Category: Life Hack

Fat quarter travel pillow

On By CarynIn Craft, Life Hack

I don’t like the U shaped travel pillows. I’ve tried several, and the bulk pressing against the back of my neck (really anything around my neck) drives me nuts. So I made a different kind of pillow. It is ideal for reclining chairs because it has two side pillows so my neck doesn’t twist too far, and no stuffing behind my head. The best part is that I made it with one fat quarter, some thread, and poly fil stuffing.

Photo description: fat quarter (18”x21”) of quilting fabric with a pineapple motif

To make the pillow, fold a fat quarter in half lengthwise, right sides together (9” x 21”, doubled). Sew along the edges, leaving two 4” gaps on the outside thirds of the long edge (for stuffing later).

Photo description: fat quarter folded in half and sewn with two gaps on the far edge, on a model 66 treadle sewing machine

Clip the corners and turn the pillow right side out. Fold the case in thirds, mark the line, then sew seams along the lines. This divides the pillow into three parts.

Photo description: pillow case divided into thirds and being sewn using the fold as a guide

Fill the outside sections with stuffing, then sew the gaps closed. I usually do this by hand, but the foot on my model 66 has such a nice tiny toe, I thought I would try on the treadle sewing machine. It worked well.

Photo description: sewing the pillow gap closed using a treadle machine fitted with a standard foot
Photo description: finished travel pillow laying on the work surface of a 1916 Singer treadle sewing machine

It amuses me that the fabric coordinates with the “red eye” decals on the sewing machine. I can report that the pillow works great, especially for naps.

Purse apothecary

On By CarynIn Life Hack

To keep my emergency meds on hand and organized, I bought a pill case, sanded off the day-of-the-week letters with an emery board, and wrote on the medicine names.

Photo description: weekly pill organizer converted to a mini medicine cabinet

This is not my idea, I saw it first from a friend who was very well organized. It certainly beats my previous method of a small plastic bag with random pills.

Designed that way?

On By CarynIn Life Hack

There are many times that I’m late to the proverbial party. I’ve been keeping my boxes of sealable plastic bags flat on a shelf in my pantry. I struggled with which size I was grabbing, and usually had to move the gallon bag box off to select something below it. I realized recently that the labeling on the boxes is designed to be seen at the top of the box. This works great if the boxes are in a drawer, or shockingly, standing on end on a shelf.

Photo description: snack square, snack, sandwich, quart, and gallon bag boxes arranged on a shelf with the openings easily accessible and the labels easy to read

The bags pull out easily from the box and it saves me a moment of frustration, which in some mornings is a rather large boon.

Three ways

On By CarynIn Craft, Life Hack

I recently learned another method for securing the start and end of a seam on a treadle sewing machine with no reverse. With this method, you make a few stitches, lift the foot, move the material to the beginning, and stitch over the first stitches.

Photo description: sewing machine foot moved back to the beginning of a seam after a few stitches
Photo description: seam sewn on a Singer model 66 treadle machine using the lift and restitch method to secure the start of the seam

This trick joins my bag with two other methods. There is the turn-the-whole-fabric way, where you turn the fabric 180 degrees around the needle in the down position, put the foot down, sew a few stitches, then plant the needle, lift the foot and turn the fabric back to the original position, lower the foot and keep sewing. Also there is the tiny stitch method, where the stitch length is set to near zero to start and end a seam, but lengthened in the middle. All three methods work well to make it harder for the stitches to pull out.

On more modern machines there is a reverse button that allows the sewing machine to stitch backwards. Treadling an antique machine backwards will at best break the thread, or worse, make a tangled mess of your bobbin.

Bird feeder reuse

On By CarynIn Craft, Life Hack

I repurposed the hanging chick feeder I made in 2019 to feed the wild birds. I do not plan on raising chicks again, and I do enjoy watching the birds come visit.

Photo description: Many things reused as bird and squirrel feeders: mason jar chicken feeder in a custom macrame hanger, old small tire tied up sideways to hold squirrel feed, parrot ladder leading to a mesh colander that now holds bird seed