Description:
This tutorial will guide you through the steps to make non-commital curtains from bed sheets.  The button holes at the top allow you to change the look of the curtains by simply changing what hangs the curtains on the curtain rod.  You can move the curtains from room to room without having to make whole new curtains.

Materials:
queen size flat bed sheet
*Ensure the width and length of your flat sheet will be large enough to cover your window.  I like my sheet to have about 1.5-2 times the width of the window.  For this tutorial, I used a flat sheet for an extra deep bed, which was 84″ — the perfect length to cover many windows!

ribbon, rope, or other material to attach the curtains to the rod — have a look around your house and get creative!

Directions:
1.  Cut sheet in half lengthwise.  The original top, bottom hem (unless you choose to make shorter curtains), and outer finished edges of the sheets will remain in tact, leaving only a couple of seams to finish yourself.

2. Turn raw edge toward wrong side of sheet and press.  You should be turning the edge the same width as the outer finished edge.

3. Turn pressed edge again and press.  Stitch close to edge along entire length of folded edge.

6. Fold panels in half lengthwise and mark the top middle.

7. For each panel, fold the middle and side markings together to again find the middle between the two.  Repeat with middle and other side marking.  You should now have 5 evenly spaced marks on each panel.

8. Stitch buttonholes at each of the marks, 1/2″ from top edge, and approximately 1″ long.  I always do a practice buttonhole first on some scrap fabric to ensure that my placement will be correct.  Buttonholes are not fun to unpick :).

9. Unpick the center fabric of each buttonhole.  If you would like to make your curtains shorter than the sheet length, now is the time to cut and hem them to your desired length.  You can also add pennies or drapery weights to the hem if needed.  My sheet was quite heavy so I chose to leave the curtains without weights.

10. Now it’s time to get creative…

Grab some rope if you’ve got a little Buckaroo like I do…

Or ribbon if you’ve got a princess in the house…

…Tie or attach whatever you’re using to each buttonhole, leaving enough space to slide the loop or object around the curtain rod.

11. Hang your new non-commital curtains on a rod and change up the tops in a few months when you get bored of them!

I have tried a few different recipes I found online for homemade laundry detergent, and ultimately decided to make my own powdered recipe that works best for me.  Most ingredients online are similiar, so feel free to adjust quantities to suit your own needs and preferences.

Description:
This tutorial will guide you through the steps to make your own homemade powdered laundry detergent.

Ingredients:
1 bar Fels-Naptha bar soap
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup Baking Soda
*All of these items are found in the laundry isle next to the laundry detergents.  If you live in Utah — I had best luck at Winco for all the supplies, I was not able to find the Fels-Naptha soap or washing soda at the Walmart or Target in my area, but you may have better luck.
*If you try this recipe and like it, you can double or even triple the ingredients the next time you make it to get a larger batch.

Directions:
1. Grate the Fels-Naptha bar soap finely.  I grated mine first using a hand grater, then put it in the Magic Bullet to finish it off.  A food processer works great too.  Coarsely grated, this equals about 2 cups.  Finely grated measures less, of course.

2. Add 1 cup Borax.

3. Add 1 cup washing soda.

4. Add 1/4 cup baking soda.

7. Place in an airtight container.  Use 2 tablespoons per regular load of laundry. 

Here’s a label you can use for your container.  Click on the image below, then right click to save it.  I recommend opening it in Word or Publisher and printing it from there.  That way you can resize it to fit your own container. 

Like I said earlier, I LOVE cleaning products, but have been trying to be a little GREENER when it comes to some of my favorites. I think my favorite cleaning product ever is the Swiffer Sweeper. I just hate buying the refill cloths for the sweeper all the time, and really wanted something I could wash and use over and over again, like the reusable Swiffer duster that I made. The tricky part was figuring out what would “grab” the crumbs and clean the floor the best. Leave it to a sock to save the day! Using a chenile sock and an old t-shirt, you can have your new (and your last!) Swiffer sweeper cloth in less than 30 minutes!

Description:
This tutorial will guide you through the steps to make a reusable and washable Swiffer Sweeper pad using a chenille sock and some knit scraps. It is an easy project, perfect for a beginner or experienced sewer.

Materials:
chenille sock
knit scraps (old stretchy t-shirts work great) – can use other fabric with moderate amount of stretch

Directions:
1. Cut sock open along back, from top of sock to toe area. Make a small cut on each side of toe area to allow the chenille to lay flat.

2. Cut a rectangle approximately 6″ x 12″ from chenille. Depending on the size of your sock, you may have to stretch the chenille slightly to get a large enough rectangle, and that is okay. Your piece should be approximately 1.5″ larger than the Swiffer on all 4 sides.

4. Fold each 6″ x 8″ piece of knit in half, matching the 6″ sides. Align the 6″ sides with right side of the chenille piece 6″ sides. The folds will be towards the center of the chenille.

5. Place the 6″ x 12″ piece of knit over folded knit pieces, right sides together, aligning edges with folded knit pieces and chenille. Pin in place along all four sides (if you had to stretch your chenille to get a large enough rectangle in step 2, your top knit piece may be bunched slightly after pinning as is pictured — this will stretch out later).

6. Stitch around all four sides using a 1/2″ seam allowance, leaving a 3″ opening in the center of one of the 12″ sides.

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The Girl Creative
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Today’s Creative Blog
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DIY Showoff
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Strut Your Stuff

Description:
This tutorial will guide you through the steps to make a Fabric Flower Valentine Wreath.  Beginner sewing skills are required, and anyone from a new crafter to a “Martha” will enjoy this project.

Materials Needed:
Sewing machine and thread
Glue gun and 8-12 glue sticks
1 yd 45″ wide red broadcloth
1 yd 45″ wide pink broadcloth
Heart shaped floral foam
2 yd 1-2″ wide ribbon

Fabric to Cut:
Red broadcloth: cut 25-30 2″x30″ strips
Pink broadcloth: cut 25-30 2″x30″ strips
Note: the longer the strips are cut, the larger the flowers will be.  The larger the flowers are, the less you will need to cover your entire wreath, so adjust your strips accordingly.  The wreath pictured used strips varying from 15-22″ in length.

Directions:

Make Fabric Roses
1. Fold each fabric strip in half lengthwise and press.