pillow case dress

My niece and her friend were goofing off outside, the hose somehow became involved and you had two soaked people. Normally that would not be a problem but the friend is tiny and anything we had would drown her so I was asked to whip up something fast. Well I thought about the pillow case slips that are easy just a long strip to make the shoulders. Like the one below I found on the internet.



but of course that would be two easy so this is what they brought me.

The t shirt had the sleeves ripped off and the bottom cut for some strange reason and a black pillow case. Okay I could work with this. First I folded the shirt and evened out the edges. I measure around the chest and cut t-shirt to that size it stretches so no need for ease. then measure down for the arm and sewed the sides.

I serged the armhole and left it that remember this was just a temporary top till new clothes were brought. tTen I opened the bottom of the pillow case and attached that to the bottom of the shirt. I had to gather the edges of the case to fit the shirt but it worked.

Toss in a belt and a nice little dress. Took 15 minutes and is a nice disposable dress for summer.

Extending the life of a hoodie

A friend of the family has a favorite hoodie that as you can see was on a downward slope to the trashcan. At first I figured that I could trim one layer and fold the other layer over to make the cuff but the damage was too much. So I decided to get creative.

First I removed the cuff and did a quick press to smooth the edge. I keep a bag near the sewing table of scraps that could be used, nothing too small because I have a hoarding habit when it comes to fabric and found 1/2 a heavyweight jersey tshirt and cut two rectangles.

I cut the fabric 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch longer then the sleeve. Then I folded each piece in half , sewed it shut with a small zigzag and serged the ends. So I ended up with a neat tube that stretched nicely.

I used a small zigzag stitch to attach it to the sleeve. I was not worried about unraveling I just wanted to be sure it would stretch as needed. Normally I would recommend a dye dip to refresh the color but she like the faded look.

Sometime it is the little things that can give a garment a new life. A 1/2 hour and small piece of fabric later you have a new sleeve. This is also a good idea for the one that fits but the cuff is just too tight or fits funny because it is meant for someone smaller. You will usually find that when you undo the seam the fabric will usually stretch a lot more then you expect so making the cuff bigger will not hurt anything. Measure your wrist for a snug fit and cut the rectangle 1/2 inch longer. Then ease the fabric to the cuff after the first wash it will look natural.

Jalepeno bacon cheese bites

My sister found this idea on Pinterest about bacon wrapped jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese. All something I am fond of so she decided that we should try it. They came out pretty good if I say so myself.

I was skeptical especially since they were supposed to be cooked on the BBQ pit. Bacon is a pain to work with under the best of circumstances but what the heck.

First couple of steps are idiot proof, just cut the peppers in half and clean them  letting them air dry completely. Then scoop plain cream cheese try to keep them level it makes it easier to wrap. If you want to spice up the cream cheese you can dice up one pepper (seeds & all) very fine and mix with the cheese or any other spice or flavoring you wish to use. I want to try some with Hoison sauce and diced shrimp mixed in Yummy. Now comes the harder part the bacon.

You need a bacon with a good marbling of fat and not to thick as it will make it harder to wrap. The reason the peppers need to be dry is to keep the cheese from sliding while you wrap.

You will notice that there is a lot of overlap you want this because remember bacon shrinks so use long slice do not cut them.

When you finish it looks like this you can use twine or a toothpick to anchor the bacon while cooking. Or if you did the wrapping right you can just use the weight to hold the bacon in place.

Put them in the fridge to chill the cheese and bacon so it holds together better on the grill.

 Now comes the fun part you can do this in the oven under a broiler just keep a close watch for burning and/or fires. Or you can put some foil down and cook them on the pit. The smoke adds an incredible flavor. Turn once and pull when the bacon looks as done as you like it. Some people like crisper bacon then others.

 Just remember the longer you cook the more chance the cream cheese will run. Other then that enjoy. Just be warned they are addictive as hell and tend to disappear as fast as you get them off the pit.

The other good thing of course is the cost. Doing these as an appetizer for game or movie night is fun. They can be done ahead and frozen or just kept chilled until needed. They are on 1/3 the cost of regular frozen appetizers and twice as good.