Category: Sewing

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Making A Cotton Clothesline Basket

Cotton clothesline basket by Lee
Cotton clothesline basket by Lee

Have you ever heard of a cotton clothesline basket? A friend of mine, Lee gifted me with this lovely cotton basket! I was thrilled and couldn’t imagine how to make such a thing. I was very happy when Lee agreed to teach me how! She’s pretty nice like that and I am not the first pupil she has had.

Basketmaking Lessons

On Monday Lee invited me to lunch at her house. It is always a treat to spend time with her and this was no exception. Her husband has built her a sweet little bright room just off from her kitchen. A sweet little sign hangs in this bright cheery room. “She Shed”. We enjoyed our lunch there. Her house is set in trees and has a beautiful canopy all around. It was a lovely and peaceful setting.

Finding Cotton Clothesline

She told me to bring a bundle of cotton clothesline. This proved harder than I imagined. The polyester clothesline is more readily available in my community than the cotton. I found two places at last. Our local Kroger’s has it on the automotive aisle! Home Depot also carries it in our Antioch, Tn store on aisle 12.

Making the Basket

I was very slow at first well actually the whole time. The process was easy to understand. There were some thread problems and a few missed spots along the way. But I got the hang of it and I think maybe I will be a little bit faster and a little better at it next time.

I wanted to attempt to make an all-cotton one and see if it might work as a proofing basket for my sourdough bread. Soon I shall know the answer if I can bear to use it for my bread.

I love the natural look of the rope. My project turned out great! I can’t wait to make another one.

Here is a picture of my finished project. Let me know what you think!My first cotton clothesline basket

My first cotton clothesline basket

Reda with finished basket
Reda with the finished basket
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Learning New Skills or Perfecting Old Ones

Learning new skills or perfecting old ones

Learning new skills or perfecting old ones? Either is rewarding. I have shared I have been learning some new skills during the pandemic. Pickled eggs, a sourdough starter from scratch, homemade yogurt, and now I have been working on my sewing skills.

My mom did her best to teach me and my sister how to sew.

My mom was a good seamstress and made most of my clothes. She taught me so many things. She did her best to teach me and my sister how to sew. We joined 4-H and entered our sewing projects each year after much toiling and seam ripping and maybe a few tears. Our dresses usually won an award of some kind. I am a bit stubborn and I am sure I was not a great pupil. Sometimes I didn’t have a lot of interest and my mom would ask who was going to make my clothes when I grew up. I would reply she was. I sure wish I had learned more during those lessons!

Anyway, as you may have guessed by now I am not a great seamstress. I can sew a little. I like to sew but I do end up in frustration at times lacking the necessary skills to make something look really nice.

Small bags African Print
Small bags African Print

My friend Ida Mae is a creative genius! She makes the most amazing creations. Anyway, I have been wanting to make little bags to share with supporters of the Malawi mission work. Ida Mae gave me a quick lesson one afternoon and I have been making some cute bags. Thank you, Ida Mae!

Learning new skills and perfecting old ones
Sewing

Ten years ago I bought an adorable pattern online from Samantha Caffee, The Handmade Dress. It was a peasant dress for sizes 5-10. You guessed it, I never used it until now! How sad! I love this cute little dress and my little girl grew up!

I wanted to make it for my granddaughter but it is too big for one and too small for the other. I’m sure I will find someone to give it to or take it as a gift to Malawi. Now I know how to do the sizes so I learned something else through this experience.

Learning new skills or perfecting old ones. Either way, you will feel a great sense of accomplishment.