIY projects:

How to Make a Lightbox

DIY Puzzle Mat

For my regular readers, the WiseBread article can be found here.   As an MSN Money partner, the WiseBread article was then published here.  I’d like to encourage my readers to click on one of those links to read about the other 9 home DIY projects you can do in one day.

And thank you to all my readers, old and new for visiting.  Have a great weekend!

How to Mend a Torn Sheet

Last summer, the sheets were on the line when we had one of those pop up thunder storms come through.  We hurried out to rescue the sheets before they got soaked.   They hadn’t had a chance to completely dry, so we decided to hang them over a couple of bedroom doors.

Except… when I was trying to fling the fitted sheet over the door, it didn’t go over far enough, so I gave it a bit of a tug (something I’ve done lots of times before.)  But this time when I did it, I heard that awful sound of ripping fabric.

Just look at that:

I was so upset, because these sheets are only a couple of years old and should have lasted several more years.

Here’s how I went about mending the tear:

First, I needed some matching fabric for the patches, so I used the end of one of the pillowcases that go with this set of sheets.

I turned the pillowcase inside out and then measured and drew a line an inch from the end of the pillowcase.

Then I sewed along that line with my serger to close up the end of the pillowcase and the piece that got cut off became the fabric for the patches.

As the end of the pillowcase was on a fold, I got a strip 2” wide.

I measured the tear to determine what size of patch I needed to cut.

I like to have a good size patch covering any tear in fabric that I’m repairing, so I cut the patches 5 ½” long.

Next I folded and pressed under a ¼” all the way around each 5 ½” X 2” patch.

Then on the wrong side of the sheet, I pinned the first patch in place, making sure to have the tear centered in the patch.

A tip when pinning… think about which direction you’ll be sewing along each side of the patch and place your pins so that the points are away from you.

Once pinned and before starting to sew, it's a good idea to turn the sheet over to make sure that the tear is centered on the patch.

I then machine basted that patch in place.

The sheet was turned to the right side and the second patch was pinned and sewn in place, making sure that I lined up the top patch over the patch on the wrong side of the sheet.

Patching both sides of the sheet may seem like overkill but from past experiences with mending sheets, I’ve found that a single patch doesn’t have the durability of this double patching method.

Case in point… six months later and the repaired sheet is still in use and the patch has remained strong.

Note:  Our sheets were one of the things I packed to bring with us.  It was great to have them when we were in the temporary housing in Ontario at Christmas time.  It helped it to feel a little more like home.  And they will do so again once we’re settled somewhere.

 

This post has been added to Frugal Fridays over at Life as Mom.

How to Make Breakfast Burritos

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about making and freezing homemade breakfast muffins for quick grab and go breakfasts.

Breakfast Burritos are another easy make-ahead meal to have ready in the freezer.

Start with whichever brand of tortilla you like.  The whole wheat variety that we prefer comes in packages of 8.  We use between 2 and 3 packages as not all of them make it to the freezer before being eaten.

To make the filling:

Crack eggs into a measuring cup until you have 2 cups of eggs.  Beat with a fork to combine yolks and whites.

Scramble fry the eggs on low to medium heat.

This will take a few minutes but hurrying the process by trying to fry the eggs on high heat will result in tough, rubbery eggs.  Remove the scrambled eggs to a large bowl and allow them to cool.

In the same pan, scramble fry one pound of pork sausage meat.

Break the meat up into small pieces as it cooks.   Remove from the pan, place in a small bowl and allow to cool.

Finely chop 1 medium onion and ½ each of a red and a green pepper.

Sauté onions and peppers until the onions are clear and the peppers cooked.

Add to the meat.

Note:  We have also used a combination of mushrooms and onions and omitted the peppers.  Feel free to experiment to find which combinations you prefer.

Once the eggs and meat mixture are cooled to room temperature, combine in a large bowl and stir in 1 ½ to 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese.

To make the breakfast burritos:

With a large spoon, scoop egg and meat mixture on to a tortilla.

Fold closest end over the filling.

Fold in the sides.

Roll the tortilla.

Place the burrito inside snack sized plastic zip bags.

Continue to make burritos until you run out of filling or tortillas, whichever comes first.

Place finished burritos into a large one gallon plastic zip bag.   Freeze.

To reheat:  Microwave one burrito on high for 1 to 1 ½ minutes.  If cooking more than one, adjust the time.

