Printing on Fabric with Bleach

Printing on fabric with bleach or acid solutions happens to be a very old art that can be traced back as far as 2400 BC. It really emerged in modern culture after 1652 with the establishment of Cape Good Hope, South Africa. Women of Khoisan group and Voortrekkers (a word that means pioneers) clothed themselves in Indigo cloth that was floral printed. This material became known as Shweshwe which is still manufactured today.

Feeling the need to create some of my own printed material I saw this originally on Pinterest posted by Stencil Revolution and decided to tame my creativity. Usually I stray from instructions and wade my way through projects by trial and error, but since this project includes bleach I thought it couldn't hurt to go step by step. I used embroidery hoops to keep the fabric taut and crocheted the border to give it that Three Comforts flair. I think it really turned out good!

I quickly ditched the stencil, check out my examples of free handing. 

Tranquility

Harmony

Crocheted border

       

Some other versions of printing with bleach can be found at Garden Design Sun Print and Craft by Photo - Fabric Bleach Art or if you feel like you need a real challenge check out Thread Magazine's cedar boughs fabric bleaching.

Not for the novice!

May you find comfort in your life!

Vacation Time

VACATION

This is something that I’ve struggled with and many other small business owners struggle with I'm sure. 

Should I put my Etsy shop vacation mode or should I just leave it open and let orders accumulate while I'm away? 

Moving and vacationing are hard on small businesses, especially the ones that are online, doing craft fairs, and selling at markets like I am! When your gone you are missing the opportunity to go to those markets and sell your items.

I've found that vacation mode for my Etsy shop takes the stress away for me. Its a give and take though because I don't have to worry about customers waiting around for me to fulfill their orders but then I don't have a stack of orders waiting for me to when I get back. I've found this great article below that helps me calm my qualms!

The Science Behind Vacations: Why we Need a Break

By IBTimes Staff Reporter @ibtimes on July 15 2011 3:25 PM EDT

Vacations are a time to relax, reflect, and regroup. This is a chance to unwind, regroup and take a step back to examine your life from a new place with a new perspective. Traveling, especially abroad or to a place we have never been before, allows us to temporarily leave our old life behind and adopt new customs, new ways of thinking and looking at the world that can crossover into our everyday lives. 

The great Pacific Northwest!

 Many people need the time and space away from what they experience every day in order to recognize harmful or self-destructive patterns in their life.  Another benefit to vacations is forcing yourself out of the daily rut that you have likely gotten into. Going to a new place can wake you up and shake up your sights, smells, tastes, and feelings. Experiencing all these new senses can help you to better appreciate the surroundings in your day to day life. Vacations can also help prevent burnout at home; by regularly taking time to relax, you can prevent that overworked, under-rested feeling you know too well.

So there. I need this vacation. 

Three Comforts is going into Vacation Mode July 21 through Aug 1st, but I'll be avidly posting photos on Facebook so catch me there!

May you find comfort in your travels and the rest of your life!

Postings Of the Past I

Women's Household

Recently I came across some old magazines that were my great grandmother Minnie Tyler's,  of course being the sentimental creature that I am I had to devout an entire afternoon to memory lane. I started thinking about this pre-computer form of Craig's list, or eBay that has been all but discarded in today's busy world. Magazines, with their "Help Exchange", "This and That", and "Handcrafts to Buy and Sell" sections, used to be the end all be all of communication boards.

Designed for women selling or looking for sewing and crafting items these pages contain the blogs of yesteryear. The Facebook posts of the past, and the tweets of olden days. Instead of computers they wrote letters in to this magazine who published them and then women around the world read them and felt connected to one another.

I thought it would be fun to re post some "Pet Peeves" from the January 1966 issue page 42

These are still true today.

From Mrs. Earl Bammes  In Wamego Kansas
Isn't it annoying to wait for another car when you are making a left turn, then have that car make a turn without signaling. You've been waiting for them for no reason at all.

From Mrs. Kae Jaworski  Chicago Ill
My pet peeve concerns those who ask for correspondents in the Tower Press publications and then expect the writer to pay the postage besides.

