Faux Spider

It sure looks like a spider but it's just the light bulb and wire inside with the sun shining through.  I've seen this many times and also cringed thinking it was real.  One time I even got a fly swatter and kept looking for it.  I never thought to count how many legs it had or realize how misshapen it was. Maybe I can get the kids going this weekend if they think it is real.

My Twister Jack Project

Here's my twister jack after I used the twister too.  I'm really pleased with how it came out especially since I just did this based on what I saw on the internet.  Before I started I had no idea how this was going to end up.  It is fairly simple, as I found out,to come up with a pattern.  Just lay out your 3 1/2" squares to look like the picture you want and sew them together.  My tool was the lil' twister, not the smallest I don't think.  I thought this translated to a picture better than the bigger ones.  This project was definitely not a quickie by any means.  I had my squares cut out a while ago and like usual I got side tracked into doing something else.  I finally decided when I was at the cabin by myself and the hubby was off to a blue/white game, that it was time to start.  Mistakenly I figured I could have it finished by the end of the day.  Boy was I wrong.  All those 3 1/2" squares had to be sewn in strips and then the strips together.  This thing covered our double bed at the cabin.  I don't know how many times I started to rethink this project.  I barely got the squares sewn into strips and my machine started to squeal.  Not a good sound.  It had been years since I got my mom's old Singer Touch and Sew serviced so  it didn't really surprise me.  I prodded on to finish the strips hoping I wasn't doing any permanent damage to the machine.  Anyway the project was put away yet another time to wait for the right time.  In the mean time, my machine has been serviced and ready to go.  Then when I went over to my daughter's to watch the dog, I took the project.  She had a big table to work on so it worked pretty well  -  hence the first picture on facebook (twister jack before).  By that time I was itching to finish it up so after I got the washcloth overnighters done I was on to twister jack.  Deadlines, especially self-imposed, are my friends as I realized.  With the grandkids coming next week I knew the sewing machine will be idle so I completed it yesterday.  It was really fun to do though time-consuming, but not in a hard way.  Some would say there is too much waste but with my idea to make this into a seasonal wall hanging, I have plans for as much as the scrap as I can.  I'm also looking into other projects I can use the tool with.  I see that the Christmas tree lends itself especially well to this technique.  And with the way quilters are, I'm sure someone will come up with more ideas.

The Best Ant Remedy

Had a new idea to increase my blog posts as things are getting rather scarce around here.  Lately I have to finish a quilting project to post.  Anyway I'm starting a Best of ... series.  I figure I have a good bit of experience in certain things and I should spread the wealth.  This is by no means anything scientific just my personal opinion and I welcome opposing thoughts.  So here's the first.

We all usually have ants in the house at some point.  It's not necessarily a matter of cleanliness just them getting inside where they can and after something they want.  I've tried the traps and liquid on cardboard that is supposed to take the poison back to their hill but what works for me to keep them away is citrus peels.  A while back I started peeling lemons and oranges and putting them in the freezer for later use.  I couldn't see eating an orange and throwing all that peel away.  The same for a lemon if all I wanted was the juice.  So what I do is take a strip of peel out of the freezer bag and lay it on the counter where I've seen the ants.  Voila  -  gone.  It also leaves a nice scent.  It will dry and curl up and when the scent leaves, you can put out another one. 

So that's my first idea.  Hope this helps someone out there.

Washcloth Overnighters

Here are my washcloth overnighters that I made for the kids for cousin's weekend. I was really pleased with how the names turned out.  I used my machine to do this so it was super easy.  I will put a toothbrush, paste, floss picks and a comb in each one.  Hopefully they'll be able to use them other times such as camping.  Hey, I might even make one for myself to use.  Never know who can get some use out of it.