DIY: Clothespin Magnet

I impulsively bought a package of clothespins while at a home improvement store, and even though I didn’t have an idea at the time of how I would use them, I knew an idea would eventually come to me. And it did—I ended up having the idea of creating magnets.

Stay Dry

Last week a couple of friends and I went to Modern Domestic’s anniversary party/monogram dish towel mini-class. I’d never monogrammed anything before, but it’s a pretty simple process of inputting information into the machine and then letting it whip out the chosen monogram.

Print Me a Happy Ending

My inkjet printer worked fine until it didn’t anymore. For a few years, things went swimmingly. Since colors don’t generally match perfectly from screen to paper, I created a swatch so I knew how the colors would change. While there were the normal print issues, for the most part things printed to my satisfaction.

But over time, the printer wasn’t working as well as it had; when printing large color blocks, there would be incremental lines where the ink didn’t fully reach. That was annoying and unattractive. But things got exponentially worse when I started using a different computer.

Not Like the Envelope Picture

Sometimes I wish my brain functioned like a computer and I could just upgrade with new information and skill sets, so I could just know how to sew instantaneously. This whole learning through trial and error just takes so much effort. [Sigh.] But I guess it can’t really be helped.

Despite the fact it takes me forever to sew anything, I am trying. I have yet to sew anything that I’m utterly ecstatic about, but with each project I’m slowly learning more and getting used to my machine. Thus far I’ve put in a zipper, put in a lapped zipper, sewed darts, created pleats and have applied interfacing. Currently I’m working on a pullover dress that uses elastic.

I’m both proud and disappointed once I finish with a project; proud because I plowed through and finished it (despite any problems that may have arisen), and disappointed because it didn’t turn out as well as I wanted it to (like the fact it doesn’t look like the picture on the pattern envelope). But my poor craftsmanship can only improve with enough time and practice (at least that is my hope).

Put a Bow on It

Around Christmas time, a friend of mine drew a bow on a gift’s wrapping paper. I thought it was a cute idea, so I decided to make a bow stamp.