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Sunday, April 13, 2014

Quirky Winner 2!

Oh my goodness, my day has gotten away from me.  Jake and I spent the morning fixing the handle of the downstairs toilet, and hanging curtains.  We got (almost) done in time for an amazing visit from my bestie, E, and her little guy, S!  We were showing off our chickens (they started laying eggs this week!  How amazing is that?!) and Jake found a "rubber" egg in the coop.  I don't know if it was from one of the girls that is already laying eggs, or if it was a surprise to our last little chicken that hadn't started laying yet, but it was like a water balloon!  Squishy shelled eggs are a fun novelty, but I'm hoping that there won't be a repeat tomorrow.

Back to the curtains for a second...  Um, so you know how I ADORE Pinterest and I think it's the greatest site ever?  Well, Pinterest and I had our first big fight this week.  Over muslin curtains, no less!  If you do a search for DIY Muslin Curtains, Pinterest will bring you all sorts of amazing curtain projects, and will build up your sewing hubris to the point that you will think it's a good idea to MAKE new curtains for all TEN of our living room/dining room windows.

smh, what was I thinking?!  Off the bolt, muslin is perfect, but in order to make washable curtains that won't pucker or shrink, you need to wash and dry your fabric to remove the sizing.  The thing is, muslin wrinkles.  It wrinkles A LOT.  I ended up having to iron all 23 yards of fabric TWICE, because simply ironing it left it too wrinkled, it needed spray starch.  If I had known, I never would have washed it, because honestly, who am I kidding, I never washed the old lace "Haunted Mansion" curtains that had been hanging for 8 years...

I realize now that while, yes, they worked out to about $2.50 a curtain (40% off coupon at Joanns!) whatever I saved in cash, I more than spent in hard physical ironing labor.  If I ever decide to tackle a project like this again I think I'm going to invest in a steamer.  I hate ironing...

Okay, on to the winner of my 2nd Quirky Giveaway!
I had 28 comments on the post, and used Random.org to "draw" a winner of the awesome craft goodies from FaveCrafts.com!


Congratulations to Tammy Crocheter! I will email you to get your info. Thank you to everyone who entered!!!  I loved reading all of your awesome comments!!!

xoxo

16 comments:

  1. Congrats to Tammy. Hilarious, post as I too have succumbed to the 'I could do that's' and ended up with a big bag of shame and a trip to the shops for a ready made version. I reckon there is inspiration and delusion but I'm still not that good at telling the difference.

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  2. OH MY GOSH!!! Thank You! your so very sweet to have this contest.

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    1. Hi Tami! I'm so sorry I totally spelled your name wrong! As someone with a non-traditionally-spelled name, I know how annoying that is. I'm glad you still like me. LOL!!!
      xo! Jaime

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  3. Congrats Tami! Awesome prize package. =) Poor Jaime! I wish I had known you were going to do that. I could have warned you not to wash it!!! What a ton of work. I am so sorry you had to go through that. Next time ask!! We are all here to help =) Well, I know I am, so they must be too, right??? Sweet dreams all!

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    1. Hi HennaLadyKim!
      I am still annoyed at myself for wasting so much time! LOL!!! Okay, I've still got to make curtains for 20 more windows, so what would you recommend (I need it to be cheap!). Now that they're up, I like my muslin curtains, they're simple and plain and sort of disappear into the walls (in a good way!). I'd love to try them again to make some long curtains for Mim's room, but I don't have a clue about how to get rid of the sharp "bolt" crease down the center of the fabric if I don't wash it. The spray starch I am using is no match for the power of machine pressed fabric. LOL!!!!
      I will be so grateful for any advice you've got. I'm completely intimidated now that I know what I'm up against!
      xo! Jaime

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    2. I would spray the seam with water and iron it, then starch after. The extra added loosening power of the water without washing may be just the ticket!! If that doesn't do it you may consider making the curtains and then taking them in for a dry cleaning to get the folds out!! For a couple of bucks they can press them even if they don't clean them. Still keeping cost to a minimum for the work.

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    3. You are BRILLIANT! Thank you!!!!! I'm going to do the curtains in Mims's room next and I'm going to try it without washing the fabric. I will let you know how it goes. I can't believe that I'm actually excited about making the next set. LOL!!!!
      xo! Jaime

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  4. It WAS an awesome visit! I'm so proud of all your hard work and getting your place to be in a shape so you can ENJOY your living/working spaces! xoxoxo!
    ♥ETF!♥

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    1. Me too!!! It's happier for everyone. And you will also be proud that I only have one more eyeball to make and I'll be done with those silly hats. Phew. It wasn't as bad as ironing, but it is close! LOL!!!
      xoxoxo! ♥ETF!♥

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    2. Me too!!! It's happier for everyone. And you will also be proud that I only have one more eyeball to make and I'll be done with those silly hats. Phew. It wasn't as bad as ironing, but it is close! LOL!!!
      xoxoxo! ♥ETF!♥

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  6. I have posted this request , but want to make sure you see it. I have a crocheted afghan pattern that my mother gave me, she is 93 years old. I've never seen the pattern anywhere. It is very simple, each row is single crochet and fasten at the end, allowing for tassels at each end of the row. Is there any way for me to find out what the pattern name is? I've never seen it on any site ever. Thank you again

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    1. Hi Kay, I do not have an answer just an insight for you. I did a all knit afghan for my daughter using this technique and all leftover yarns. It turned out great and she still has it as an adult! No weaving in of ends, and fringe on the ends built in. It couldn't have been easier! Good Luck with yours =)

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  7. Hey crochet enthusiasts! I've been following this amazing thread and noticed some discussions around photo editing. If you're like me and love showcasing your crochet creations, I found a fantastic tool that might interest you. Check out this BG Remover at https://depositphotos.com/. It's a game-changer for enhancing your crochet photos by effortlessly removing backgrounds. Imagine the possibilities for creating eye-catching visuals of your projects! I hope this tool brings an extra touch of magic to your crochet presentation. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and any other cool tips you might have!

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