Random stuff

(left)We made these yummy whole wheat pretzels. We substituted all the regular flour for whole wheat (maybe a little less whole wheat) and they were so good! I am not a fan of salt, so we added some cinnamon/sugar on top and then baked them. They were gone fast!
(right) For Activity Days we made these cute church bags to hold their scriptures in. We had 7 girls at our activity (5 are from our ward)! We had moms there with their sewing machines to help their daughters. So fun! The bags are made out of placemats (from the Dollar Store) and ribbon to decorate/ handles. I found that Walmart has a great price on 1.5 inch grosgrain ribbon which is sold by the yard. (only 53- 83 cents/ yard) Which makes it cheaper than a 9 foot spool of 1.5 inch grosgrain ribbon which is $1.99-2.99. I think they messed up on their pricing, because that means I can buy 3 yards= 9 feet for only $1.59. Anyways, I like having options on ribbon and buying it by the yard- so I won't complain. Another thing I learned, don't buy Joann's ribbon by the yard. It's insanely more- $1.50- 1.99/yard. Instead use a coupon, even only 40% off (a standard coupon I get every couple weeks), to make their ribbon by the spool decent- $2.87 for 9 feet. Plus its really cute- its the brown ribbon with flowers in the picture below. Here is where I first learned about the bags and here are some good directions to make them.

Before /After pics- Used an old frame and attached ribbon with a staple gun. It was a two person job to keep the ribbon taunt. One person holding the ribbon taunt with needle nose plyers and the other person putting in the second staple (you don't have to do this with the first staple). I love projects that are not only cute, but make life more organized!

Skirt I made from McCall pattern 5812. I love it when Joann's sells their patterns for .99- 1.99. This pattern requires lots of fabric (7 5/8 yard) And they actually call for 60 inch wide. I used the 32 inch wide stuff of muslin (which is normally 1.40/ yard) but I got it on sale making the skirt only $6.50. i didn't do the last tier (thought the length was good and I am 5'8''). But it does require alot of time. If you have never made a ruffle before, I suggest starting on a smaller scale (the longer your piece of fabric you need to ruffle- the more patience you'll need... :)) One small tip on doing ruffles, you have to pull on the bottom thread (the one from bobbin) to make the ruffles. Well if I sew all the way to end of my fabric, then I have a hard time telling which piece of thread is from the bottom. When I stop sewing a stich or two before the end of the fabric, then I don't have this problem. YAY!