Make Laundry Soap

 Hello Readers. We all have laundry. If you are alive, you have clothes to wash. I wish it was not true but it is. If you have children, you will have even more laundry. Let's make inexpensive laundry soap with no dyes or scents to irritate sensitive skin. 

Life is expensive but your laundry soap doesn't need to be. 

I have heard of people making their own laundry soap but would it be difficult? Would it take a lot of time? Or a lot of effort? You will need to buy these 3 products. I spent approximately $12 to buy them where I live. The price may vary where you live but it should be close to my costs. I used one full bar of Fels-Naptha and 1 cup of the Borax, 1 cup of the Washing Soda and approximately 4 gallons of water. 

 

The Fels-Naptha is basically a bar of soap. It was under $2 at my local store. The bar of soap needs to be melted and dissolved into water. To make this easier, I grated the bar of soap like cheese. I used my cheese grater and it was as easy as grating a block of cheese. 

 

You could also use a food processor or a mandolin slicer. Use whatever you have. The small pieces of soap will dissolve much faster than a whole bar of soap. How you cut the bar up doesn't really matter. It had a mild soap small but no perfume or strong scent. 

 

I mixed the shavings of soap with very hot water. You can "cook" the water and soap on the stove or you can put the shavings into a very large container and add the hot water to the container and mix until the shavings dissolve. It only took about 5 minutes to dissolve. You will need a container that can hold about 4 gallons of liquid. 

 

I added a cup of the Borax to the hot soapy water. I stirred well to mix it in. It mixed and dissolved easily.

 

Next, I added a cup of the Washing Soda. (This is NOT baking soda.) I mixed this powder in too. I added more water until I had about 4 gallons of soapy water mixture. (You can make 3-5 gallons of mixture.) It thickens and has a syrup consistency. 

As the powders dissolved, the mixture became cloudy and then ...

 

 It will become clear again. There was a bit of bubbling and foaming but not much. The powders did not add any scent to the mix, it was almost without a scent at all. I let my mixture cool. It was very hot at this point, be careful. 

 

When the mixture was cool, I poured my laundry soap into bottles. I did not have a large container with a lid. I "cooked" my soap on my stove in a stock pot but I couldn't store it in an open stock pot forever. I used empty bottles and jars with lids that I had on hand. If you have a big 5 gallon bucket with a lid, that would be ideal for holding all of this. 

 

Any container with a lid will work. The small plastic container would be ideal to carry with you if you need to go to a laundry mat or laundry room to do your laundry. Whatever containers you use, you will have saved a lot of money with this recipe. *NOTE- The solution may thicken more and be difficult to get out without a scoop, use 1/2 cup for small loads and 1 cup for extra large loads.

 

I used my new soap in a load of dirty towels. I picked and cut up a mountain of strawberries to make jam so there was red strawberry juice on these towels. My washer is a high efficiency so I wondered if the soap would wash well. Let's test it. 

 

The towels came out nice and clean. I was happy with the soap and the process was not difficult. I found the process easy and quick enough to keep it up. Thanks for reading along, now go make some for yourself. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orgazize with Old Jeans

 Hello Readers. It is always a challenge to get and stay organized, at least it is for me. If I had a dollar for every time I lost my keys or glasses, I would be a millionaire. Until that happens, I will try to stay organized so I do not have to search all over for my glasses, again and again. 

Grab some old jeans and make this cute helpful little organizer.

 

You can use old jeans, out-grown jeans, torn jeans, any jeans you have. We just need one back pocket area for this project. Men's jeans will have larger pockets than women's jeans, and children's jeans will be even smaller. Keep that in mind when you choose so that the back pocket can hold your items and fit in your frame well. 

 

You will need a similar picture frame to hold the jeans. You will not need the glass from the frame. This is a great way to use a picture frame that has had it's glass broken or lost. You can choose the color and style of frame to harmonize with the decor you have. 

