Handmade Wooden Point Turners

Isn’t it lovely to surround yourself with handmade things? They feel so special to hold and to use. They have so much more character than store bought items. To that end, I’ve been wanting a point turner for awhile but didn’t want to buy any of the ones I found at local stores.

Rummaging around a stack of salvage lumber in our workroom, I found this beautiful piece of black walnut wood. I asked my parents where it came from and they said they rescued several pieces when a school was disposing of an old piano several years ago. I’m not sure what happened to the rest of the piano, but this wood is just beautiful.

After making myself a point turner, there was enough board left over to make a few more! I’m offering the limited number for sale in the next few days. In the meantime, here’s a photo summary of how I made them.

I used a bandsaw for all the steps above and used a table sander to round all the edges and to carve the tip down to a sharp(ish) point on both the front and back. Having a sharp point is helpful to push out stubborn corners effectively.

There is a very limited quantity of these available if you are interested in snagging one for your sewing table! If you would like to be notified immediately when they are available (verrrry soon! Like, tomorrow!), feel free to sign up for my mailing list!

(SOLD OUT)

The Easiest Way to Sew Zipper Ends

Whether you are using a cut-to-length zipper (my personal favorite) or a regular zipper, the need sometimes arises to sew a nice fabric patch on the end of the zipper. Of all the ways to do this (most are terribly frustrating), this is the best method I’ve used. It’s reliable - works every time. It’s quick - only takes about a minute total. It looks neat - no raw edges which makes it good for a variety of applications. And best of all, it’s the least fussy - it’s easy to get the fabric lined up and sewn straightly.

Here’s how to do it.

1) Cut a rectangle of fabric about 4” (10 cm) long and 1/2” (1.3 cm) wider than the width of the zipper.

2) Fold the rectangle in half with right sides together. Sew both sides with a 1/4” (0.64 cm) seam allowance.

3) Turn the fabric right side out.

4) Fold the top inside the little pouch so that the top of the fabric reaches all the way to the bottom.

5) Make sure the folded edge of the pouch is even all the way around. Insert the zipper inside. (Note: Depending on the application you’re using it for and the type of zipper, you may want to remove some zipper teeth so you don’t sew over them.)

6) Stitch near the top of the pouch through all layers.

That’s it! You’re done.

In my free Pear Pouch Pattern I use a different method, but this would be an excellent alternative. In fact, this is, simply put, a better method. More reliable and less fussy all around.

Getting My Closet Down to 106 Pieces

I recently ran across an infographic on Pinterest. A woman started with 450 items in her closet and pruned it down to 65. It got me thinking… what’s in my closet?

I counted, it was about 200.

It would be a stretch for me to get down to 65 pieces. I need clothes for Iowa summers, winters, springs & falls (if you’re not familiar with Iowa weather, it ranges from humid and hot to bitter cold), clothes for farm work (I live on a sheep farm), clothes for outdoor activities (kayaking, climbing, cycling, running, swimming, hiking, camping, etc), nice clothes for going out and about, clothes for staying home and being cozy. It feels like a lot of targets to hit. Many of the categories overlap though. The clothes I like to take on cycling or climbing trips are similar to what I wear on normal summer days, for example.

With the goal of getting my closet number as low as I could stand, I pulled out clothes:

• I don’t actually like

• I feel obligated to keep

• I like and hope to wear someday but never do

• I used to like but don’t wear anymore

• I don’t feel happy wearing or looking at on my shelves

I was able to purge around 90 pieces and get my wardrobe down to 106.

So, what’s in my closet?

I’ve divided my wardrobe into categories of uses.

Everyday - wearing around the house

Workout - gym, etc.

Adventure - cycling trips, climbing, kayaking, hiking, etc.

Farm - farm work and daily chores (and other messy things like painting, etc.)

Nice - going out with friends, on trips, going for tea or errands, etc.

Here’s what’s in my closet:

• 8 shorts - everyday / workout / adventure / farm / nice

• 11 pants - everyday / workout / adventure / farm / nice

• 7 long sleeve tops - everyday / workout / adventure / farm

• 11 short sleeve tops - everyday / farm / nice

• 7 tank tops - everyday / workout / farm / nice

• 12 button up shirts / jackets - everyday / adventure / farm / nice

• 1 vest - nice

• 9 sweaters - everyday / farm / workout / adventure / nice

• 3 wind breakers - workout

• 2 rain jackets - nice

• 2 winter coats - everyday / nice

• 19 dresses - everyday / nice

• 8 skirts - everyday / nice

• 6 jumpers - everyday

Insights

I’m so glad did this because it give me some valuable insights into my wardrobe. I will quickly outline them here:

1) It helped me realize what I need to work on sewing/adding to build a strong, well rounded closet. I need more nice jeans, more gym clothes.

2) My room is a happier place and I’m a happier person without things I don’t actually like sitting on my shelves.

3) Getting dressed in the morning takes less time and is more (way more) fun.

