Bird + Seed

DIY Trivet Tutorial

I have just over a yard of fabric left over from the kitchen curtains.  And it's so cute, I don't want to waste it.  For a while I toyed with the idea of making a skirt out of it, but it's just your standard quilting cotton- so not ideal.  Plus there's the whole Sound of Music aspect to consider.  And Gone with the Wind.  My, it seems that the whole outfit-nee-curtain concept is a bit over-tired.  Then I fancied with the idea of making place mats.  But that would just be too much matchy-matchy.  So how about a few odds and ends?  First up, a felt & fabric trivet.  

We brew our coffee in a Chemex... cause we're yuppies.  Also, cause it takes up less cabinet and counter space, is super easy to clean, makes superior coffee, is cheaper than most other decent coffee makers [35$], it's a small Massachusetts-based company... and we're yuppies.  Which means we could have an urn of hot coffee making marks on the counter or table.  Not cool.  A simple trivet is in order.  I actually had one similar I made years and years back [oddly enough also out of kitchen curtain fabric remnants] but it was old & stained.  In with the new!

Assemble your supplies!  A squarish piece of fabric and matching squarish piece of heat resistant fabric [optional, but handy] and matching piece of felt.  I used a stiffened felt, I think it's best for holding the shape.  Also, an optional strip of fabric for the handle.  Also, of course, pins, thread, and I made use of a bias tape maker.

First, the strap.  I used my bias tape maker to fold and crease the strip of fabric, then folded in half and sewed shut.  Alternatively, you can fold the long ends in to the middle, then fold the whole thing in half.  

Make your trivet sandwich: fabric, heat resistant lining, felt.  Fold over the edges and try to make nice corners, like wrapping a present.  Pin liberally.  I scouted the strap into one of the corner folds and pinned it in place.  Then, sew 'er up.  First, sew around the perimeter, to ensure everything is secure.  I also double backed over where the strap connected.  Then, the rest is up to you.  I quilted a triangle pattern into the surface- for aesthetics and also to keep it from warping.

The heat resistant fabric is rated to 360 degrees, but we haven't tested it quite to that extreme.  Mostly our coffee urn perches happily upon it.  Or a bowl at the dinner table- it also helps prevent scratches.  Okay, now that I've used about 1/2 foot square... what am I supposed to do still with the rest of this left over fabric?

Leaf Wreath

There is a massive pile of leaves in the back yard.  I am actually itching to rake them, but baby grass is growing and raking would upset their tiny efforts, so the leaves sit.  Except for these few that I made into a wreath.  I used the dipped in beeswax technique that I experimented with last year and found to be an excellent way of preserving leaves for 2-3 weeks [one of the leaves, the printed one, lived for an entire year, and would be with us still if it hadn't been crushed while moving.]  

Preserving leaves is super easy- let me show you how.

1- Gather leaves.  Don't worry if some have holes, ripped parts or a few yucky spots.  Pat them dry if wet.  Assemble a double boiler.  If you actually own one- don't use it.  Use just a pot plus a crappy bowl.  It can be hard to get the wax out.  Also, use a crappy wooden spoon.

2- The beeswax.  I used about 1.5 ounces of a 3 once cake of beeswax bought from the Co-Op.  Of course hippie grocery stores have beeswax.  They even have it in pellet form.  You can use regular paraffin wax, but I think that might make everything look white-ish grey.  Plus beeswax smells heavenly. 

3- Melty melty.  Lay out a sheet of waxed paper.  This is where you'll lay you dipped leaves on.  They dry super fast, so after you cover the sheet with leaves, they will already all be dry enough to pick up and move.

4- Ok! Dip!  Using the leave stems as a handle, dredge the leaves into the melted wax, then allow the excess to drip off.  If you are feeling extra fancy, you can fold and crease the leaves into shapes and the wax will more or less keep the leave in that shape.

5- Once dry, arrange your leaves as you like them on a suitable backing.  I used a large embroidery hoop.  But a donut-shaped piece of cardboard would work.  Or a wreath form.  Then- hot glue 'em on.  The leaves are light, so you don't need too much glue.  You can leave the stems on or off- I glued a few on just by their stems, to achieve a 'just fell into a pile' look.  Cover up some of the more ugly parts of the leaves with other smaller leaves.

And I just realized that I haven't shown you all much of our new place.  So here's the view of the wreath and the living room from the front door.