I knew there would be lots of Whirly Pop love out there. I have been remiss in not exploring the kettle corn possibilities. I need to track down the recipe book that came with it and get on it. My friend Ryan also informed me that it's not a single use gadget-- he uses one to roast coffee beans! I imagine nuts would work, too.
I did not get much of the basement done, but the yard looks as good as it ever has in March. We managed to get all the old paint out of the basement and take it to get recycled (Metro will recycle both the cans and some of the actual paint into new stuff). There was a lot. Low VOC paints weren't really on our radar when we were redoing the house-- there were very few options, and it was pretty expensive. We probably should have still gone with that, however. I am a little freaked out at how big that pile was. Lesson learned.
Anyway, the weather is turning cool and wet just in time for a visit from Paul's mom and for me to get sewing again. I got some XXL tshirts at the Bins. They were 1.59/lb, so I'm guessing that's about the price of each shirt. I'd say that will give you enough material for a 6 year old's shorts right down to multiple pairs of baby pants. These are for Sam and are in reference to this post and Boden beach pants. I don't always like buying good used clothes if I know someone else might need them as they are, but buying stuff at the bins means that it was the last stop for these poor things.
I don't have a serger and I use a long straight stitch and a stretch needle to sew knits. I usually only run into problems with with hemming/arm holes, so I used the existing hem of the shirt for the bottom of the pants. If you're going to do this, it's important to 1. Cut the fabric out with the bottom of the pattern lined up with the bottom of the shirt (the grain lines will right themselves if you do it this way) and 2. Sew the sides and inseam starting at the existing hem line (bottom up).
You can use any elastic waist pants pattern or trace a pair of existing pants. I added about a centimeter in width moving towards the bottom of the "front" pattern piece, so they wouldn't look tapered. I also added some pockets. The pockets make them a little heavier, so I'll probably opt for none next time or put patch ones on the back.
Okay! That's it. You can do it, too.
