Weiner Skillet Dinner

 

1 pound weiners (hot dogs or franks)
1 large can (14.5 ounces) green beans
1 package mushroom gravy mix or brown gravy mix (prepared as directed on package)

Slash weiners diagonally and sauté in skillet over medium heat till brown. Add green beans (drained) and gravy. Heat thoroughly.

Serve over baked or boiled potatoes.

My Notes

 I made this just like my mom wrote it up, except that I mashed the boiled potatoes.

We thought it was delicious! 

From A Vintage Pantry Cookbook, by Margaret Mary Myers

Infinity Scarf from a flannel shirt

Way back in 2017, I made this pink plaid infinity scarf from a flannel shirt. It's nice to keep my neck warm on a cool day, especially if I am wearing a collarless shirt. 

I got the instructions from this website from Girl in the Garage, who paints furniture but, like me, embarks on diverse projects. 
DIY: T Shirt into Infinity Scarf

Here is a blue scarf I made around the same time, this one from an actual T-shirt, as the instructions show. At the time, my sewing machine wasn't very accessible, so I sewed by hand. I don't remember it taking all that long. 

How I Got into the Business of Making Cloth Masks

We had a partial box of paper "surgical" masks in the house when the pandemic hit.  I thought that would be all we would need. After all, we were just trying to "flatten the curve", right? 

Soon I realized I might want to make cloth masks for my family.  Well, I had a bit of fabric left from previous sewing projects; and I had a bit of 1/4" elastic, probably from my grandmother's stash; and I had pipe cleaners from some crafts with the kids. So, having found instructions I liked, I began making masks for my family. 

Then I ordered supplies through eBay, and I made masks for my adult kids' roommates and co-workers, and then for a friend's wedding. Pretty soon, I had made and given away 100 masks. In the meantime, one of my sons kept suggesting I make masks to sell. 

So I ordered more supplies and opened an account on Etsy. About that time a friend suggested metal nose strips to replace the pipe cleaners. That made a huge difference in efficiency and durability, and I was happy to begin my selling with this improvement to the masks. 

Currently, I have 28 different fabric styles or colors to choose from. Come check them out:  

Sewn4UByMMM at Etsy

 

Mini-quilt from Jeans

    

        

Do you enjoy re-using old things in a new way? I sure do. When a family member wanted a very small blanket, and we couldn't find any that small, I pulled out some old jeans. I also ordered some faux sherpa fleece through eBay. 

I decided on 24" X 20" for the mini-quilt, based on something I had re-used for a lap blanket in my car. 

I cut 30 squares, with each square being 5" across by 5" down, to make 6 rows by 5 rows. I used 1/2" seam allowances. I sewed the patches into rows and then sewed the rows together. 

The sherpa fleece tends to stretch a little, so I was careful getting it measured and cut to the 25" X 21" I would need for a backing. After cutting, I laid the denim on top of the fleece and trimmed the fleece a tadbit, as needed. 

I used clips to hold the two large pieces together, right sides together. I put the clips on the very edges, so I would have room to sew. I sewed around the three sides. I clipped the corners carefully, and then turned the blanket right side out. 

I then turned the edges of fourth side under toward the inside of the blanket and uses the clips to carefully attach it all the way across. I then sewed that side shut. After that, I sewed near the very edge all along the other three sides, so all four sides would like nice and flat. 

To finish, I sewed, on the jean side, down the set of rows where I had put all the squares together. I used blue thread and happily the blue didn't show on the beige fleece side, as it got "lost" in the fleece. I was quite happy with how it turned out.