Crochet Dish Soap Apron

It's been a few years since I crocheted anything. I got my feet wet with a simple dish cloth and then started on THIS PATTERN I found on Ravelry (It's free).  I made a few mistakes and ended up with one less shell than the pattern called for, but in the end, I think it turned out super cute. The first few double crochet rows are actually triple/treble crochets. I did crochet around the border, but didn't add the picot stitch to the bottom as I really like the way the shell stitch at the bottom looks.  I used 100% cotton yarn I picked up years ago for dish cloths. If the apron gets soap on it, I'm not worried since it's so simple to wash. If you make one, I would suggest drying it outside the dryer so that it doesn't shrink.

Since my sink is in the kitchen island, the soap is really visible, so I like that it's is a little dressed up!

I also tried the apron on a different soap bottle and it fit great on that one too.

What I love about crocheting is that it's a relatively cheap hobby. You just need crochet hooks and yarn. And you can crochet pretty much anywhere. I can easily watch a simple tv show while crocheting. And I love multi-tasking!

Warm on the couch! And almost done here, I just needed to finish the border.

If you have questions or comments, please leave them below!

Happy Crocheting!

So Jess Sew - Rebecca Page Relaxation Robe

True confession: I already had 3 bathrobes. Did I really need another one? Well, I had two warm soft plush fleece robes which are awesome for winter, but not so much when it gets warmer. I had one I made out of quilting cotton about 6 years ago. It's adequate, but not fancy. I figured I probably needed a soft fancy robe that would work well for the summer. My boys are getting older, and I'll need to be covered up while I do my make up and hair too. So, the Rebecca Page Relaxation Robe was perfect!

This post contains affiliate links.

I made this one out of woven fabric I bought years ago before I even knew the difference between woven and knit fabrics. I literally had no idea what I was buying! But it was on sale on fabricmart.com in a pre-cut deal, so I bought it. I thought it would make a good dress, but it was a little see through in the white parts. But it's well suited for a robe! And perfect to go sit on my porch and drink coffee on summer mornings before the kids wake up.

The robe is unisex, so you can buy just one pattern to sew for lots of sizes. It will just be more or less feminine depending on your fabric choice. It can be made in woven or knit since it's loose fitting. The sleeves are a drop shoulder, but still inset. I love the details. There are pockets, robe tie loops, and even a hanging loop. It's loose fitting, but it doesn't fall off my shoulders when I wear it open.

Had to get a shot of the back!

I attached the pockets a bit lower than recommended. Okay, it was an accident. But they look so perfect otherwise, I couldn't bear to redo them!

Go make yourself one!

Oh, there's also I kids pattern if you want to make it for the children in your life.

HERE is the link to PDF Pattern.

Let me know if you have any comments or questions below!

Happy Sewing!

How to Organize Fabric Scraps

Do your scraps pile up like mine do? The left over bits aren't big enough to fold back into the rest of your fabric, but not small enough to want to dispose of (plus you paid good money for those beauties right?). But then, you need a smaller piece for pocket or a random part on a stuffed animal or a bag, but where is it? 

There are many ways to handle the scrap dilemma. I don't have a ton of space, so this is my current solution to the scrap problem.

1. The first thing is to cut all the scraggly ends that are basically unusable to cut pattern pieces out of.

Put all these non-functional scraps into one spot. You can save these to stuff dog beds or stuff animals if you wish (or if you have another idea of what to use these tiny scraps for, let me know in the comments!).

2. Next sort each larger functional scrap into piles based on first woven or knit, and then by color depending on how many you have. I don't sew with wovens very often, so those aren't sorted by color. I put each pile into its own storage ziplock bag. Below from left to right I have lights, mediums, darks, and wovens.

You might be thinking,  "HEY, nobody said we would have to do laundry on this post!" Don't worry, no washing after this, and that's about it.


3. Put the bags away for later! I plopped mine into a cardboard box and found a place for that in my sewing closet. Yay, no more sorting through a huge pile of random scraps.