Each microwave is different so you may have to experiment to find which timing works best.

 

 

How to Make Homemade Breakfast Muffins

Just as it’s handy to have freezer meals ready for busy nights when you need supper on the table in a hurry or for those nights when you simply don’t feel like cooking supper, it’s equally as handy to have breakfasts ready to pop into the microwave or toaster oven on mornings when you’re running late or for weekend brunches.

Breakfast muffins are super easy to make.   They are cheaper and taste so much better than their fast food cousins or the ones you can buy in boxes in the frozen food section of the grocery store.

When we make them we do them in batches of 12, but you can make up more or less depending on your needs.

First, split the English muffins and butter each half.

Next fry one dozen eggs.  We use English muffin rings that we purchased here.    In the future, we plan to start making our own English muffins but for now the rings work well for cooking eggs the right size and shape to fill the breakfast muffins.

To make bacon, egg and cheese breakfast muffins, fry one pound of bacon.  Each muffin takes 1 and ½ slices of bacon.

(If you prefer sausage, egg and cheese breakfast muffins, you would fry one dozen sausage rounds instead.)

Allow the fried eggs and bacon to cool.

Meanwhile, thinly slice your favourite cheese.   We use extra sharp cheddar.

Now it’s time for assembly.

Add cheese to top half of muffins.

Layer eggs and bacon on bottom half of muffins.

Flip top with cheese over bottoms.

Place inside zippered sandwich bags and squeeze out as much air as possible.

Place the bags of breakfast muffins inside 1 gallon zippered freezer bags.

Reheat in the microwave for approximately 3 minutes at half power.   To reheat in a toaster oven… set temperature to 350 and bake for about 20 minutes.

Last spring when a tornado came through northwest Georgia we lost power for three days and it was then that we discovered that these breakfast muffins also taste great when reheated on the bbq by wrapping them in aluminum foil.    Even with no power, we were able to have a hot, nutritious breakfast.

For those who might be worried that we were eating unsafe food, within hours of losing power, we transferred everything from the fridge freezer to the deep freeze and were lucky to have lots of ice to pack around the food and all the food stayed frozen.

Note:  I had the photos for this how-to taken before we packed everything up to put in storage but then I got so busy that they didn’t get organized into a post until yesterday when we were stuck in a hotel room waiting for the roads to be safe to continue with our travels.

 

This post has been added to Sew Darn Crafty Party Week #48 over at Sew Many Ways.

Quilt-As-You-Go Christmas Stocking Tutorial – Part Two

Continued from Part One of the Quilt-As-You-Go Stocking Tutorial

To make the hanging loop:

Baste the interfacing onto the wrong side of the hanging loop.

Fold loop, right sides together and stitch along long edge using a ¼ inch seam allowance.

The photo shows a 3/8 inch seam allowance, but I ended up having to trim it down to 1/4 inch, so just use a 1/4 inch seam allowance to begin with.

To turn right side out, place safety pin in folded edge of one end of the loop.

Turn pin so that it’s inside the loop.

Push the pin through to the other end, pulling the loop right side out as you go.

Remove safety pin.  Press.

Turn quilted stocking right side out.   Pin the loop to the top back of the quilted stocking.  Baste in place.

Slip the quilted stocking inside the lining; right sides together, making sure that the seams match up.  Sew all the way around the top of the stocking using ½ inch seam allowance.

If you have a free arm sewing machine, sew on the outside.  But if you don’t, then it’s easiest to sew around the inside for this seam.

Turn stocking right side out through the opening in the lining.

Sew opening in lining closed using a blind stitch.

Push the lining down inside the quilted stocking.  Press upper edge.  Topstitch.

Admire the finished stocking.

I’ll be posting the giveaway for this stocking (filled with goodies) tomorrow.  So be sure to come back and leave a comment to be entered to win.

 

This post has been added to Sew Darn Crafty Party Week 42 over at Sew Many Ways

Quilt-As-You-Go Christmas Stocking Tutorial – Part One

Using your favourite stocking pattern, cut 2 stockings from a light weight, light coloured cotton fabric.

I used a print with a white background that was leftover from another project but if you are going to be using any light coloured fabric strips for the quilting, I would recommend a solid fabric for this.  Otherwise the print may show through.

