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Making a Playing Card Holder

Playing card games can be fun for young and old. We probably started our kids with Go Fish and progressed to Rummy. Part of learning the rules of the game was learning how to hold the cards in their hands. Of course, it got easier as they grew up…their hands got bigger! Now, for us older folks, various arthritis issues sometimes makes it difficult to hold a handful of cards. I was asked if I could try to make some card holders with greyhound fabric for an upcoming conference, but I started with some animal fabric scraps I had…I didn’t want to waste the expensive fabric! Here’s a picture of a finished card holder in the greyhound fabric (of course with a winning hand!):

I had never seen or used a card holder so I started with Pinterest. I found quite a few places that had them for sale but I explored the DIY sites that would show me how they were made.

Handmade card holders seemed to be based on recycling a CD. Luckily, guess what I had in my office closet! I haven’t used a CD since small jump drives became available. What a great resource to recycle!

Making a Pattern

I needed a pattern to cut out the fabric circles. It needed to be the size of the CD with an additional 1″ of fabric all around. I found a piece of heavy paper and traced around the CD. Then, I added 1″ all around by marking 1″ about every inch and connected the dots with a pencil. Good enough!

Cutting the Fabric and Batting

My instructions are using scraps of fabric appropriate for my grandkids. For each card holder, you will need two circles of fabric, two circles of batting, two CDs, two buttons (about 3/4″) and a sewing needle with sturdy thread (I used about 48″ of hand quilting thread, doubled in half and knotted. You don’t want to gather the fabric as you sew.)

Assembling the Card Holder

  1. Place a circle of batting to the wrong side of the fabric circle.

2. Hand stitch with a long running stitch around the circle, about 1/4″ from the edge…DO NOT finish with a knot or cut the thread off.

3. Place the CD in the center of the circle on a hard surface. Press down on the CD with your left hand and with your right hand pull on the needle and thread to gather the edges around the CD all at once. A firm hard pull will gather most of the circle around the CD. With your fingers, help distribute the gathers and tie off the thread.

4. Repeat with the second circle, batting and CD.

5. Place the two finished circles together, gathered edges touching.

6. Sew a button through each side, sewing the two circles together snugly.

Your card holder should easily hold 5-10 cards. Great for young and old alike! Enjoy!

Making the Most of 4 Yards of Fabric

My latest sewing project involved making another adult bib for a friend. My pattern makes an especially LONG bib with a pocket at the bottom to collect crumbs while a person is sitting. Usually, I don’t try to make two of the same fabric, but this time I decided to see if I could squeeze two side-by-side on the fabric.

I bought two yards of fireworks fabric and two yards of plain red with tiny dots for the lining. After washing the fabric, I ironed it so I had a crease down the middle. Then I opened it up and folded the selvage edges to the middle, giving me two long folded edges. I ended up having enough fabric left over to make four bowl cozies and 8 refrigerator magnets. This was a fun day!

Here’s a sketch of how I laid out the pattern pieces:

I was pleased to be able to make two bibs that used up 1 1/2 yards of fabric and lining.

I wrote an overview about making adult bibs at https://marykisner.com/adult-bibs-are-not-just-for-nursing-homes/

It appears I have not written a step-by-step set of instructions to make this long adult bib yet. If you’d like me to do that, please send me an email (maryjkisner@gmail.com) and I’ll put that together next.

With the 1/2 yard (18 inches) of fabric I had left after cutting out the bibs, I decided to cut out four 10 x 10″ squares out of both fabrics to make bowl cozies. You can read about making these bowl cozies at https://marykisner.com/making-three-sizes-of-hot-pad-cozies/

Finally, with the few inches of fabric I had left, I pulled out my supplies to make refrigerator magnets. You can read more about making these covered button magnets at https://marykisner.com/more-than-just-a-refrigerator-magnet/

I had not made these in quite a while, so I was glad I had saved all the assorted tools and supplies. The fireworks fabric made nice magnets.

I was so pleased to be able to share all these additional goodies with my friend…2 bibs, 4 bowl cozies and 8 magnets! Such fun!