 Now, you may have a lot more scraps than I do. That's okay, you can divide them into more bags or each type of scrap can have it's own box, or you can find another organization system that works for you and your space. The idea here is to get organized to save you time and frustration! Need a white pocket, you know where to look. Need a black scrap for a raglan front triangle, you will be able to find it in a jif! You get the idea.

If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. 

Happy Organizing!

Garden of Eden Gardening Method

Below is a picture of my gardening area currently (March is not colorful!). This area used to be lawn, but we cut out this corner of the yard for my gardening area about 5 years ago. I started with two raised beds with plans to make more in the future, but, #life. I also have plans for the future to add a fence across the front area and grow grapes on it. There will be an arbor at the center where the stones are with either more grapes or vining roses up the sides. Around the perimeter I currently have two smoke bushes, two mock orange bushes, and a rose bush. I also have 2 service berry trees and some raspberries. I plan to fill in the rest of the edge along the fence with more edible berries, flowers, herbs, and two small fruit trees. Oh, if only I had unlimited amounts of time and money to get it all done now!

I've always done raised beds in the past which have for the most part worked great. However, I wanted more space to grow since I only have two medium sized raised garden beds. I've also always wanted to plant in the ground, just to try it you know? Plus, raised beds are awesome, but a bit cost prohibitive if you want to use long lasting untreated wood and fill them with good soil. I heard about this method of gardening last year and figured it would be a great way to add more growing space.

That's one of the Garden of Eden beds!

So what is the Garden of Eden Method? It was created by a man named Paul Gautchi. Now, he put out a whole video on his method which is heavily sprinkled with religious overtones, however the gardening bits are quite good. You can watch that video on YouTube  HERE if you're interested. Below is a picture of one of my Garden of Eden areas which I raked rows out of to let them warm up for planting.

The idea of the method is that in nature, soil is never uncovered. Think of a forest floor, it's always covered in leaves, branches, and other plant debris. And that plant debris decomposes over time to become part of the rich humus soil underneath. The benefits of this are that the soil underneath the layer of plant debris (mulch) stays moist for much longer than exposed soil (you won't need to water as often, or possibly ever except after planting seeds if you live in a rainy climate). Also, the thick layer of mulch, keeps unwanted weeds at bay.

Translated to the home garden, this means that you start with:

• Any old patch of soil, 
• Add a layer of newspaper or cardboard if it's a weedy spot, 
• Lay down 4 inches of compost,
• Then add 4-6 inches of wood chips on top of that. 

To be clear, bark is not wood chips. Paul Gautchi is referring to a tree with leaves that is put through a chipper. I got wood chips for free using a service called Chip Drop where arborists in the area drop chips on a requested driveway instead of hauling the chips to the dump. This saves the arborist time and money (dump fees) and gives you free wood chips. HERE is the link for that site if you want to sign up. Keep in mind, you can sign up or take yourself off the list at any time, but there is no defined date or time of drop. And it might take 2 days or 2 months to actually receive a drop. It's all chance on who is cutting down trees in your area. From the research I did, you should request not to receive chips from certain trees including walnut trees. Also, pine trees take a long time to break down due to the resin, so this may not be a good choice either.

Did you spot the huge pile of wood chips? That wasn't quite all of them.

In the best case scenario, the wood chips will be slightly decomposed at the time of addition to the garden. I put my two Garden of Eden Method beds last fall, so the chips have sat there for for about 7 months so far. It will be interesting to see how well my plants grow in these beds this year. It may be that each year, the soil becomes a bit better and so do the plants.

To plant, you will need to pull the bark chips off of the soil where you want to plant first. If you are planting seeds, you will keep the wood chips away from the area where the seed is planted until the plant becomes established, then move the wood chips around the base of the plant to keep the soil moist. If you are planting starts, you can move the chips back around the plant after planting.

Garlic planted in the fall. These were actually buried under 3 inches of wood chips all winter.

During the planting and growing, you will need to add applications of nitrogen rich compost, manure, or fertilizer over the top of the wood chips (everything will soak down into the soil from above). As long as the wood chips are on top of the soil and not mixed into it, it won't be stealing all the nitrogen from the plants, they just won't be providing it either.

