Lil' pumpkin hat....

Handicrafts...

I've been thinking and thinking about how I might make a little pumpkin hat for my Grandbaby's First Halloween and at last, I have found it! I purchased some pumpkin-orange polar fleece on sale yesterday, still unsure about how I was going to make this hat, but confident I would figure it out. I saw some adorable knitted hats, one of them at the Tri-State Bakery, and resisted buying it, but cataloged it's cuteness in my mind for later reference.

So this is it! I found the EASY-PEASY directions for making fleece hats at Martha Stewart's site. These are some really cute hats for all ages. Did I say how easy they are? Oh, so easy! I just made the Solid Color Hat and added the embellishments on the top. I drew the leaves onto heat-and-bond and then cut leaves, fronts and backs, out of a green fabric I had. I also found the cute rick-rack in Aunt Betty's stash. It represents the curlicues vines. When I finished the hat and tried it on the baby, the crown was a little tall, but cuffing the bottom solved that simply enough. Now to find an orange Onsie and stitch some of these on it! For more fun, Stitchy Halloween ideas, click Feeling Stitchy.

Oh, while on the search for the perfect pumpkin hat, I found this adorable Bat in the Hat at Craftzine. Is this sweet or what? (the cute baby definitely makes it oh-so-cute!)



Simple Things....

I found wool jacket at the second hand shop that fit me to a Tee! So I bought it for $4. I brought it home and decided to clean it and of course, the label said "dry clean only," but upon consulting my Better Basics for the Home book (simple solutions for less toxic living), I found instructions on washing wool safely. Basically what I learned is that it's the agitation of "wet" cleaning that causes the wool fabric to shrink. So I did some gentle swirling around of the jacket in mild dish washing liquid and approximately 100 degree water. I rinsed in clean water and then laid the jacket flat on bath towels and pressed much of the water out. I replaced dry towels under the jacket, stretched it to the correct shape and size and then allowed it to air dry. When it was nearly dry, I put it on a coat hanger to finish drying. Then I pressed it with a steam iron. It still fits me perfectly and it's CLEAN to boot! No dealing with dry cleaning smells and toxins.

It's supposed to be a beautifully warm day here today, so I need to finish up my house cleaning chores and move my way outdoors. I hope to clear off the veggie garden and the drooping flowers from the flower beds today. Happy Weekend!