Discovering Air Plants

It was time! Time to repot some plants, rearrange some other plants and put away the grow lights. It’s also too soon to even think about outside planting. First, I had to dismantle the grow lights that I used for the microgreens. They will be stored until I need them again.

Bert started by repotting the aloe vera. It was in a tiny 4″ pot and had two baby plants trying to hang on in the crowded space. That gave the mother plant room to grow and the babies their own pot.

The spider plant is determined to send out long shoots that will make new plants. Bert keeps cutting them off (he really doesn’t like the spider plant…too unorganized…it’s the engineer in him!) We did let one baby grow and it’s now in its own pot. I’m sure the main plant feels stymied but we’ll keep it a while longer.

I saw an article in a magazine about “air plants” and wondered if they would give us the feel of the small spider plant but grow differently. The article confirmed that they grow slowly and have interesting blooms. Air plants, otherwise known as Tillandsia, are native plants to the southern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and have the ability to thrive in the warm temperatures, despite neglect. (That last statement is very important!)

With over 650 types of Tillandsia, these unique-looking plants survive without soil or water. Air plants use their specialized leaves to obtain from the air the water and nutrients they need to survive. The roots of the air plant are simply used for attaching themselves to rocks, trees, shrubs and the ground. They are easy to maintain but need a humid environment. So, I can either soak them in water once a week and/or mist them daily. (Not sure that can be called neglect…)

Bert thought they sounded interesting so he went on Amazon and ordered three plants. We saw pictures of pink ones and blue ones and learned that the color is applied and slowly fades away. They really didn’t look REAL.

This is what we ordered:

He also ordered a spray bottle of fertilizer and tiny hanging holders for the plants.

I followed the instructions that came with the plants that said to soak the plants first in room temperature for 20 minutes.

I laid them out on a paper towel while I got the holders ready.

I can see I might need to rearrange the plants on the shelves at some point, but at least now I can mist the air plants. We’ll see if I can remember to mist them every day!

Carrots for 9 Months

Those of you that follow this blog may remember last fall when we had harvested most of the produce in the garden. We had a few tomatoes left to pick (in the last section) and the carrots were still in the ground (middle section). We had begun trimming the lavender in the first section.

By September, the only plants left were the carrots. We planned to leave them in the ground as long as possible.

In late October, we dug up all the carrots. They were beautiful!

The extra little carrots with tops were rinsed off and given to a friend’s pet rabbits.

When the carrots were dry, we put them into gallon zip bags without closing them and put them in a large insulated bag. This sat in the garage for months and when we wanted carrots, I could just grab a few for dinner or salads.

During the cold freeze a few weeks ago, the garage got below freezing for several days so I set the bag of carrots in the kitchen. When it warmed up, I moved the bag back to the garage…sort of a traveling “root cellar.”

Yesterday, we wanted cooked carrots for dinner. I grabbed a bag of carrots out of the insulated bag. Too funny…they were starting to grow!!

So, I’ll begin by trimming up all the carrots. They should keep another month or so in the refrigerator. They’ll be ready for salads and dinners.

After 4 months in the garage, they are still tasty, crunchy and very orange!

It’s very nice to be reminded how much we enjoy the garden produce all year long! Our canned 4-bean salad, pizza sauce and pickle relish are frequent treats all winter!

Rescuing Batting Scraps

Sometimes my inspiration for new projects is triggered when I clean up from a previous one! When I finished making multiple sizes of the hot pad cozies in my last post, I had a pile of batting scraps left over. Usually, I stuff them into a clear tote I have on the shelf. These scraps are handy when I need just a small piece of batting for a small project. However, I was still thinking about the hot pad cozies and I knew I’d need 10″ to 12″ squares of batting to make more.

Luckily, that same day I was brainstorming with Toni…my friend with Nittany Greyhounds…about items that could be sold at the next conference. Why not hot pad cozies with greyhound fabric! This special-order fabric is adorable, with prints of greyhounds…but it is VERY expensive. I wondered if I had any scraps left from various projects to try my experiment. I found a pile in my stash I could play with!

Making the Batting Squares

I was determined to try these hot pad cozies without buying anything new. That meant I needed to start with my pile of batting scraps. I started by laying out the pieces and pulling together those that could be stitched together to make 10″ squares.