Pin the stocking pieces to the batting and cut out; adding at least ½ inch all the way around.   Baste fabric to batting.  This forms the base on which you will quilt-as-you-go.

Make sure there are two mirror image stocking bases.  You wouldn’t want to do all the quilting only to discover that you have quilted one of the bases on the wrong side.

Also at this time, cut 2 stockings pieces from whatever fabric you wish to use for the lining.

For hanging loop, cut 1 piece 1.5 inches X 6 inches.  Cut 1 piece of light weight interfacing 1.5 X 6 inches.

Next go through your stash of Christmas fabric leftover from other projects and cut strips of varying widths and lengths.  The strips will need to be at least long enough to cover the fabric part of the stocking base.  For my stocking I needed strips that were 9 inches or longer.

Lay the first strip down right side facing up, matching one long edge with the top of the fabric part of the stocking base.   Baste across the top of stocking to hold that strip in place.

Lay the second strip down, with right side facing the right side of the first strip.  Sew along bottom of the strips using a ¼ inch seam allowance.

Flip the second strip down.  Press.

I  recommend that you press each strip well after it’s sewn in place as that will make the strips lay nice a flat; ready for the next strip to be sewn in place.

Lay a third strip right side facing the second strip.  Sew across bottom of strips.  Continue in this manner until you have covered the entire fabric part of the stocking base.

Sometimes, I angled the top strip a bit before sewing it in place, just to give the finished quilting a more varied look.

As you get closer to the heel and toe, you may also want to lay some of the strips down on a bit more of an angle to make that turn at the heel.

Repeat the above steps for the second stocking base.

Place the paper pattern piece on top of the quilted stocking base; lining it up as best you can with the fabric base.  Pin pattern piece in place and cut out.

Repeat with second quilted stocking base.

Baste along the toe to hold the fabric in place.

Pin quilted stocking bases right sides together and sew using a ½ inch seam allowance.

Trim seam allowance to ¼ inch.

Notch outside curves and clip inside curves, as pictured.

Pin lining pieces together and sew using a ½ inch seam allowance, leaving a 4 inch opening along the back for turning.  Trim seam to ¼ inch.  Notch outside curves and clip inside curves, again as pictured.

Continue to Part Two of the Quilt-As-You-Go Christmas Stocking Tutorial.

 

This post has been added to Sew Darn Crafty Party Week 42 over at Sew Many Ways

Christmas on a Budget – Make Your Own Christmas Stockings

Have you seen the price of Christmas stockings?  Not the plain red ones with a bit of fake fur at the top (our kids had these when they were little) and can be picked up at the dollar store.   I’m talking about the really nice ones.  I’ve seen them priced anywhere from $20 on up.

You can make your own stockings that will last for years and not fall apart after a couple of years of use.   And you can do it for a fraction of the cost of the fancy ones you buy in the big box or department stores.

For example, these stockings that I made for the Stocking Drive run by Lyanna of Purple Panda Quilts cost about $6 each.

A few years ago, I decided it was time to replace our children’s little kid stockings with grown up stockings.  I waited for a really good sale on fashion fabrics and I purchased velvet and satin.

Oldest Daughter's Stocking

Middle daughter's stocking

Youngest Son's Stocking

I even made two new stockings for Dave and I.

Dave's stocking

My stocking

I know… you may be thinking velvet and satin are not cheap fabrics even on sale.  But the great thing about stockings is that each one takes just a little over ½ yard to make.  And if you’re making several stockings, you can mix and match, using scraps leftover from one stocking to trim another stocking.

For example, for Dave’s granddaughter’s first Christmas I made this stocking out of the scraps leftover from making the stockings I made for her father, mother and big brother a couple of years prior (I would have posted pictures of those stockings but I couldn’t find them in any of my files.)

And speaking of scraps, the stocking that I made for the 2011 Stocking Giveaway (link in my sidebar) was made from scraps and batting leftover from other projects.

All of the stockings pictured were made using Butterick pattern #5783.  I’m not sure if it’s still available, but each of the pattern companies will have patterns available (Hancock Fabrics has a sale running right now until the 30th… 99 cents on all McCall’s, Simplicity and Butterick patterns.)

You could also download any one of these patterns (or several others available on-line):

http://www.craftandfabriclinks.com/xmas_stocking/Christmas_stocking_pattern.html

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/christmas-stockings-craft

http://dsquilts.com/uploads/StockingInstructions.pdf

Or you can trace around a stocking you already have.

