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How to Make Cherry Blossoms

Here in Portland many of the trees are in full bloom. There are beautiful dark brown plum trees covered in tiny pink blossoms and also some other blooming trees with lovely cream colored flowers. 

So to celebrate spring here is a quick and easy tutorial for making blossom embellishments to add to your bags.  For those of you who have made yo-yos before these are essentially backwards yo-yos. 

1. Cut out circular pieces.  I've used the bottom of a vitamin bottle for my template. I'm also using two layers because as you can see the fabric for the outside is very sheer. If your fabric isn't sheer you just need one circle per flower. P.S. The circles don't have to be perfect--just a general circular shape will do.

2. Sew around outside edge.  Insert your needle anywhere close to the edge and insert it from the right side of the fabric as shown below.

Stitch all the way around the outside and end by coming out the right side of the fabric. 

3. Pull the threads to make a cup shape and then add a small piece of batting to the wrong side of the fabric.

4. Pull threads to close the blossom. Tie a knot and snip your thread. 

5. Sew pistils.  Thread a needle with embroidery floss or other decorative thread.  I'm using a metallic all-purpose quilting thread.  Insert the needle from the bottom of the blossom and come up off-center.  Make one long stitch crossing the middle. 

Repeat making X shapes across the middle. Use one or two tiny stitches in the middle to tack the longer stitches down.

6. Make leaves.  Cut a piece of ribbon about 1.5" long and fold it into a loop shape.  Sew through the ends to hold the loop shape.  Tie off or leave needle attached for sewing the leaf onto your bag. 

7. Attach blossoms and leaves randomly across your surface. 

Growing Mushrooms Indoors

A few weeks ago I was stumbling around the internet looking for something--I think it was local eggs--and came across these very interesting Shiitake Mushroom Logs. 

Shiitake mushrooms are very tasty, full of vitamins and protein and are also very expensive in the grocery store.  So these logs are an affordable and fun way to have fresh mushrooms. 

 

It is just fascinating to watch this plain log sprout tiny mushrooms that grow so fast.  The mushroom pictured in the first photo was about 2.25" in diameter yesterday and this morning it is 3.5"!  I have five 2"-3" mushrooms in just one week. 

Two friends also got logs so there have been lots of log jokes and excitement as the first crop of shrooms grows.

The log is basically a houseplant and like all living things does require some care.  The logs will last 3-5 years and fruit every few months if cared for properly.  Mostly they just need to be keep moist so the mushroom cells can multiply. 

My logs are in the kitchen on an old sewing machine table by a window for bright, diffused light. 

 

Washing New Fabric

 

New fabric has a nice crisp look and feel and it can be tempting to jump right into a project once you get your fabric home, but taking the time to wash your fabric is an important prep step in sewing. 

When you bring home your fabric it is full of sizing and who-knows-what kinds of chemicals.  It might look nice but all that extra stuff just attracts dirt and can irritate people who are sensitive to chemicals.

All cottons and cotton blends can be washed in warm or cool water and then dried.

My favorite tip for laundering fabric is to wash it and then dry it until just slightly damp. Then while the fabric is still damp press it well.  Drying fabric until it is totally dry can often lead to wrinkles that are permanently set, but if you take the fabric out when still damp you won't end up with those terrible wrinkles that just won't come out later!

If you don't have convenient access to a washing machine and dryer and really want to use your new fabric you can hand wash your fabric and then hang it to dry overnight.  Try to remember to iron it while still damp if possible.