All my batting pieces are natural cotton and they are all similar weight. They seem to be more “natural” on one side and whiter on the other.

First, I trim the edges that I’ll sew together so they’ll lay flat.

Next, using a zigzag seam, I sew the two sides together. If that doesn’t make 10″ I’ll add another strip to the width. If the total square doesn’t make the 10″ I’ll add another strip along the bottom.

When I’ve pieced a large enough square, I put the pattern on and cut out the 10″ square.

Here are two finished blocks of batting:

Making the Hot Pad Cozies

You can read the details about how to make these cozies at my previous post:

https://marykisner.com/making-three-sizes-of-hot-pad-cozies/

With enough batting squares made, I started cutting 10″ squares of greyhound fabric. I found scraps of coordinating fabric to make the reverse sides.

I started with one of each print, just to see which print worked best. The first one was a very large print of a greyhound. I barely had enough fabric to make just one square. I think the large print doesn’t work…too many extraneous body parts on the edges!

The second cozy I made used a border repeat pattern:

The pattern was wider than the print so it didn’t make good use of the fabric. I did not want to cut off too many heads.

The third cozy I made used an all-over pattern of small greyhounds. I had enough fabric to use the same fabric for the lining; otherwise I’ll use white.

I think if we choose the greyhound fabric wisely, with a small overall print, we could make the best use of the expensive fabric.

For all the sewers out there…save your batting scraps! You never know when you’ll need them! Enjoy!

Making Three Sizes of Hot Pad Cozies

This week I’ve been working on a request from a friend…based on the hot pad cozies I had given her several years ago. She needed a wedding gift for her soon-to-be-married granddaughter. I wrote about these hot pads right at the beginning of my blogging adventure (https://marykisner.com/make-a-bowl-cozy-for-soup-or-ice-cream/)

For this project, I needed to make three sizes of cozies. I’ll start with a picture of my finished products:

These shaped potholders can be used in the microwave (not the oven) and are great when I want to reheat a bowl of soup or hold a serving bowl of vegetables so it can be passed around the table. The tallest one holds a cold drink with ice or a pint of ice cream!

What a thoughtful gift for a young person setting up a new kitchen!

The difference between the three sizes of cozies involves the size of the squares you start with and size of the darts that make the bowl shapes.

Supplies

To make these shaped hot pads, here are a few things you’ll need to have:

  1. A ruler, fine point marker and basic sewing supplies.

2. Fabric, batting and thread must be all cotton. Check labels for any sign of polyester, nylon or synthetic components…they will melt in the microwave. I look for all cotton quilting fabric, all cotton batting (sometimes labeled as “natural”) and all cotton thread. I’ve ordered thread online like this:

Of course, the cone-shaped spools have to sit behind my sewing machine but they are heavy enough to stay put.

All three sizes of hot pad cozies are made the same way. The LARGE hot pad, made for a serving bowl, begins with two 12″ squares of fabric and two 12″ squares of batting. The MEDIUM and TALL sizes begin with two 10″ squares of fabric and batting.

Instructions for Making the Hot Pad Cozies

  1. Cut two squares of fabric in coordinating colors (the cozies are reversible):

2. Place a square of batting on the wrong side of each fabric square:

3. Working on the batting side, use a ruler to draw a stitching line from corner to corner. Stitch on the lines.

4. Next, measure the midpoint of each side and draw lines through the center. These are your FOLD lines.

MEDIUM Size shown below (10″ square)

LARGE Size (12″ square) shown below:

TALL Size (10″ square) shown below:

The size of the darts depends on the size hot pad you are making. Here’s a table to determine those measurements. Draw the stitching lines right on the batting.

The rest of these illustrations are for the TALL hot pad cozy.

5. Fold the square in half along the FOLD line. Stitch the corner darts (see the picture above):

6. Open the square and fold the other way. Stitch on those corner dart lines:

Trim the darts to 1/4″ to decrease bulk.

