Hello, fellow stitchers!

As I write this, my thoughts go out to those affected by the recent wild weather. Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, and Hurricane Ivan have all been devastating storms. You may have friends or loved ones in the affected areas, or you may only have read the stories in the newspapers, or seen the pictures on TV.

Having a kit with emergency supplies handy is always a good idea. Such a kit could include a water, non-perishable food, battery operated radio, flashlight (make sure to check the batteries periodically), and any prescription or non-prescription medications you or your family need, Include a small first aid kit as well. A bottle of peroxide or other mild antiseptic liquid, and scraps of muslin, will allow for quick clean-up of hands.

You can purchase a case of some sort, or make one. There are a number of patterns available for making bags, totes, and carry-alls. Here are some for you to look at which I found on Sewing Patterns.com.

From Green Pepper Patterns: #F796gp, #F797gp

From Butterick: #20016bk and #12935bk

I’m sure there are others, but these will give you an idea of what is available.

And here are some sites which have disaster supply kit information:

• Red Cross
• Florida Office of Emergency Management
• California Health & Human Services

Fancy Footwork

The overcasting foot is designed to give a smooth stitch, without causing “tunneling” (that unpleasant looking humped-up effect), when doing a zig-zag stitch over an edge. It has a small metal or wire “tongue” for the stitches to form over. When using this foot, remove your work from the machine by sliding it to the back slightly. This will make sure that any stitches still on the tongue will slide off smoothly.

And here’s a quick project to make use of the overcastting foot. It is a bath mitt, which you can use to make bathtime fun for the kids, and easier for you

Easy Bath Mitt

Note that if you have a serger, you can use that for this project also. If you don’t have an overcastting foot, just use your regular foot, or you can just stitch with the right sides together and turn out.)

Materials:

• 2 washcloths
• Paper for pattern
• Sewing thread
• Embroidery floss or purchased appliqués (optional)

1. On a piece of paper, trace your hand. Keep your four fingers together, and your thumb spread away. Include a generous allowance around the outline. This gives you a large, loose mitten. Cut it out.
2. Pin the pattern to each washcloth and cut it out. It will be easier to cut each one separately, but you can layer the two together if you like. The choice is yours.
3. If you want, decorate one side of one piece by doing embroidery or sewing on purchased appliqués.
4. Place the two pieces together, wrong sides facing. Starting at one wrist edge, sew with an overcastting stitch. Go up around the fingers and thumb and back down to the wrist. Don’t forget to leave the wrist area open to get your hand in!