February 11, 2005

Peach Parfait Pie1 pkg. strawberry Jello, 1 1/4 cups hot water, 1 cup sweetened sliced peaches, 2 cups vanilla ice cream

 

Pepper Steak ("Steak au Poivre")This preparation is a classic bistro dish and has many variations. In the past, the sauce tended to be heavy, containing large amounts of butter and cream. We prefer lighter -sauced preparations which complement the fish or meat being served.

 

Dieter's Pumpkin Pie1 cup pumpkin, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 pkg. sugar-free vanilla instant pudding . . .

 

Making Your Own Pattern PiecesTo make a pattern piece yourself, if you use the "non-iron" interfacing it makes a great pattern and doesn't rip as easy. By wiseinhimmer

 

Removing Soot From Jar CandlesRubbing alcohol on a paper towel will remove the black soot from a jar candle.

 

Gadgets - Which Ones Are Worth It?Today someone mentioned a worthless gadget. Maybe readers could write in about gadgets that are actually worth the money on the info commercials. You always see them and wonder if there is value in them.

 

FREE for Charity, School, Church, etc. EventsI don't know where you live...but if you have a HomeTown Buffet, Old County Buffet or County Buffet in your area contact their Community Rep.

 

Sewing Tips for Sewing DartsHave trouble with darts? Here are step by step instructions with drawings.

 

Coffee Filters as a Tearaway StabilizerCoffee filters can make a wonderful substitution for tearaway stabilizer when doing a small hand or machine embroidery project.

 

Calluses on FeetI've noticed several people asking about dry skin or calluses and my podiatrist recommended for me corn huskers lotion available at most retailers usually runs about $2 a bottle and a little bit will work.

 

Gadgets from Home Shopping ShowsWe know a couple who are into all those home shopping shows. The husband is as bad as the wife is! They've got a whole kitchen full of gadgets and appliances. One that they got was the "Eggstractor". She said that it's so hard to do, by the time you get thru messing with it, trying to shell the hard boiled eggs, you could have already had them all shelled by hand. She ended up giving it as a gag gift at a white elephant party we were all invited to during Christmas. By Terri H.

 

Duplicating a Pattern Without Tracing PaperIf you would like to trace off a craft pattern and don't have any tracing paper, just take a pencil and shade the back side of the paper with the pattern below it, and then trace around the pattern. The pattern will be duplicated.

 

Saving ButtonsI have a pal who cuts off all the buttons off old pieces of clothing that she's not able to donate or re-sell (stained). She keeps the buttons she thinks she'll use when making her own family's clothing. But the extra buttons, she accumulates in a see thru box stashed away.

 

Marking The Right Side Of FabricI use safety pins to mark the right side of material when it's hard to tell because straight pins will fall out. This saves time and I know at a glance which side is which!

 

Postcard QuiltThis quilt, called "Postcards" was done entirely by machine. For the backing I used a seersucker fabric to add to the puffy feel of the quilt.

 

Balancing the CheckbookIf you have a problem balancing your checkbook and cannot find the error. Divide the amount your figures are off by 9. If the answer comes out even, then the error is probably a transposition. For instance, if 91 should be 19, the difference is 72. If your figures were off by 72, it is divisible by 9. The answer is 8 but the main idea is to know to look for a transposition. Try this. It really works! By Elaine

 

Using Clothing Material for CraftsIf you end up with a clothing item you would never wear but like the pattern, think about using the material for pillows, quilts, etc. You can also stock up on material from clothes for quilts at bag sales from thrift stores or yard sales.

 

Optimize Your Sewing TimeBe prepared: Gather and purchase all of the supplies necessary to complete your sewing or craft project ahead of time. Having to stop in the middle of the project in order to run out and get a forgotten essential item is time consuming and irritating. Read more...

 

Suede Cleaner for OilI use (very inexpensive) granules for grease/oil on shop floor. I use coffee bean grinder to make fine powder (comes in 1/4 inch granules) and rub into oil stain on suede shoes. Voila! It works!

 

Scented EnvelopesI have a drawer where I keep all my extra candles, scented & non-scented alike. I also keep envelopes in that. So when I'm writing a pal or just sending a bill, I have scented envelopes. By Terri H.

 

Organizing Sewing NotionsKeep ribbons, lace, ric rac, seam binding, etc. on a piece of cardboard and place in a snack bag to keep neat. I prefer to use the generic snack bags since they do not have a colored zip strip.

