Come Stitch With Me

SAVE IT!

Rather than discard it, save the card and register it with the gift card vendor using your address. Be sure to uncheck any boxes other than agreeing to terms & conditions when signing up.

This way, (1) you have a “valid” credit/debit card to use when signing up for something like a free trial that requires a credit/debit card number and (2) providers don’t have access to your checking account information. . Should you forget to cancel, no harm done.

My wireless provider, who has suffered multiple data breaches in recent years, decided in its infinite wisdom to remove the autopay discount if you pay by credit card. They want you to autopay using direct debit to your checking account or a debit card. Nope, you’re not getting my bank account info. Wanna pay by cash? These geniuses now also now charge a $5 “convenience” fee to pay with cash in person at a retail location.

Someone suggested using this prepaid debit gift card hack as a workaround to avoid the fee. I did. The company accepted my near zero balance debit Visa/MC and shows me as still eligible for the autopay discount. I’ll simply have to remember to go in and pay using my regular credit card a couple of days before the account does its autopay thing. We’ll see how well it works.

The dynamic duo appeared yesterday afternoon to make the coffee cozy project that was put on hold when they decided to experiment with markers, rubber stamps and ink pads instead at our last CraftLAB session. There’s just something about breaking open a new pack of Mr. Sketch markers!

Anyhow, there are a ton of free coffee cozy patterns available offering a variety of sizes, closures and embellishment options. I wanted something simple, so we adapted this pattern from Sew Simple Home.

My modifications:

1. Use fusible fleece instead of batting.
2. Start with 3 rectangles all the same size – 6″ x 13″ – one front fabric, one back fabric and one of the fusible fleece.
3. Before cutting out the pattern, fuse fleece to wrong side of front fabric. Quilt this section now, if desired.
4. When cutting out the pattern, layer as follows: pattern piece right side up, front/fleece fabric right side up and back fabric right side down. This way, your fabrics are mirrored and you only cut once.
5. For the hook and loop tape, we sewed the hard part to the left side on the top and the soft part to the right side on the bottom.

It took about 45 minutes start to finish with lots of playing around.

These coffee cozies also serve dual duty as makeshift crowns!

Keep stitching and crafting!

Look what I found at Barnes & Noble this week! So good to see it back on the newsstand after a long hiatus due to COVID. We subscribed to this magazine when I worked as an elementary school librarian. It was extremely popular with my 3rd – 5th grade students. I purchased this Summer 2023 issue to use as inspiration when planning CraftLAB activities for the upcoming fall semester.

The main reason for this blog post is to share the Curious Jane website, which has all of its 2015-2020 back issues available for FREE online. More inspiration to find fresh projects to keep your makers busy these last few days or weeks of summer break. The site also offers a curated list of recommended craft supplies and videos for DIY projects. Many of the projects are ideal for homeschool groups covering STEM related subjects, as well.