Once you’d found the basic stocking pattern that you like, print it out and come back Sunday when I’ll be posting the tutorial for how I made that Quilt As You Go (QAYG) stocking in the last photo.

 

This post has been added to Frugal Friday over at Life as Mom.

Dehydrating Pears (or Apples)

Last week, our neighbours across the street gave us a plastic grocery bag full of pears from a friend’s pear tree.  As pears are one of my favourite fruits, I was pleased to receive such a wonderful gift.  Still, I knew that there was no way, even by keeping them in the fridge, I would be able to eat them all before they started to go bad.

So over the weekend, while I worked on secret Christmas projects, Dave prepped the pears and got them into the dehydrator.

Note:  The following method will also work for dehydrating apples.

Wash the pears.  Then peel and slice them into ¼ inch slices.

To keep the pears from turning brown while they are dehydrating, place the pear slices into a bowl of water with about ½ cup lemon juice added.   (Vitamin C tablets dissolved in the water will also work as will as ascorbic acid powder)

Once you have enough pears to fill one dehydrator tray, scoop the pears out of the lemon water and drain.

Arrange the pear slices on the tray.

Set the temperature on the dehydrator to 115 degree Fahrenheit and set the timer for 12 hours.

Place the tray into the dehydrator.

Continue peeling and slicing, dipping and draining until all the pears are done.

After 12 hours, cut into one of the pear slices.   It should be leathery but there should be no moisture in the center of the cut slice.  If there is any moisture, return to the dehydrator.

The reference book we use called Making and Using Dried Foods by Phyllis Hobson gives a timing of 12 to 18 hours.   Ours took about 20 hours to dry.

Place the dehydrated pears into a zip bag.

Over the next couple of days, check the bag occasionally.   If any condensation forms inside the bag, they weren’t dried long enough.  Return the pear slices to the dehydrator to complete the drying process.

Dehydrated pears and apples make great healthy snacks and can also be rehydrated for use in recipes.

Dehydrating Mushrooms

Everyone in our family loves mushrooms.    We love them raw as snacks.   We love them sliced and fried in butter or mixed into stir fries.   Fresh mushrooms are great to have on hand to add to all sorts of recipes.

But as our kids went off to university and college, we found that sometimes a package of mushrooms didn’t get eaten before they started to go bad.  That’s where having our Excalibur dehydrator comes in handy.

Dehydrating mushrooms is so easy.

First wipe off any bits of dirt that may be on the mushroom.  Then slice each mushroom into 1/4” slices.  Arrange slices on the dehydrator trays.

Put the trays in dehydrator.

Set the temperature at 120 degrees F and the timer for 10 hours.

The water content of mushrooms varies so you’ll want to check the mushrooms after 10 hours to see how far along in the drying process they’ve gotten to.   Most of the books I have instruct to dehydrate until they are tough and leathery.

With the humidity we have in the South, I like to dry our mushrooms until they break when tested.  Our last batch took about 20 hours to get to the point.

When they came out of the dehydrator they looked like this:

Those four trays of dehydrated mushroom fit into a one quart canning jar; with a few missing that got snacked on.  Seriously, I could eat these by the handful.  They are that good.

Add the lid to the jar and store them in a cool, dark cupboard until needed for a recipe.

We add dried mushrooms to homemade pizzas.  No need to even re-hydrate them, just scatter them over the top of the pizza before adding the cheese.

When making Salisbury Steak, I used to use a can of mushroom soup to make the gravy.  But now, I re-hydrate a couple of handfuls of dried mushrooms in a bowl with boiling water.   I do this about an hour before I want to make supper.

Once the beef patties are cooked almost through, I pour in the mushroom and water mixture.  I let everything boil for a few minutes until the beef patties are completely cooked and then add my flour/water mixture to make the gravy.

It tastes so good and I no longer have to worry about consuming the MSG,  not to mention other unpronounceable ingredients, that are added to commercially canned mushroom soup.

And I also used re-hydrated mushrooms when I was making the Beef Rouladen that will be featured in next week’s German Cooking week.

Speaking of which, in honour of the calendar turning to October and the Oktoberfests which are being held throughout the world… each weekday next week, I’ll be sharing a different recipe that I learned to cook while Dave and I were posted to Germany from 1984 to 88 and which have become family favourites.