Pattern Weights - A DIY Tutorial for Covering Metal Washers

Whoever discovered using weights instead of pins for layout and cutting was a genius. Though it does not allow the pattern tissue to "stick" with the fabric after cutting, the ease of cutting alone warrants great praise. I have seen pretty weights at fabric stores and have seen tutorials for wrapping with fabric strips or Washi tape. Is there anything you cannot cover with Washi tape? It's the new duct tape. 

I found myself wandering the aisles of Ace Hardware one Winter day admiring the ingenuity of so many varieties of wing nuts and washers and happened upon these large washers and thought, aha! I have found my pattern weights. But the smooth side slides on the tissue and the edges on the perimeter and in the opening are rough and can tear the tissues. This is why they are normally covered. As I wandered down the aisles I came across Plasti-Dip, a liquid plastic that you dip the handles of tools into to get a better no slip grip. Light bulb moment.

They had red and black. It would have been fun to have more colors to play with but this would have to do. I lined a box with newspaper and placed a dowel through the handles.

I dipped the washers into the coating. It was kind of thick and there are directions for thinning it which I may try next time. 

These hang to dry for a couple of hours.

Dip again and allow to dry for about 4 hours and Voila! You have no slip sure grip covered pattern weights. Hmmm. I wonder what else I could dip.

Stuffed Animals - Every Child's Delight

McCall 419

I slept on the upper bunk in an upstairs bedroom I shared with with three of my sisters. Two sets of bunk beds in this dormer like bedroom, where the ceiling angled in at the sides, in a 1920's bungalow on Milwaukee's near north side. If you let the covers hang over the sides you could imagine you were in a covered wagon. Ahh. My vivid childhood imagination kept me engaged for hours on end. That was the early 1960's. 

Simplicity 2249

My upper bunk was home to 20 or more stuffed animals, my favorite being the large lion and Zip, the monkey. I have always had a tremendous love for all creatures and of course these inanimate plushies occupied the prime spots and overtook more than just leg room, so much so that it was not uncommon for me to fall out of bed when I turned in my sleep. I don't have any of those dear stuffed pals anymore but my memories of them are still fond. Today my bed plays host to many creatures but these are living and breathing pals.

Simplicity 4915

I still harbor great affection for cuddly toys and though I sell many patterns in my Etsy and Goodsmiths shops, these stuffed animal patterns will remain in my personal collection. The designs of the past have such dignity about them, not the cartoon type stuffed toys that dominate today's market.

McCall's 1810

What a wonderful Easter present to receive a new stuffed toy. These are so many patterns to make something really special for your little sweetheart.

Simplicity 3701

This crocheted puppy would delight any child. Download the pattern to make this sweet stuffed toy.

Or if you are in a particularly nostalgic mood, you could make an iconic sock monkey toy. I have made dozens of these familiar faces for nieces and nephews over the last 30 years. These two are not quite ready for prime time but will be ready for my newest grand niece or nephew in May. Make your own with these instructions.

Sock Monkeys - Red Heel Socks - Fox River Mills

1930's Crepe Paper Flower Making Pattern from Successful Farming Magazine

Easily Made Flowers for Decorations

Whether you are decorating your bonnet or creating a centerpiece for your Holiday table, these crepe paper flowers will surely impress. These patterns include directions to make quite realistic flowers including Chrysanthemums, Wistaria, Calla Lilies, Hyacinth and Roses, to name a few. Made as single stemmed flowers or strings of garland, like my favorite flower and vine Periwinkle. It's not just that I love it's playful name, the color is almost impossible to describe. Not blue, not lavender... it's Periwinkle!! Get the Pattern HERE.

This 1934 Newspaper article shows how to decorate tin cans with crepe paper flowers for an elegant table decoration.

We are all familiar with the red crepe paper poppies distributed on Veteran's Day. Their origins trace back to 1918 and are still made by disabled veterans as therapy and sold to generate funds to continue the process of rehabilitating our brave veterans. You can read more about the Memorial Day and Veteran's Day poppies at The American Legion Auxiliary website. But the story of how the poppy became the symbol of the blood of soldiers is a moving one and I post a snippit of it here in hopes you will read more and think twice before passing by that decorated veteran with the little red flowers.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below 

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

–Lt. Col. John McCrae

The poppy, as a memorial flower to the war dead, can be traced to a single individual, Moina Michael. She was so moved by Lt. Col. McCrae's poem, "In Flanders Fields," that she wrote a response: 

. . . the blood of heroes never dies
But lends a luster to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders' Fields.

On impulse, she bought a bouquet of poppies – all that New York City's Wanamaker's Department Store had – and handed them to businessmen meeting at the New York YMCA where she worked. She asked them to wear the poppy as a tribute to the fallen. That was November 1918. World War I was over, but America's sons would rest forever "in Flanders' Fields." Later she would spearhead a campaign that would result in the adoption of the poppy as the national symbol of sacrifice.

_____ from the American Legion Auxiliary Website