7. When you open the squares, they will sit like a bowl.

8. Repeat with the other 10″ square. This will make the lining piece.

9. Nest the two finished “bowls” right sides together. Pin the two halves together lining up the darts.

10. Sew around the edges with a 1/4″ seam, turning your needle at the corners and the darts. Leave about 3″ open for turning right side out. Trim the corners.

11. Turn right side out through the opening. Poke out the corners with a stick or chopstick.

12. Top stitch all around the top edge of the cozy.

And, FINISHED! I ended up making 3 of each size, so the newlyweds will have plenty to get started!!

Enjoy!

Still Finding Joy in Making Bracelets

It’s now been more than a year that I’ve been working with gemstone beads. While this hobby started with the “friendship bracelet” fad over a year ago…with words, letters and interesting shaped beads…I was quickly fascinated with actual gemstone beads. Learning about the gemstones and how they were used in history for jewelry, official ceremonies and technology encouraged my interest in them. When I started, I wasn’t clear if others would also be interested in what I was learning. Most folks enjoyed how pretty the bracelets were and were drawn to their favorite colors or their birthstones. You can read about how I got started in making these bracelets at https://marykisner.com/gemstone-bracelets-good-vibrations-for-the-whole-family/

Many of the bracelets I made for the Festival last summer had just one or two kinds of stones in them. I sold 60 bracelets over the three-day festival for $10 each. I will continue to make bracelets like those for the festival this year. I made bracelets in three sizes and discovered the Large (8″) bracelets did not sell as well. Most were bought by or for men. So, I’ll make more of the Small and Medium size and make the Large bracelets with larger beads to appeal to men.

Morse Code Bracelets

Another kind of bracelet I’ve enjoyed making are custom-made to have a person’s name spelled out in Morse Code, using round black beads for the dots and small black cylinder beads for the dashes. The extra beads to finish the bracelet were chosen for a specific purpose…birthstone, favorite color or a specific bead to support a health issue. These could be White Opal beads to reduce stress and worry; Citrine for good luck; or Amethyst for overall good health. Here are some examples:

I actually got pretty good at “reading” the Morse Code in the bracelets…maybe I should work toward my HAM radio license! You can read about making these bracelets at https://marykisner.com/making-morse-code-bracelets/

Bracelets to Support a Health Issue

A few months ago, I was asked to consider making a bracelet to support a friend’s health issue…headaches and migraines. I added a disclaimer that this bracelet was not a medical device! I am not a doctor (actually I am…just not a medical doctor…smile!). While some very sensitive folks can feel vibrations from the gemstones, that is not one of my talents. However, historically some gemstones have helped issues like headaches for some folks. Wearing a bracelet can be a reminder to rest, relax and think about releasing stress which is often the cause of a headache. Wearing the bracelet can’t hurt and the bracelet is pretty to look at. The stone beads are smooth and cool to the touch. Even putting the bracelet in your pocket and handling it now and then can remind you to release stress. Here’s the final bracelet:

I now have several bracelets with specific stones to support a variety of health issues. I’m not sure if I’ll sell these bracelets at the festival, but I can explain them individually to folks. Because they involved more time to make, they will cost more than $10. Here are two other samples:

Making bracelets for others continue to be a rewarding hobby for me. This focused activity helps me release MY stress! Look for me at the Art in the Orchard Festival in July and pick out a bracelet for yourself! If you have a request for a specific bracelet, send me an email and we can discuss it (maryjkisner@gmail.com). To read my post about the Festival last summer, check out this post: https://marykisner.com/follow-up-of-the-art-in-the-orchard/ Enjoy!

Adding Color to My Wardrobe

This new year is the END of my drab wardrobe! Famous last words! For a long time, I’ve managed to coast along, work from home and live in sweats and t-shirts! My goodness, I’m 78 years old! I can risk trying some new colors! I have lived in black and navy blue with an occasional purple for years. Why!

For a while, as my hair turned gray, it felt like the dark colors looked best. Then I discovered I managed to spill or drip something right on the front of most of my shirts. Sometimes my cooking projects enhanced any design on any shirt I had! That didn’t show as much on dark colors! Plus…I’m home most of the time, so who cares if I’m in t-shirts. I seldom spend much time staring at myself in the mirror!

