Make it: Tablecloth

"Why buy it when I can make it?"

It may be one of my mantras, and it is definitely another confession of mine.  There are only a few things I won't attempt to make myself: clothes, tortillas, cheese, and mayonnaise (though I wouldn't consider that an exhaustive list).  Most everything else my little engineer mind relishes in creating from scratch, seeing parts come together to make a beautiful, useful whole.

I began browsing a few months ago when I decided we needed a tablecloth, but I couldn't find anything I liked.  The options were either too formal, too flashy, too expensive, or just ugly.

What's an girl to do?  Make her own, of course.  The internet proved somewhat useful as I found a large following of crafty homemakers with a plethora of advice on home-made tablecloths.  The catch was that I didn't have access to a sewing machine--so I had to get creative.  Back in the recesses of my mind, I remembered a craft mom and I did where we used Stitch-Witchery, a net-like fusing fabric.  Hobby Lobby carried it in 5/8" tape, which proved perfect for the hemming.

Fabric Details:  This lovely fabric was $4/yard (on clearance from $30/yard), and is extra-wide (54").  I have approximately a 6" drop on all sides.  My table is oval, but I chose to leave the tablecloth square, because it seemed too difficult to round the corners.  (Note:  Wash your fabric before you sew it.)

Finishing Details:

• Measure the length and width of the table.
• Add double the drop length (6" + 6" = 12") to each dimension.
• Add width of hem (2" + 2" = 4") to each dimension.
• Cut cloth to dimension.*
• Starting at corner, measure a 1" fold and iron (fabric-only, at this point) along the entire side.
• You now have two options:
• Pin and sew across the edge
• Working with ~12" sections of Stitch-Witchery (I used heavy-duty), iron for 10 sec. each side with steam setting.
• Repeat for all four sides.

To make sure my hem was secure & wouldn't fray, I did a second fold & hem around the edge.  I found the fabric was too thick at the edges, so I hand-stitched them.

*If your fabric isn't wide enough:

• Buy double the length you need and cut it in half (hamburger style)
• Place one piece on top of the other, pattern-side in & sew long edges (creating a cylinder)
• Bring sewn edges together to find the middle of one piece and make a mark down the middle with a fabric marker (alternatively, you could iron to form a crease).
• Cut along the mark, and now you have double-wide fabric!

P.S.  I got these five books for $3.50 at the public library book sale today.  (Basically a STEAL!)  Titles are as follows: The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine by Jeff Smith, Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings edited by Rev. Father M. C. D'Arcy, Flatland by Edwin A. Abbot, Freezing and Canning Cookbook by Food Editors of Farm Journal, and a recipe book for my Tupperwave Stack Cooker.

P.P.S.  This goes with another personal mantra, "Why pay full price when I can get it used for much less?"

Oh, Beans.

While on the topic of confessions, I have another for you... if I could only remember what I was... ergh...

Anyway, I did some rearranging in my kitchen recently, giving our coffee beans and paraphernalia a new home.  I had to label the outside of the jars, because once I closed them I knew I wouldn't remember which was which (and probably would have to open all three before finding what I was looking for).

Yes, that reminds me what I was going to tell you.  I am terribly forgetful.  In fact, when I was younger, I'd put sticky notes on my dresser drawers to remember what clothing was in each one.  (Otherwise I'd open each drawer trying to find my socks, shirt, etc...)

I like labels because they are a visual reminder (and I am, obviously, a visual person).  I don't like forgetting things, because it reminds me that I'm finite (which is humbling).  But in the midst of that, I remember my infinite God and his admonitions to remember (and not the location of my underwear, but to remember Him). How do I remember God?  I set up ebenezers.

My ebenezers include paintings of scripture, mementos (like a stone from a sermon about the rocks "crying out" that Messiah has come, or my wedding ring), and even sticky notes all over my computer desk.

How do you remember?

Big, Sweet Deal

So, I used up all of my Pandora hours for this month on Monday.  I'm pretty bummed.  Especially because I had the intro song to Guys and Dolls stuck in my head ("I've got your horse right here. His name is Paul Revere...") and I really wanted to listen to some musical soundtracks...  On the bright side, it's only a few days until March!!!

The Cast

Speaking of March, both of my siblings' birthdays are in March.  Actually, my friend Michele--who really should be considered a sibling--shares a birthday with my bro.  They were twins separated at birth, by a year.  Figure it out.

Forming the Crust

Anyway, it's still February.  This month my hubby and my newest sibling, Andrew the Brother-in-Law, celebrate their birthdays.  And I helped them.  Because, as my dear friend Suzanne always says, "Birthdays are a BIG deal!"

Flour, butter, sugar... YUM!

Andrew celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, although somewhat secretly (to avoid being showered by his fraternity brothers... teehee).  And, since I really really really reeeeeeally like celebrating birthdays, I made his favorite apple pie.

You see, I have connections.  I know his mom.  And I remembered that she once told me he prefers Dutch Apple Pie (aka. crumb topping), and that she showed me the combination of three recipes she uses.

If Yogi Bear tried to steal the pie, he might get stuck in my tiny kitchen, so I figured the pie was safe to let cool on the stove top.

All in all, we had a fun time eating pie and drinking milk to celebrate Andrew's graduation from teen-hood.  I was thankful to help celebrate one of my favorite things (birthdays) with another of my favorite things (baking) and producing one of the boys' favorite things (pie).

Happy Un-Birthday to you, friend!

(Or happy birthday, on the off-chance that it is, actually, your birthday today.  I hope someone bakes you a pie.)

Oh, Nuts.

Umm... I don't know how to tell you this, but I need to get it off of my chest... I like organization, and things to have a place... I like order... yeah, order is a good, solid engineering word.  I like that.  I won't say I'm a neat-freak though--I like things tidy, but I'm definitely not a freak.  Although I am an established nerd, demonstrated by my enjoyment of Douglas Adams and ability to easily convert between decimal, binary, and hexadecimal.  Speaking of binary, there are only 10 types of people in the world... those who can read binary and those who can't...

Uh...  Sorry about that.  Hope I didn't lose you.  See my trusty timer?  We teamed up with my ninja to make something really awesome.  Something that just fits together.  Orderly.  Yummy.  (I like it.)

Roast these...

Then puree them and add cocoa and other goodness, making chocolate peanut butter.  Yeah, I went there.  It's like spreadable Reese's peanut butter cups.  You can put it on your toast.  This way you can have candy for breakfast and feel good about it.  (Did I mention it's gluten-free and vegan?)

I found the recipe on the Smitten Kitchen blog.  They're geniuses.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"What are you doing?"
"Taking a picture."
"Why?"
"So I can blog about it."
"You would."

And I am.  About a month ago, I discovered a crack spanning the entire width of the bottom of my Kitchenaid mixing bowl (see photo)!

We purchased them six months ago with wedding money, and I really liked them.  I decided to check out the Kitchenaid website and track down a replacement.  I had no luck online, so I sent a message to customer service--just to see what would happen.

Fast-forward to this afternoon:  I came home to a FedEx box addressed to me.  I couldn't remember ordering anything, so I opened it up to find...

Brand new replacement bowls (and a whole set)!!!  Kitchenaid has great customer service and (per the warranty) quickly replaced my bowls (at no cost to me) in the same color that I originally purchased them.

P.S.  I count it as a Valentine's Day present from God!