We really tried to grow lemon verbena and I wish it had done well enough to make tea. If it’s that good I might try again! I think we need to try a spot with less intense sun and make sure it doesn’t dry out too much.

Don’t worry, I’ll help make pies 😄

It looks so comfy! By the 6th (or 7th!) time you must be pretty fast at making these. It’s nice to get all the fitting and alterations worked out so you can just sit down and sew a pattern.

I’m trying to sew a similar dress designed for jersey, but I went with an amazingly soft rayon jersey which is a nightmare to work with. I thought it would be nice for summer and then I could layer my knit sweaters and shawls over it in winter. Yeah…I’ve set it down for months now. I admire that in the time I’ve been procrastinating… you’re actually making something! Good job!

This basically describes any activity I start with my daughter (5) 😄😭 Though she does like finger knitting, just not with the yarn I give her. Even if she chose it herself. Stolen scraps apparently make for the best finger knitting.

Yay for socks! (Booo for COVID)

I have sock related questions! I’m making a new pair of socks as a Christmas gift, for someone who wore a hole in the previous pair. How do you guys mend your socks? I patched them pretty quickly with a speed weave, but of course the texture of the patch doesn’t match. On the other hand I have a young child and I like the speed part of the speed weave 😅

Favorite sock yarns? I love Drops Fabel so much. The colors, durability, and price are all great. Plus lots of patterns from the company. But it is so much harder to get here in the U.S.

Has anyone used Cascade Yarns “Fixation?” The local yarn shop owner claims this yarn is near indestructible. But it’s pricey and cotton, so I’m not going to knit a whole pair out of it. I’m intending to reinforce the heel and toe of the socks I’m currently making with this yarn.

The Fabel socks I’ve started, plus a couple other pairs that are going strong after a several years of wear (red is one strand, blue is held double):

Baking soda sounds like a good idea (luckily I haven’t had to deal with mothballs too often so I haven’t tried that one!) I went with vinegar rinses and sunshine. On the plus side… no signs of moths!

Make it so! (Or maybe make it sew?)

I know they won’t read this comment, but I’d really love to hear from the people who down vote! What do you disagree with? I’ve lived all over the U.S. and even overseas, but I haven’t been everywhere in the world so the great thing about a board like this is people with different experiences can share them. I can speak to my own observations but if I’m missing something please tell me!

Wow, that’s a dismissive statement. So because this district isn’t Denver they don’t count as the people of Colorado? We have a diverse mix of people here–yes some of the stereotypical rednecks, ranchers, and resource extraction jobs, but also artsy types, old hippies, organic farmers, civil service for the public lands, and many members of the local tribes. People have moved here from all over the country (and in some cases the world) with many different experiences and perspectives on life. Lumping them all together as voices that don’t matter doesn’t help anyone.

I don’t know if you want an actual answer but this particular idiot’s opponent was a millionaire whose entire campaign strategy was spamming people with mail pointing out he is not Boebert…so vote for him on that merit? He couldn’t even make any statements on how he would help voters of this district or take a stand on any issues. He’s running again so we’ll see if he has learned anything.

This area (like so many around the country) is struggling. Outside of the die-hard Republicans who are a lost cause, people don’t appreciate a rich outsider talking down to them. The frustrating part is during the Democratic primary there was another candidate who had a great, progressive platform that included healthcare, taxing the rich, environment, etc. He came in last 😭 So Democrats chose the status quo, and their candidate struggled to get people excited to vote FOR him rather than AGAINST Boebert.

I think this is a problem that plagues the Democrats on a national level and isn’t a direct reflection of “stupid” rural voters.

How about a place called the Two Minutes Hate for all those posts? Somewhere for non-productive ranting and we can challenge people to only spend 2 minutes a day there. Can also include a book club, first up “1984.”

Looks like a great machine! I borrowed a 1960s Singer when my 1980s model broke, and was so impressed by the power and durability.

Seconding the suggestion to block! I’ve used the ironing board, large cardboard pieces with a towel on top, and even an old foam mattress to pin my work, depending on how big it is (but I don’t have blocking boards). Natural fibers I soak, pin into shape, and let dry. Synthetic fibers I steam with my iron (being careful to not actually touch them).

Yep, I’m going to make my sewing room my happy place!

It’s from this shop on Redbubble! Also a lot of other cute rat stickers if you poke around Redbubble.

You’re thinking machine sewing I assume? It’s best if you can find someone with a sewing machine to take you through how the machine works and help you try some seams. If you don’t have someone to help you, you can check for classes (for instance from a local quilt shop or community center), and acquire a machine to practice with. Some libraries have machines you can use, or get a cheap basic machine from someplace like Walmart. You might also get lucky finding a machine at a thrift shop but make sure it works before buying.

Have you already checked YouTube for tutorials? When I took home-ec back in high school we started with learning how to cut fabric and pin it together, how to properly thread the machine, how to operate it safely (there is a lot of force and moving parts and you have pins everywhere) and practiced sewing straight seams on two layers of cotton. Our first project was a draw string bag. If you want to start really basic you can always do some hand stitching (running stitch) to get a feel for how the fabric behaves and how to piece things, and plus that’s a good skill for basting when you are machine sewing.

Matching stripes is a great accomplishment and so satisfying! Mine is attempting a set of 3 maxi dresses (mom, daughter, doll matching set) with a fabric I have never worked with before: rayon jersey. It took a lot of adjustments before I got a decent stretchy seam without the machine eating the fabric. I won’t say I’ve conquered it completely and it’s about as frustrating as working with wet spaghetti, but the dresses are slowly coming together. I do need to replace my needle often; does anyone else have problems with rayon dulling the needle quickly?

I have a favorite seam ripper. The blade is one end and the other is a curved point that is ideal for poking out corners, flattening seams, etc. I use it more than I care to admit 😀 but when you need to try again there is nothing else that works as well.