quarantine crafting

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Knitting has been happening and I actually finished a sweater.  More on that later.
In between cooking, cleaning, baking and knitting, the craft closet has been opened.
I have been wanting to make this soap for a couple of years.  And how cute!  Right?!  
It is so gosh darn easy, too!  You literally melt the goats milk soap base in the microwave, add honey, and pour into this mold.  
And voila!  Soap!  I thought that would be a great little something to give with a mask! :)
Of course, "potholder maker" is still a title of mine.  
And then, the Rit dye came out and Liesl and I did a little tie dying.  Looks like I spilled my coffee, but that was intentional.  It's all over the fabric and is rather cute! I promise!

We did some other tie dying as well.  A white sheet to make tie dye masks.  They are in the works.  I'll be sure to show as soon as I finish sewing.

It's amazing to me how many items can be used in the house to keep us all entertained.  If we don't have it, we improvise.  Sure feels good.

one lovely sweater

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Hi Friends! I hope you are all staying well. Hard to believe this self isolating has been happening at our house for 6 weeks.  It all seems like such a blur.
I wanted to let you know that One Lovely Sweater is finally over on Ravelry.
I couldn't be more thankful for the wonderful women who test knit it for me.
And if you would like to purchase the pattern, I am offering half off... enter code "onelovelyday" at checkout.
xx, leslie

she's baaaaaaack!

Hiya friends! Well, with more time on my hands, I decided to dive back into YouTube.
If you want to take a peak, you can watch me show the masks I have been making, show my potholder obsession or talk about my knitting projects.  I am grateful to have my kids home for the push and the tech help! :)

making masks

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So, chances are, if you sew, you are making masks. Or, you are thinking about making masks. I started to make a few over the weekend.  Right now I'm just making masks for my family and friends, but I will certainly make them for a facility if I hear of any.   I know they have strict guidelines for obvious reasons.
I think I have done the research and know exactly what it takes to be an ideal mask for this time.

I wanted to share where some of my favorite information came from and share some thoughts and tips from along the way.  I am SO grateful to all the people who have put together Youtube tutorials and shared their tips.  
First off.  What I learned from The Fabric Patch is that fabric alone will not prevent Covid-19 from entering into your nose/mouth.  Your mask needs to have some sort of non-woven layer involved.  Luckily I had non-woven interfacing in my fabric supplies.  You might, too.  I'm pretty sure it's hard to get your hands on it now.  The Fabric Patch videos give great substitutions for interfacing.  
I've seen some people make a mask that has a pocket where you can insert something (like a coffee liner) every time you wear it.  That just seems like another step I wouldn't want to have to do.  Because I didn't have much interfacing,  I purchased this from Staples.  I'll let you know if this is a good substitution after it arrives.  
I really like Mimi G Style video on Youtube.  She shares her printable template,  with step by step sewing instructions.  Her template is for an adult size.  However, f you are looking for other sizes, I saw this video which has template in 4 sizes.   

If you don't have elastic for the head piece, The Fabric Patch mentions a few alternatives.  I found it funny that one of the things she said to not use was yarn. ;)  You can, however, use shoelaces, grosgrain ribbon, bias tape or even make your own strips for tying.  

Mimi G Style does not mention a nose bridge in her video which I know is an important part of a secure fitting mask.  The Fabric Patch recommend a few things that you can use to build this part of the mask.  One she mentioned was an aluminum pan.  I was happy to have a few aluminum pans.  She shows you how to cut and fold and then sew through this tin at the bridge on the mask.   However, I was petrified to sew through it with my old girl.  I haven't had my machine serviced in like forever and thought this isn't probably the time.  (Obviously.)  So, I sewed along the edge of it and after a few (a lot) repetitive bends it ended up snapping in two. 

Then I tried this brass fastener.  I thought it was a brilliant idea from our contractor.  (On our kitchen job, more on that later.) However, I thought it a bit fussy maneuvering my way around that circle.

Jewelry wire has been my favorite so far.  I cut an 8" piece, folded it in half and then folded the ends in and covered with duct tape so there wasn't anything sharp inside.

I also tried a twisty tie.  Nice to sew around but she doesn't have that much strength.  I also saw where pipe cleaners work well.  Too bad I threw a bag away not too long ago.  Ugh.

It seems as if I haven't sewed anything in years, and was happy to use my friend to friend labels from name maker.  They always make things look a bit more finished.  

And here I am ready to go.  Just not sure when I will go.  I seriously have not left the house (only to walk the neighborhood) since March 16.

Stay home.  Stay healthy, friends.

friends to knit with

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Life is funny.  There are some things I would have never dreamed of doing before this pandemic started.  Like knitting with others via Zoom.  But, friends to knit with are always a good thing.
Today I met with Nadine from Berlin, Germany,  Christine from Berekley, California and Leigh from Florence, South Carolina.  Life is good.
If you feel like joining, don't be shy.  Email me at lesliemfriend at gmail dot com.  We can arrange either a group or a one on one.  Whatever you are comfortable with.  It helps to have things to look forward to.

Be well, friends.

handmade loom, making potholders

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I'm finding comfort in small projects with instant satisfaction.  Or close enough anyhow.

My grandfather made this loom a very, very long time ago.  My sisters and I made many a potholder on this homemade loom.  And the loops are from my childhood.  Grateful my mother never purged them or the loom.  It makes me think of my grandfather who was born in 1905.  He was 14-15 years old during the Spanish Flu.  Oh, how I wish I could talk to him about that time now.   I don't ever remember him mentioning the Spanish Flu when I was young. But it must have been a memorable time for him.  Especially living in Pennsylvania.   I would love for him to reassure me that everything would be okay just about now.
The loom is built on a piece of scrap wood.  It measures 7" x 7".  25 nails on each side.  Each approximately a 1/4" apart.  It's not perfect, but it certainly works.  I ordered more loops from Amazon because this is so therapeutic.

I haven't left my house since March 16th.  My kids are out of their 14 day quarantine tomorrow.  I can't wait to hug them!