My observations so far is that the soil under the chips definitely stays more wet. In late winter, while my raised beds were not quite dry, the soil under the Garden of Eden beds was soggy. The wood chips are already starting to break down after only a half a year, so I know some benefit there is already starting. There are a lot of little creatures in the Garden of Eden beds. In my raised beds I've seen earth worms, ants, and spiders. In the Garden of Eden beds I've already spotted earth worms, centipedes, potato bugs, and more.

The one issue I've had at this point is that there are a large amount of fungus gnats flying around the tops of the wood chips. I've done some research on this, and found that while the flying insects aren't an issue, their offspring in larva form are. The larvae actually feed off plant roots. You've probably seen fungus gnats in your house if you have ever grown house plants. I guess these can be an issue in green houses too. Commercial greenhouses generally just wait for things to dry up a bit and the problem gets better. I'm hoping that happens in my garden. But, as an extra precaution, I bought beneficial nematodes on Amazon that are supposed to go after the gnats. THIS is the kind I bought if anyone is curious. I'll update you all if I see improvement after application. One reviewer on Amazon actually said that beyond the gnats, their plants looked a lot healthier than they ever had after releasing the nematodes. Oh, and if you are wondering what nematodes are, check out THIS ARTICLE from the Mother Nature Network.

If you have any questions for me, please let me know in the comments below. If you have tried this method of gardening before and have any tips, please leave them in the comments below as well. I'd love to hear from you!

Happy Gardening!

How to Plant Seeds Under Grow Lights, A Step-By-Step Tutorial

You can get a head start in your garden in late winter or early spring by planting seeds inside under grow lights or near a window. It's not too much work, and it's really cost effective in the long run. A seed packet generally costs $1-$4 and contains anywhere from 10 to 300 seeds. Whereas most plants at a nursery start at $2 and can get very expensive as they grow bigger or are heirloom. You do need a grow light if you plan to plant indoors and you don't have a room with great sunlight most of the day (I don't, and my kids would make a huge mess with the dirt).

 If you do plant indoors by windows, keep an eye on your seedlings to make sure they aren't getting leggy (long and spindly) and leaning one direction.

Source

The lights might be around $20, a stand is also $20. Or maybe you are crafty and thrifty and you can build your own stand and find a light on the cheap. I've had my light and stand for at least 5 years now and it's definitely paid for itself.

The other great thing about growing from seed, is that there are so many more cultivars out there than are probably at your local nursery or hardware garden area. I went a little crazy on tomatoes this year, but look how fun these varieties are! Sorry about the shine from the t5 light ;). If you can't see, I have:

• Blue Beauty
• Get Stuffed
• Amish Paste
• Kelogg's Breakfast
• Beefsteak
• Mortgage Lifter
• Raspberry Lyanna
• Tomato Isis Candy Cherry
• San Marzano Lungo No. 2
• Sweeties
• Romas
• Plus Pink Brandywines I saved last year (not pictured)

Apparently the gardener that invented the Mortgage Lifter Tomato literally "lifted" his mortgage back in the 1930s buy selling each tomato for $1. He sold tomatoes for 6 years and was able to pay off his $6000 mortgage (source). Wouldn't it be nice if mortgages were only $6000 these days (pretend inflation kept up with everything else)!

You probably just want to know how to plant seeds under lights (who cares how many seed packs this crazy tomato lady bought right?). On to it.

How to Plant Seeds Under Grow Lights

The following steps assume you already have a grow light. 

1. Set up your grow light. You want to put this in a place that's not too cold as warmer weather seeds need warmer temperatures to germinate (at least room temperature). If you have a grow light stand like mine that lowers and raises, you are ready to go from here. If you don't you will want to find a way to get your plants and light within inches of each other to start. As the seedlings grow, you will slowly raise the light to keep it just above the top of the plants. If your light is too high above the plants, they will become leggy and fall over. My seed magic happens in the furnace room. The floor is concrete, but it's warm in the room with the furnace and a refrigerator nearby.

Another option to help the seeds germinate faster and more uniformly, is to use a heat mat. I haven't used one myself, but it's a nice add to the seed starting set up.