My closet is pretty dark and boring with all my dark shirts!

I occasionally wear a red raincoat…but only when it’s raining! Most of the time I’m in black jackets.

Anticipating Christmas gatherings, I managed to buy a green sweater and a red one. I really fit into our Christmas pictures…instead of all black with a red scarf!

I needed a new mid-weight coat this year. Lands End was having a sale! Yea! I ended up with a navy coat (of course) that was great for those days when I was running around town. I wore this coat to Kathy’s house on Christmas Eve.

While we’re driving I noticed in the car mirror that the lining was a lovely cobalt blue.

Thinking to myself, “What a great color! Why don’t I have more of that in my closet?” So, while Bert was driving past Ebensburg I pulled up Amazon on my phone and in a few minutes I found a sweater, a scarf, a t-shirt and a plaid flannel shirt in this lovely color! Merry Christmas to me!

So that’s the story of adding color to my wardrobe! I’m going to do better from now on!

Whispering Hope: A Song for Christmas?

I have only a few memories from the year my family spent in the Philippines in 1955-56. I was 9 years old and I’m sure my memories were influenced by my mother, who I spent most of my time with…compared to my older brother (15) and sister (18), who enjoyed the freedom to explore a new country without too much supervision. I have shared a few of my memories in this blog. You can read them here:

https://marykisner.com/this-monkey-was-not-my-friend/

https://marykisner.com/trying-to-sneak-into-air-conditioning/

https://marykisner.com/a-christmas-surprise-in-1955/

https://marykisner.com/camel-ride-in-egypt-in-1956/

For some reason, today I was reminded of the experience of carolers coming to our door in the week before Christmas…1955 in the Philippines. I probably watched too many Hallmark movies this week where groups of folks were wandering the streets and neighborhoods in their fictional towns singing Christmas carols. If the snow was drifting down in the movie, the songs were about Dreaming of a White Christmas, and sleigh bells ringing.

I thought back to the songs I heard outside our door in the Philippines. You can be sure there were no drifting snow flakes or sleigh bells on horses on our street! The weather was warm and sultry…not cold and snowy! We heard traditional religious carols, like O Little Town of Bethlehem and Away in a Manger. The most common song…in my 9 year old memory…was Whispering Hope! I don’t recall ever hearing that song before or since…especially at Christmas. I barely remembered the tune.

Time to do a little research! First, I looked up the history of the song. It was written in 1868 by Septimus Winner (1827-1902). This article, by Pam Griffin, summarizes his life as follows:

STORY BEHIND THE SONG: From folk tunes to jail to ‘Whispering Hope’

“What could the comforting hymn “Whispering Hope” have to do with well-known little ditties such as “Listen to the Mockingbird,” “Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?” and “Ten Little Indians?” They were all written by Alice Hawthorne, one of the pseudonyms used by the 19th century songwriter Septimus Winner. The famous poet, composer and violinist, born in 1827 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the seventh child of Joseph Eastburn Winner and Mary Ann Hawthorne, a relative of Nathanial Hawthorne.

Winner, a self-taught musician, did study violin briefly around 1853 with Leopold Meignen, a former bandmaster in Napoleon’s army and a composer and conductor. Winner could play a variety of instruments, including the guitar and banjo, and became proficient in the violin by the age of 20. After graduating Philadelphia’s Central High School, he opened a music shop and gave lessons on a number of instruments and performed locally with the Cecillian Music Society and the Philadelphia Brass Band.

From 1845 to 1854, Winner and his brother, Joseph, formed a music publishing business, Winner & Shuster, which Winner continued with various partners and names until 1902. During this time, he wrote or edited 200 volumes of music for more than 20 instruments and produced more than 2,000 arrangements for violin and piano plus more than 1,500 easy arrangements for a number of instruments.

Winner, who died in Philadelphia from a heart attack in 1902 at the age of 75, was a frequent contributor to Graham’s Magazine, then edited by Edgar Allen Poe, and was the founder of Philadelphia’s Musical Fund Society. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.” By Pam Griffin (pgriffin@thedestinlog.com)

So, how about that! Next, I looked up the lyrics of the song. That helped me understand how it could fit into the Christmas spirit and the recent end of World War II. In 1955, we weren’t too far away from the end of that conflict. I found two versions of the lyrics…the original and a second version that was published as a hymn.

