I’ve been doing a lot of hemming as of late, so I have blind hems on the brain. And even though I’ve been sewing for 20 years (I obviously started when I was 4), I didn’t know how to do a blind hem until 2 or 3 years ago.

Do you have a stitch on your machine that looks like this?

Did your machine come with a weird foot that looks like this?

Do you need a manicure/some hand moisturizer as badly as I do?

Great! We’re ready to blind hem!

I used a scrap of fabric and contrasting thread for illustration purposes. You’ll want to use matching thread in order for your hem to actually be “blind”.

Press up your hem.

Pin the hem. Make sure your pins start about 1/4” below the edge of the folded part and that they point down

See how mine start below my serged edge?

Fold the hem under.

The pins are now on the under side and the serged edge extends out on its own.

Go over to your machine and place the fabric under the foot so that the “fin” that sticks down from the foot runs right along your folded edge.

Start sewing, removing the pins as you go. Your machine will do several straight stitches over on the single layer/serged edge and then one sort of zig zag over to catch the folded edge.

Here’s what it will look like:

Unfold and press.

Wrong side:

Right side:

And if you actually use matching thread:

What’s that? You can’t see anything?

That’s exactly the point!

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If you’re a Utah local, don’t forget to enter to win one of 5 pairs of tickets to the What A Woman Wants Show here.

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In case you missed my guest post over at Blue Cricket Design on Thursday…

My top choice to share with you today is (sadly) still in my garage unfinished. I haven’t had a decent day of spray painting weather yet! Stay tuned for that. Luckily, I had a back up plan.

So, let’s get on with the strainer hanging planter!

Supplies:

My original idea was to use actual thrifted metal strainers, but I came up empty handed . So, I picked all up these at my local Dollar Tree. I only ended up using one of the hanging baskets, so you’re looking at $3 plus spray paint and 3 tiny pieces of wire for the grand total on this project!

First, we need to remove the handle from the smaller strainer. It was on there pretty good, so I used a saw.

(OK, so that’s actually my 9 year old posing for the picture…she was safe, I swear!)

I took a little sand paper and smoothed off the edges where I’d cut.

Next, remove your chains from that hanging basket. Use the basket to mark where the chains will attach to your big strainer.

Transfer those marks to the small strainer, too.

Drill holes where you just marked both strainers. I made them along the rim instead of on the body of the bigger strainer so it would be easier to attach the chains later.

You should have 3 holes in each strainer.

Now, we spray paint.

I used a metallic paint so it’d look like actual strainers. I think other colors would be cute, too. I painted the chain as well.

Next, I cut 3 small pieces of wire and bend them in half. I counted down each chain an equal number of links and stuck the wire through.

I stuck it through to the inside of the small strainer.

And then opened the wire up wide, like a brad.

Clip the bottom of the chains to the big strainer, and you’re ready to plant!

I love pansies (and it was still early March when I made this so it was about all you could find at the garden center).

I think this would be darling with some hanging/creeping type plants, too. Or, filled with herbs…keeping it all in the cooking family!

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Everyone meet Jen.

Jen would like you all to know that in spite of the fact that she’s not on the blog list in my left side bar, she HAS indeed been in my kitchen.

If that aqua Kitchenaid in the background isn’t proof, then I don’t know what is.

(And the real reason she’s not linked is because her blog is private.)

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Did you know Crap I’ve Made has a Flickr group? You can find the link at any time up on my menu bar under Crap You’ve Made. Go add your stuff! Please?

Projects from the Flickr group will be featured on Fridays. I’ve got a new button (over there in my right sidebar) for it, too.

YAY! So many new submissions this week! Did I pick one of them? Nope. Not this week. I went way back to one of the very first submissions from aggiepride21. (Aggie, if you have a blog you want me to link, shoot me an email!)

She used the octopus template and the ruffle butt onesie tutorial (option 3) that I guest posted over on Ucreate!

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If you’re a Utah local, don’t forget to enter to win one of 5 pairs of tickets to the What A Woman Wants Show here.

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HERE.

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I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, but I never know quite what to say. I’m not good with words.

When a crisis happens, I’m a do-er. I want to have something I’m responsible for, something to do to help.

In March of 2007, one of my very best friends had a baby girl that lived only a few minutes. I felt helpless and worthless. I didn’t know what to do.

Later that year, when I was pregnant with Bennett, one of my cousins delivered a stillborn baby girl. Again, I felt like a jerk…especially because I was still pregnant. What could I do?

And, in early 2008, while I was still pregnant with Bennett, another one of my cousins delivered a stillborn baby girl. More helplessness. I wanted to do SOMETHING…anything.

3 losses — all within one year, all people that I adore.

I wish I could say that I went right out and did something fabulous, but I didn’t. I had a baby and tried to figure out how to balance life with 4 kids. And I forgot.

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I don’t remember when I “met” Heidi, but I do vividly remember sitting in front of my computer screen sobbing at the slide show of her angel Elizabeth. Heidi’s the woman behind Angel Babies. She did something. She hosts sewing days at her house (and feeds people some seriously delicious food). I went to one a while back and made some gowns (click on the “Patterns” tab over at Angel Babies). It affected me in a way I cannot explain.

And here’s the part where I really don’t know what to say.

Can you sew even a little? Are you looking for a service project for a church/community group?

Consider making some gowns.

Do you have a bunch of fabric, ribbon, or trims laying around?

Consider donating it.

Heidi’s contact info is on the Angel Babies site.

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Adding info from Heidi’s comment:

Thank you so much for this post. I’ve already gotten emails from a couple of people. The timing is perfect. I was just starting to feel a little overwhelmed by the needs lately. I’ve been shipping them all over the country in the last few weeks, and of course, there are so many needs here locally.

FYI for those of you that are interested in doing them, I get requests frequently for information from people in lots of different places. I love it when people can make a connection with their local hospital or Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep photographer so that they can do things to benefit people in their own community. Of course, I am always delighted to have donations for babies in Utah, but I feel like it’s a really really great thing for people to serve in their own territory. If you need help finding where to donate your things, send me a note – hvawdrey (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Courtesy of my brother and his wife in Pittsburgh

And look what street they were on:

Coincidence?

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as celebrated in the Fish Haven, ID metropolitan area.

Seriously.

Look at that stuff.

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