 

Button Sewing TipWhen sewing on buttons, especially on heavy jackets, use dental floss or 4 strands of thread that has been waxed with beeswax. This will make the button threads much stronger. By Karole

 

Nature's "Penicillin"This worked for me. I had been suffering from nasal drip, sneezing and other various symptoms when I remembered this formula I recieved. I took a spoonful and within 30 minutes my symptoms were all gone. If you suffer from allergies to any of the ingredients, see your doctor.

 

Raising the Table for Fabric CuttingIf you must use your dining room table as a cutting table when you are sewing, you probably get a back ache from leaning over the table. My mother did a lot of sewing, and she found a solution for this problem.

 

Free Patterns at FreePatterns.comIf you knit, crochet, cross-stitch, quilt, etc. you can download free patters at www.freepatterns.com By Robin

 

Keeping Sewing Machine Needles HandyWhen sewing heavy fabrics (e.g. jeans) on the sewing machine, keep the little box the needles on a piece of Blu-tack on the front of your machine. That way you will know at a glance where the right needle for the next job is.

 

Asking for ExtrasRecently we had to take our truck into the dealership for something. I noticed while he was talking to the service man that the dealership had installed a mini gourmet coffee shop. We inquired about the coffee shop's location and received free tokens towards 2 cups of coffee.

 

Knotting ThreadTo knot thread: hold your thumb on the thread as it lays across a needle facing you, cut end to the right, then with your left hand wrap the thread around the needle two or three times.

 

Give Wedding Centerpieces as FavorsHave your centerpieces double as favors. My centerpieces were little votive holders with pebbles and a piece of lucky bamboo. Just lined them up down the middle and made little tags for them that said thanks for coming and how to take care of the plant.

 

Emergency Gift IdeaHere is an idea that helps when you accidently have forgotten a special occasion and need a gift. These can be kept in a pantry or closet area or where ever you can find some space. . .

 

Cleaning the Sewing MachineUse canned air to clean out your machine instead of blowing lint and fuzz because your breath contains moisture and is not good for the machine. By wiseinhimmer

 

Replacement CuffsUse the ribbed part of socks as replacement cuffs on jackets, rather than purchasing new ones from the fabric store. By Syd

 

Red Wine on "S" fabric couchA guest spilled a glass of red wine on my ivory sofa. The fabric is labeled "S" for using only solvent based cleaners. I have tried GoofOff but it didn't help that much. Any suggestions? Thanks from Cynthia.

 

Hand Sewing Tip - Thread Multiple NeedlesWhen starting a large hand sewing or needlework project, thread several needles when you begin. Then you won't have to stop and keep threading needles as you work.

 

ThriftyFun News February 11, 2005 - Sewing TipsOnline version of the ThriftyFun News. Sewing Tips. Volume Seven, Number 7 February 11, 2005

 

Make Sturdy Sewing Patterns With Leftover Holiday WrapI use leftover holiday wrapping paper all year long in my sewing room. I hate working with flimsy tissue paper patterns so I lay them out on the white back of the wrapping paper and transfer them with a Sharpie (it bleeds through the tissue).

 

Ellie Mae (Yorkie Poo)This is Ellie Mae. She is a 5 year old Yorki/Poo. We got her when she was 7 weeks old. She fit into my son's ball cap. She plays with our other dog Maggie, a white toy Poodle. Ellie thinks it's great fun to ride inside my jacket while we go on snowmachine rides. She peeks her tiny face out to keep watch where we're going unless it's really cold and then she tucks down inside to keep warm. This picture is Ellie giving my husband a good morning kiss. Thanks for a great site! Ann

 

Wrapping a Box Social Meal in a Creative Way?Do you have an idea of how to wrap a present that is filled with food? We have a box social this weekend and I want to wrap it in some creative way.

 

Need Microwave Rice Pudding Recipe?I had a recipe for microwave rice pudding and lost it. It was easy and quick. Thanks in advance if anyone has one. Liz from Arizona

 

Taking Nail Polish from A Coat?Black Nailpolish just spilled on my white soccer coat. How am I supposed to remove it without ruining the coat?

 

Getting the Lumps out of Lumpy Cushions?I wanted to find out if there is a way to replace the fill in my couch cushions so they are not lumpy. I have two children and two dogs that really take a toll on our sectional sofa.