Cricut Explore Air 2

Hooray, I made another trip around the sun!  To celebrate my 35th birthday,  my hubby bought me a new Cricut Explore Air 2.   I was well overdue since I still have the old school Cricut that uses the 6 X 12 mat.  It served me well, but I was ready to cut more than paper.   This machine is much larger than my old one, but it's much prettier in a powder blue.  It has a knob for easy adjustment of blade depth for different materials.   After testing cardstock and heat transfer vinyl, I am hooked.  My only gripe is that there doesn't seem to be a design studio app for Android devices yet.  If you're curious about this electronic cutting machine, there are a multitude of videos and tutorials online, including mine.  Happy crafting!

Sewer's Aid, My New Best Friend

Sometimes when you find a product you love, you want to tell everyone.   This is one of those times.  But first, a bit of backstory...

A few months ago, my husband bought me a Brother PE525 embroidery machine for my birthday.   He really loves me.  :)  So the first thing I did was order a huge set of Embroidex thread from Amazon.  I was so excited to make my first test pieces.  Things went great the first few minutes,  but after that I kept getting the "check upper thread" message.  My thread was shredding every time I tried to embroider. 

I kept trying and sought some advice.  I joined a Facebook group of other embroiderers and discovered the solution to all my problems...Sewer's Aid.  It is a fabric-safe silicone lubricant that can be applied to the thread.  I just add a line to the thread before embroidering and voila, no shredded thread! 

If you are struggling with shredded thread, try Sewer's Aid.   I picked mine up on Amazon for around  $7, but you can also find it at most sewing or craft stores.  A little goes a long way and it is worth every penny.

Note:  This post is not sponsored or endorsed by Sewer's Aid.  I just really like the stuff.  :)

Simple Hobo Bivy Set

Hey y'all!

This is my first blog post, so I am keeping it simple.  I made this Hobo Bivy Set (sleeping bag/shelter kit) for my husband's three day bikepacking trip across Florida. 

Here's how I made it:

1.  I purchased two yards of dark grey fleece at Hancock when it was super cheap.  I think it was about $3 per yard.

2.  I folded the fleece in half (wrong side out) so that it was six feet long by about two feet wide and pinned around the edges.

3.  I sewed a half inch seam along the open edges, leaving the last couple of inches at the top open to allow for easy entry. 

4.  I cut down the bulk in the corners and removed the pins and turned the sleeping bag right-side out.  You can stop here if you want, but I added some fancy top stitching in bright orange, just for fun.

5.  My husband wrapped his rolled up bag in two black plastic table cloths from the dollar store.  He put one on the ground under his fleece sleeping bag and used the other to make a shelter.  It will only keep you warm down to about 50 degrees, but since the fleece weighs next to nothing, it is perfect for carrying on a bike or in a backpack.  Or if you're like me, you can snuggle in it by a fire in the backyard.

Simple Hobo Bivy Set for lightweight BikePacking or Hiking Sleeping Shelter.