Original lyrics:

Lyrics published as a hymn:

Sheet Music

Finally, I went to musicnotes.com to find the easy piano version of sheet music for Whispering Hope, thinking maybe I could take it with me to our Christmas gathering at our daughter’s house. My grandson might be able to play the tune on the piano. It cost only $5 to print a copy from that website.

So, that’s the story of the song, Whispering Hope, from my memory in 1955. I found a recording of the song by Anne Murray on her album, Amazing Grace: Inspirational Favorites and Classic Hymns. I purchased the album on iTunes and will enjoy the song this season! I’ll add this song to my Christmas playlist.

Follow up

My grandson, Ben, tried to plink out the melody but he had no reference…he had never heard the song. He tried to quickly find the song on his phone so he could hear it. Not much luck! I also had trouble trying to fit the lyrics into the notes on the sheet music. He eventually lost interest in trying to help me…Christmas activities won the day! I’ll have to tackle this myself at my own keyboard.

That’s OK. He tried to help!

This weekend I’ll spend some time with my brother and Lita (his wife is from the Philippines). She should remember that Christmas long ago. Hopefully, she will remember that song too!

Merry Christmas from Mary and Bert!

Happy Birthday to My Dad

This Sunday I’d like to wish my Dad a Happy Birthday! He would be 111 years old (he made it to almost 99, so he hasn’t been gone too long!) I thought I’d share with you the story he wrote as he reflected on his childhood in his later years. It certainly explained why over the years he didn’t want us to make a big fuss over his birthday. Enjoy the story with me!

_____

BIRTHDAYS

My birthday was never celebrated. My Dad gave me a rational explanation in 1917 when I was four years old but the idea never reached me through the fog of psychological and theological mystery involved with the arrival of a baby sister Ruth in October. Sister June joined the family in the month of June when I was six and sister Lois, again in October, just before I was nine. It seemed clear to me and surely evident to Dad that birth events delivered girls to our family.

Dad and I were both born too close to the birthday of baby Jesus. Jesus was a boy but it was clear to me that his birth was one of a kind and not to be generally expected. Dad’s birthday was December 26 and mine was December 22. Probably our birthdays got lost in all the fuss about the baby Jesus celebration. The only firm conclusion I seemed able to make was that birthday celebrations were girl-things and that boys like Dad and me were out of the loop.

In successive years that conclusion was confirmed in practice. At supper on the 22nd mother would suddenly announce that the day was important in her life. After some moments while we all kept on eating and mother mused, she would say to her daughters: “Oh yes, now I remember. December 22 was the date Paul was born.”

Then Dad, also speaking to the girls, would continue: “Santa always helps with Paul’s birthday present. In fact, I think I saw his name on a package under the tree. Should Paul get it now so we can all see?”

All the little sisters would of course squeal “yes.” I would go into the cold, unheated parlor where the Christmas tree was always placed, choose a package with my name on it and come back to the supper table to open it. Usually, it was something I knew I was going to get because for weeks I had watched Mother making it in her spare time. Then the little sisters would plead for a chance to also get packages, but Dad would insist they must wait until the day after the day after tomorrow to see what Santa had brought for them. There was always some whining, but on balance the scheme worked.

Right after sister number 3 arrived, Dad and I seemed to recognize a mutual awareness. “Birthdays are for girls.” In our mature years that assumption has served well for both of us by freeing us from tedious secretarial tasks and the cost of mailing commercially produced, generic messages to friends and relatives.

Did I have a birthday, or did I have a diluted Christmas? When I wondered about it, Dad helped me see that his situation was even worse than mine. By the 26th there was never anything left under the Christmas tree. Dads’ birthday party always had a special name…“clean up time.” Paul W. Bixby

_____

We made sure to celebrate his birthday with as many kids and grandkids as we could. Luca helped him blow out the candles at his 95th party.

My Dad with his siblings. He was proud to be a big brother to them all!

So Happy Birthday Dad! We miss you so much!