2. Decide on your growing medium and containers. There are a ton of mediums and containers that seeds can be grown in. If you want to do it the easy way, you can buy the jiffy type seed starting trays with the peat pods that go in each spot. You just add water and the pods expand out and up. There is some controversy on whether or not peat is a sustainable medium. So, if you are wanting to be eco-friendly, using a sterile seed starting mix might be the way to go. You can use left over multi-planters bought at a store previously, or make your own newspaper planters. I've tried using toilet paper tubes, egg cartons, and various plastic food containers. The important part is that you use a medium that is sterile (not potting soil). You don't want a bunch of big sticks or gnat larva in your seed starting mix. If you use a sterile mix, fill the containers almost to the top, leaving about 1/4" head space.

These little yogurt containers are perfect.

3. Plant your seeds. Make sure your growing medium is wet, but not soggy before you plant. If you squeeze the medium and it drips, it's too wet.

You'll want to come up with a system to remember which seeds you planted where. I like to make a diagram like this one:

And just label it as I go. Other people like to use plant label sticks or colored tooth picks. Do what works for you. But make sure you do label or you'll most likely be smacking your forehead in two months from now.

I like to use the back of the pen I write with to push a little hole into each pod or planter and then drop 1-3 seeds inside. For most of my pods, I used 2 seeds. For seeds packs that I bought a few years prior, I added more seeds under the assumption that the viability of these seeds would be lower. If you have really expensive seeds like the Aji Charapita Pepper seeds that only have 10 in the whole pack ( $4.00), you might only want to put one seed in each hole since if two sprout, you do end up pinching one off. As far as depth, you'll want to follow the instructions on the seed package. If there is no information, the general rule of thumb is double the seed width. So if it's a tiny seed, plant it very close to the top of the soil. A large seed like a pea, plant it deeper.

After planting the seeds and covering them up, gently press down on the top of the soil to tamp the seed down. Then give each seed a light watering using a small container or spray bottle.


4. Cover the seed trays. While the seeds are germinating, you will need to put a cover over the seed containers. If you use a seed starting tray, it should come with a plastic cover. If not you could use another plastic top or even some plastic wrap to keep the seed trays evenly humid until the seedlings emerge. As soon as you see green, take the lids off.

Then lower your grow light to just above the seeds (or raise the seeds to just below the lights). Turn on your grow light and leave it on for 12-16 hours per day. A timer is at the plug is a great way to do this. Or you can, of course, manually turn the lights on and off each day. If you happen to forget to turn it on or off one or two times, the plants will survive. Just try not to make that a habit.


5. Fertilize your seedlings. After the true leaves appear (the first leaves that appear are called cotyledons, these are not the true leaves. The next leaves to appear are called "true leaves"), you can fertilize at 1/4 to 1/2 solution (as determined on instructions for fertilizer).

Now, how often, is up to you as well as which kind of fertilizer you use. Some sources say to fertilize twice a week, and other say once every two weeks. For many years, I didn't fertilized at all. I do, however, think that fertilizing your starts is a good idea. The plants will be bigger, stronger, and healthier when it's time to put them in the garden, which makes them less susceptible to pests and diseases.

The type of fertilizer is also a personal choice. If you want simple and cheap, buy a simple chemical liquid fertilizer like Miracle Grow. If you want to go more organic and sustainable, try a fish emulsion fertilizer (I guess they make ones that aren't as stinky too!) or a seaweed based fertilizer.

6. Transplant to larger containers. Once the plants have outgrown the first container (unless you planted in larger containers to begin with), you will need to transplant them to something where their roots can grow out and not become bound up. If you look on the under side of the container and a bunch of long roots are dangling out, you know it needs something bigger.

7. Harden the plants off. Once the weather is warm enough to transplant your beautiful homegrown plants, you will need to harden them off. You might be saying, hard what? That's just the term the gardening world uses to mean, get the plants used to being outside with wind and the strong sun and fluctuating temperatures. Your plants have been babied, it's time for them to grow up and see the world. Anyway, bring the plants outside a few hours each day starting in a slightly shady area and moving up to full sun. You can do this in a matter of days or a week or so. Be careful, because the soil will dry out a lot faster outside especially if the containers are small.