I look forward to sharing more from Women's Household in the future. You can find out more about Women's Household from these blogs:

World Press Sandy's Chatter "Before Email" 
Which actually talks most about WOMEN’S CIRCLE but mentions WOMEN'S HOUSEHOLD as well.

Or check out

A Hole in the a Head blog post from November 12 2006                                                          
A man's thoughts on a woman's magazine.

May you find comfort in your life!

Replacing zippers

Occasionally the zipper in something your very comfortable with dies and needs to be fixed. When fixing is not an option you'll need to Replace the Zipper. It's not as scary as it sounds... 

Step 1  remove the zipper first 

Step 2 measure the zipper

Step 3  with that measurement (I took it with me to match the color and size exactly) head to the store 

Step 4 Unzip the new zipper and work with one side at a time.

Tip: When trying to line up the zipper to the old lines in the fabric, pin it in place then using your zipper foot stich each side separately taking pins out afterwards

Ta da!

Obviously this seems a lot easier than you think, the good thing is to try it on an article of clothing that you are okay with letting go. That way if you butcher it completely, you might not get so stressed out when you have to abandon ship. Otherwise feel free to contact me, if you ask nicely I might just replace the zipper for you! Questions, comments? I'd love to hear from you!

May you find comfort in all of your life (I know my son-in-law will in his hoodie!)

Book cover

Oooh ahhh. The sacred hide.

A few months back my mom made a simple request: a new cover for her Bible made from the hide of a deer her father had hunted.

Strips cut for the cover pockets, button hole cut out.

Incredibly sentimental since the hide is really old and my grandfather is no longer living. This means whatever you do, don't mess it up - there's only so much hide to go around!

Found the right button at Hancock Fabrics 

The hardest part for me was finding a button for the closer that would work well. Stitching this soft leather was relatively easy. See the steps below!

I punched holes in the leather to start, then it was a matter of just stringing a leather thread through the pre-punched holes.

Threading leather string through the holes.

Use a piece of wood underneath the leather - safety first, also think of your work area - it probably doesn't need any extra holes, just the leather.

Using a hammer punch out the holes.

Finished

I plan on using the scraps to make baby moccasins. Shh! Don't tell
my daughter - she's a minimalist. Or, maybe, they aren't for my future grand babies. Either way, don't tell. Both projects are very practical and a great use of the leftover leather - repurposing a memory.

I'll be sure to post when I finally get around to the moccasins.

As always feel free to leave comments and questions below and may you find comfort in your life!

Manicotti

Warning: This is not your grandma's Manicotti, it might just be better

Part 1  Mushroom spinach pesto

1  bag or bunch of spinach 

1  8oz container mushrooms

1 small onion
1 clove garlic

2 Tbs olive oil 

2 Tbs butter

Brown the meat using a cast iron frying pan to increase the Iron

Directions

Press garlic, add to oil in frying pan on low heat, chop onion and add to pan, chop mushrooms and add to pan. Add butter and sauté. Add rinsed spinach and then set aside.

Cheese stuffing

1/2 of a 5oz container of grated Ricotta 

1/2 of a 5oz container of grated Ramona

Same for Asiago

And the following cheeses

Parmesan 

Mozzarella

Use a small spoon to stuff the shells.

2 cups Yogurt or sour cream (I use yogurt)

1 tsp Italian seasoning 

1 clove of Garlic

And for the meat lovers in our life: 1 lb Italian sausage (I used hot spiced sausage)

Mix cheeses, yogurt, and spices together then mix in cooked meat for the meat lovers, or skip this for the vegetarians, then add the pesto and you are ready to stuff your shells

This recipe makes enough stuffing for 1 1/2 boxes of Manicotti tubes and a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce.

After all the pasta tubes are filled, pour jar of sauce over the top and sprinkle any or all of the leftover cheeses on top. My husband would plead with you to sprinkle all of the cheeses. All of them. Put into the oven at 375 degrees, uncovered for 25 minutes

Enjoy and please leave comments after you try out the recipe!
May you find comfort in your life.