4) Only 7 pieces in my closet are things I bought new. The rest are sewn, thrifted, or secondhand from family and some friends. I don’t know if that’s good or bad but it’s just interesting!

5) I would like to transition my closet to almost all memade items. It just feels nice to surround yourself with good quality clothes that are made by you.

6) Much of my summer wardrobe is memade and most of my winter wardrobe is not. It would be nice to even the balance.

7) Since I work from home, I tend to not wear my nice clothes around the house in case I want to wear them out in the evenings or weekends. I want to keep them fresh so I have options. My epiphany while cleaning was if I just made myself more nice things (if I had more than 2 pairs of nice jeans) then I could wear nice clothes around the house AND have nice clothes to wear out and about.

8) Echoing #7, I’m happier when I wear nice clothes around the house. They make me feel good.

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With some practice I think I can get my wardrobe number even lower. I already feel myself being more willing to give things up after experiencing a taste of the joy of only having what you really love. I’m so happy I cleared out my closet!

PS - I wasn’t exactly sure where to draw the line on the numbers, so I want to just mention that I also have 6 swimming suits (I do wear them all…), snow pants and jacket for winter sports, 5 pieces for cycling - shorts, jersey, winter leggings, rain jacket, and rain pants, and lastly some insulated winter overalls and a coat both used for farm chores.

How to Repair Work Gloves with Holes in the Fingers

Three winters ago my mom bought me a new pair of leather gloves for the daily farm chores. They have been my best pair yet, but unfortunately they are already full of holes in almost all the finger tips. I think mine are a little beyond the repair stage (practically speaking). It’s an on-going problem — farm gloves that wear out too quickly.

Our neighbor said he has the same problem with his farm gloves and sent me this video of how to repair them. The video made it look so simple that I wanted to try it out. I asked if I could repair his gloves. It turns out it IS really simple and surprisingly easy. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Turn the gloves inside out and seam rip around the panel containing the hole.

Step 2: Cut out the piece with the hole.

Step 3: Using the piece with a hole as a pattern, cut out a new piece of leather (or fabric). Make the new piece 1/4” - 3/8” | 0.64 - 1 cm longer than the piece you cut out from the glove.

Step 4: Overlap the new piece with the existing finger panel and zigzag stitch them together along both edges (the edge of the new piece and the edge of the existing piece).

Step 5: Starting from the top of the finger, sew down each side. Stitch over the whole thing 2 - 3 times to reinforce the stitching.

Step 7: Turn the glove right side out and admire the new finger!

- Alternative Method -

On the thumb I tried a different method, and I ended up liking it more. Instead of cutting out the old piece just add a new piece on the outside and sew it back up!

Step 1: Seam rip around the panel containing the hole (or in this case, the soon-to-be-hole) and cut a matching piece of leather that extends past the holey area.

Step 2: Zigzag stitch the bottom of the new piece to the outside of the existing piece.

Step 3: Starting from the top of the finger, sew down each side. Stitch over the whole thing 2 - 3 times to reinforce the stitching.

Step 4: Turn the glove right side out and you’re done!

Ready for another cold winter on the farm :)

How to Easily Sew Any Size Boxy Pouch - The Math Formula Explained

Ever wondered how to do the maths to make a boxy pouch any size you want? Here’s how to do it. It’s quite simple actually. (Alternatively, if you want instructions on how to sew these pouches, head to the Pouch Pattern Calculator.)

To figure out what length to cut the pattern piece, add your desired finished length to your desired height, plus four times the seam allowance you are going to use (if you are not using French seams, only use two times the seam allowance). The width of the pattern piece is two times your desired width plus two times your desired height plus two times the seam allowance.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say I want a pouch 8” long, 4” wide, 3” high, and to use a 0.5” seam allowance.

Length (of pattern piece) = 8” + 3” + (4 x 0.5”) = 13”

Width (of pattern piece) = (2 x 4”) + (2 x 3”) + (2 x 0.5”) = 15”

It’s slightly confusing because often the length of the pouch turns out to be the shorter sides of the pattern piece (not in every case however… it depends what dimensions you design your pouch). Don’t let that confuse you though. The “width” of the pattern piece is so long because it functions as the top, bottom, and both sides of the pouch while the “length” only functions as the length and half the height on each side.

Important note on the sewing: If you are using French seams on the corners, be sure that the height of the first seam on each corners is one seam allowance width shorter than your desired finished height - otherwise the pouch will turn out higher but narrower and shorter than you wanted. For example, if you want the pouch to be 5” high and are using a seam allowance of 0.5”, sew across the corners where the height is 4.5” To see a visual explanation of what I’m talking about, head to the Pouch Pattern Calculator page and look at step 9 of the pattern instructions.

If this math doesn’t look fun to you, check out my free Pouch Pattern Calculator I put together. You simply enter your desired finished length, width, height, and seam allowance and it tells you what size to cut the fabric! There are also step-by-step illustrated instructions on how to sew the pouch with lining using the French seam method that my sister and like to use.

Happy pouching! And mathing, if maths make you happy :)