Also, when you move the plants outside, be sure to mark the front of the container if you have diagrammed them so you know which seeds are which when you bring them back in.

8. Transplant your plants to the garden. After the plants have been sufficiently hardened off, you can put them in the garden. Don't forget to check the frost date for your area if you are planting tender warm veggies like tomatoes and peppers.

That's it! I hope I gave you enough information to get started. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know below.

Happy Gardening!

Best Quick Blender Tomato Soup

This recipe came about one day when my son asked for tomato soup and we didn't have any canned varieties on hand. Plus, my amazing husband bought me a Vitamix blender for Christmas (gotta love Black Friday deals!). Now, you don't need a heavy duty blender to make this soup, since tomatoes are easy to blend even in the cheapest blender on the market. The only difference will be that you will need to warm the soup after blending it (the more robust blenders actually heat the soup when left on high speed for a few minutes). Not really a big deal! The end result is still super yummy tomato soup, better than Campbell's, in just minutes.

This recipe uses canned soup, but I fully intend on using garden fresh tomatoes this summer. If you use fresh tomatoes, let me know how it turns out in the comments! You would use just under 2 cups of fresh tomatoes. I used regular old cows milk for the soup, but I believe any unflavored, unsweetened plant based milk would also work.

You'll notice in the pictures, there are air bubbles in the soup because it's essentially whipped, this makes the soup taste even better. Trust me. Try it.

                                                                                                                                                                 

Best Quick Blender Tomato Soup 

Ingredients

• 1 14.5 oz can tomatoes (diced, whole, crushed, etc.)
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp garlic salt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 tsp cane sugar
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to the blender

2. Blend until creamy smooth 

3. If using a high power blender (vitamix, blendtec, etc.), continue to blend on high power until steaming. If using a basic blender, pour blended soup into a pot and heat on medium until warmed through. 

4. Salt to taste

Click HERE to print.

                                                                                                                                                                 

I don't bother buying cans of tomato soup anymore, this is super quick and tastes a lot better. Kid approved too.

Don't forget to dip your grilled cheese in it!

Questions or comments? Let me know below.

Happy Cooking!

So Jess Sew - George and Ginger Road Trip

GG Road Trip 

I tried this on for fit after sewing the shoulder and side seams and had a major flashback to Dirty Dancing (the movie). Did you ever see it? With Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze.

Does this ring a bell?

No? Okay here's Jennifer Grey doing it the right way.

Source: Lionsgate

Now do you remember? We've come full circle from 1963, or is it 1987 when the movie was released? Well, either way styles come back. And some never really go out of style! 

There are affiliate links in this post. If you buy something from the links, then thanks for supporting Let's Go Hobby posts!

I really like the back of this top too. The scoop neck is just low enough to show some skin, keep you cool, and...look cute of course. But not so low that you can't wear your regular, ahem, under things. The neckline is finished using a binding. I chose to make the the tank version, so the armscye is closed with a binding as well. The pattern does come with the option for sleeves all the way to full length sleeves. It also has the option for a lace up peek a boo placket in the front. The leg holes use a binding as well and if you have never sewed a binding on before, don't worry, the instructions are awesome with step-by-step graphics. Go check out the listing HERE to see the other options.

Oh, did I mention that the GG Road Trip is a body suit? Which means, your shirt will never come untucked! I added snaps to mine with pre-made snap tape. I didn't even know they made this stuff. 

Quick Tutorial

 Measure your snap tape against the place you want to place it. I found I could fit three snaps across on the Road Trip plackets. Pin or clip the snap tape on.

 I recommend using a zipper foot to ensure you can get into the tight spaces around the snaps. 

 Now simply sew all the way around the tape and you are done. This can be done before or after you have added the binding (in the pattern) as long as the snaps aren't too close to the edge.

Add the snap tape to both plackets (be sure to mimic how the body suit with snap together for placement before you sew!) 

Voila, now you don't have to take the whole thing off every time you use the facilities.

Does this move look right?

No? Not quite, huh? I'll leave the dancing to the pros.

If you want to sew the Road Trip, check it out on the George and Ginger site HERE. 

Have questions or comments? Leave them below.

Happy Sewing!