 

I used sewing chalk to mark the jeans so I can cut the jeans to fit the frame. I traced the inner sides of my frame. You can also use a pencil. You just need to make a few marks on the denim to guide your cutting.

 

I cut the jeans with sharp scissors. I only need one back piece of the jeans. When the piece is cut out, I can put it in my frame. 

 

I used the back of the frame to make the piece of jeans fit perfectly. I compared the two and could see any places that were larger than the inside of the frame and trim the denim if needed. 

 

I fit the pieces of the picture frame together and used the clips to close the frame. Your frame may close differently. Close and secure your picture frame to keep the jeans pocket piece tucked securely inside.

 

I put the frame on my computer desk. It will be perfect for holding my glasses and phone. The belt loop of the jeans can hold a charging cord for a phone or ear buds. You can use it for whatever you need. This will help me keep my glasses in one place on my desk and not get lost. 

 

You could also put this frame near your front door to hold your keys and sun glasses. It's great to have a spot by the front door for your important items so you can put them down as soon as you walk in the door. You could also hang your frame on the wall if that works better for you. I hope you can stay as happily organized as possible. Thanks for reading along, now go make something for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simplicity 1165 Shorts

 Hello Readers. When I like a pattern, I usually make it more than once, I really like this pattern from Simplicity so, I am making it again. I made the full length pants using this pattern a few years ago and decided to try the shorts version. I had some fabric in my stash that I could use so.. I got to work.

New summer shorts. 

 This pattern is nice because it doesn't require any extra notions or extra expense. I just needed my fabric and some elastic, which I had in my sewing stash. Let's not spend any money today.

I cut out my pieces. I extended the leg a couple inches just to have enough length. I was going to hem them at the end, I did not need to decide length right at the beginning of the process.

I sewed the pockets in the front pieces first. I usually forget this and it causes a problem later. I sewed the right and left sides together and then sewed the back and front of thew shorts together.

The pattern called for a long narrow piece of fabric to make the elastic waistband casing. I did that and pinned it to the shorts. 

 

I turned the edge under and ironed it to make a nice sharp hem. 

 

I ironed the shorts to make them look nice and neat. I don't usually iron my casual clothing but when I am sewing a project, I like to see how it looks nicely ironed.

 

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

 

 

  

Me-Made-Skirt

 Hello Readers. I made a skirt. And I made it all up as I went along. There was no pattern just some black fabric and a plan. Let me show you how I did this. 

I am using this black knit material (Similar here.) a nice woman named Tina gave me a couple years ago. (Thanks Tina!) This material was on the thicker side which I thought would be good for making a skirt that was not clingy or sheer. Knit material also stretches and that will make it easier to make this skirt fit.

I started by spreading the fabric out on the floor and checking how much I had. I folded one side over and cut out the basic piece for the skirt. I measured around my hips and added 4 inches for seam allowance and room to move when I was wearing the skirt. You can add a few more inches and make a looser skirt or you can match your measurement closer and make a more fitted skirt. It just depends of what you want. You can always make the skirt smaller later but you can't make it bigger, so measure carefully. 

 

Here is my skirt piece. It is going to be sewn into a tube. There will be one seam that I will put in the center back of the skirt. This piece is much longer than I need but I will worry about length later. 

 

I used my serger to sew the back seam together. I folded the fabric with right sides facing each other and lined up the edges together. I sewed down the fabric and I had a long tube. That was just what I wanted. If you do not have a serger, you can use a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine. Once you have made your tube shape, this is a good time to check the fit. Slip it on and see if you want to make it a bit smaller. If so, cut the seam away and start the sewing process over. 

 

I wanted a simple and comfortable elastic waistband. I used 2 inch wide elastic. 

 

I used a zigzag stitch to connect the ends of the elastic to make my waistband. I basically sewed the elastic into a circle. 
 

I made the circle of elastic for the waistband. I like to cut the elastic about the same as my waist minus 2 inches. That seems to work best for me. (Wrap the elastic around your waist to see how large you want it to be.) I clipped it to the waist of my skirt. I made sure the skirt was evenly "distributed" around my elastic waistband. The skirt was larger but the elastic will stretch to fit while I sew it to the skirt.

 

I sewed the elastic to the edge of my skirt. I gently stretched the elastic as I stitched to make the elastic fit the skirt. The waistband gathers together after so it will fit my waist well. 

 

I flipped the elastic up and into the skirt to hide it. I used green because I had it on hand and it won't show when I am done, you can use a any color elastic you want.  

 

I used my sewing machine to sew the elastic under. I stretched gently as I sewed to make sure it was smooth. I used a small zigzag stitch so the elastic would be able to move and stretch while it was being worn.

 

I cut my skirt shorter. You can choose the length that you like best. I wanted a long skirt but I am pretty short so my measurements will be different than yours. Try it on again to see what length you want.

 

You can see I serged the cut edge at the bottom of the skirt and then used my sewing machine to sew the hem of the skirt in place with a straight stitch. You could also use a zigzag stitch and then turn the edge under for the hem

 

I made a maxi length skirt. I do not remember to make a lot of neutral basics so this basic black skirt will be really handy. It will match so many things. 

 

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sewing Summer Shorts

 Hello Readers. It is "Me-Made-May". That just means people are wearing and sharing their self made clothes on social media. It has inspired me to sew some new items for myself. I have had this Simplicity Super Saver 8035 pattern for ages. I decided to try the shorts pattern with some blue fabric I had on-hand. Summer is coming and shorts would be handy to have.  

 New shorts for summer.

I cut out the pattern pieces. It seemed simple, there were not many pieces and shorts are not complicated, right?? Spoiler, It wasn't as easy as it should have been. Let me share my experience and ideas. 

I sewed my pockets together first. This was a mistake. I was supposed to sew one piece of the pocket to a front piece of the shorts and one pocket piece to a back piece of the shorts. Then I was supposed to sew the shorts together. At least I think that is what I was supposed to do, I found these directions very vague and the pictures not very helpful either. Even though this project is simple, this pattern might not be the best for a beginner. 

I sewed one piece of pocket to one front piece of shorts, then sewed one back piece of pocket to one piece of shorts. Then I sewed the pocket together. This wasn't quite what the directions told me to do but I was just trying my best at this point. 

 

I ended up with half a pair of shorts. This picture is of one side of my new shorts with the pocket sewed in place. I ironed all the seams with my iron so the seams would be flat and smooth. I did the same process for the second half of the shorts. When I had a complete right half and a complete left half, I could sew them together and I would have a full pair of shorts. 

 

I sewed all the pieces together with my serger because this was linen and linen frays easily. Here is a look at my shorts from the inside. Did I sew my pockets inside out? Yes, but let's just ignore that. No one is going to see that, and no one will ever know. Shh, don't tell. 

 

I turned the top edge down to make the waistband. 

 

I sewed the waistband casing from the outside to make sure my stitches would be very neat. My bobbin stitches can be wonky sometimes. The pattern called for elastic to be put through the finished casing. OK, let's do it. I left a small opening in the casing for the elastic as directed. 

 

When elastic is fished through the waistband, it gathers the waistband together and that will make the shorts fit around my waist. I finished the elastic and connected the ends together as directed by the pattern and closed the opening in the casing. This was easy enough.

   

I turned the bottom edge of the shorts leg under and sewed the hem of each leg. The hems looked nice and neat. That was what I wanted. This pattern was long enough to choose what length of shorts I wanted, if you want long-ish shorts, this pattern would be good for that.

 

 I used matching thread  (Similar here.) to get a nice neat look to my seams. Sometimes contrasting thread looks nice too but I wanted the thread to match and blend in for these shorts. 

 

 These shorts were fun and I was pleased with how they turned out. This was not a great pattern for a first sewing project but it is simple enough for someone who has sewn a little and ha some sewing knowledge already. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.