I try to limit my on-line presence to sites and companies that I feel comfortable with. Ones that have good privacy policies, and sound security implementation. There is, of course, no complete guarantee ... once you've dipped your toe in the on-line world your presence can reach around the world.
Still, I try.
One thing I've noticed lately is the proliferation of contests where no purchase is necessary, simply go to XXX website and key in your PIN number for your chance to win some wonderful prize. Every time I go to these sites and key in that special code I am brought to a page where I need to supply way more than an email address. I see it for what it is - a cheap, efficient way of building potential client lists. I do the work, they get the reward.
When I get one of these pages I immediately close the window and move on. None of these prizes have been worth the cost of being bombarded by more sells pitches. I already get too much of that.
What do you do? Do you close the window and move on or do you give them what they want in the hopes of winning?
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Monday, June 03, 2013
Sewing Drapes for Big Openings
I thought I would give a slightly more in-depth explanation of how I sewed the drapes (curtains?) for the living room sliders.
The sliders in the living room are quite large, measuring 95" from the inside frame (96" would be eight feet). When we moved in the sliders were covered with shears. Not being a shears kind of person, I wanted to replace them (plus the mechanism to close and open the shears wasn't working properly). We got a curtain rod and new brackets from Ikea, and I purchased a single set of Ikea Merete drapes. Each panel measured 57" wide, so I assumed that 114" (two panels) would easily cover the slider. It didn't. I started doing some research on-line to see what I was doing wrong. Turns out that even simple, non-full drapes require at least twice the width to really cover adequately. For a really full look, especially if you like the pleated look, you should really look for three times the width. That meant I needed at least 190" or 95" per panel. The widest panels I could find were 59" ... nowhere near enough. After thinking it through for a couple of weeks, and considering other options, I decided to take two sets of Merete drapes and sew them together. I really came to this conclusion while considering sewing my own drapes. I was chatting with a salesperson in a fabric store. I asked how they dealt with their custom drapes that they sewed for clients since I didn't see any fabric bolts that were wider than 59" ... turns out they sewed panels together to get the full look. Dah!
So, back I went to Ikea for a second set of Merete drapes. When I got home I took two of the panels and put them facing each other, with the side that would face towards the slider (the backside, so to speak) on the outside. Since the Merete drapes have large, over-sized grommets that are used to hang the drapes, I knew I would start sewing at the top end to ensure that they lined up properly.
Holding them together with the tops lining up I used my sewing machine to attach the two panels on one side. It wasn't difficult to do; however, two panels of Merete drapes are quite heavy, so I did have some wrangling of fabric to do while sewing.
Since this was the bottom of the curtain it didn't matter too much. I would be folding and re-hemming. I simply needed to consider this when doing my folds. Next, I ironed the seam flat.
I then took the sewn panels and laid them flat on the living room floor. I measured from the curtain rod to the floor - 89" ... almost 90. All the instructions I found for sewing curtains said to check what the shrinkage of your fabric is and consider this when making a decision on length. The Merete package said the fabric had a 4% shrinkage rate. 90 * 1.04 = 93.6" - I decided to go for 94" since I was still considering moving the curtain rod closer to the ceiling. I used my measuring tape, and with the help of Walter I marked the fabric with pencil at several intervals along the length. I then used a ruler to connect these markings in a complete line drawn across the fabric.
I returned to the ironing board with pins and began a first fold iron of approximately 1/2 - 1". This step was to protect the possibly exposed cut portion of the fabric (and in my case, take care of that uneven meeting of two panels). I then took a second pass with the iron, this time folding to the pencil line. As I ironed I paused to put pins in - these would hold the fold until I could sew the hem.
Once I completed this step I went back to the sewing machine and sewed my hem, keeping the stitch close to the fold (about 1/2" in from the fold).
Then I simply repeated all the steps for the second two panels.
We've gone from this:
To this:
The sliders in the living room are quite large, measuring 95" from the inside frame (96" would be eight feet). When we moved in the sliders were covered with shears. Not being a shears kind of person, I wanted to replace them (plus the mechanism to close and open the shears wasn't working properly). We got a curtain rod and new brackets from Ikea, and I purchased a single set of Ikea Merete drapes. Each panel measured 57" wide, so I assumed that 114" (two panels) would easily cover the slider. It didn't. I started doing some research on-line to see what I was doing wrong. Turns out that even simple, non-full drapes require at least twice the width to really cover adequately. For a really full look, especially if you like the pleated look, you should really look for three times the width. That meant I needed at least 190" or 95" per panel. The widest panels I could find were 59" ... nowhere near enough. After thinking it through for a couple of weeks, and considering other options, I decided to take two sets of Merete drapes and sew them together. I really came to this conclusion while considering sewing my own drapes. I was chatting with a salesperson in a fabric store. I asked how they dealt with their custom drapes that they sewed for clients since I didn't see any fabric bolts that were wider than 59" ... turns out they sewed panels together to get the full look. Dah!
So, back I went to Ikea for a second set of Merete drapes. When I got home I took two of the panels and put them facing each other, with the side that would face towards the slider (the backside, so to speak) on the outside. Since the Merete drapes have large, over-sized grommets that are used to hang the drapes, I knew I would start sewing at the top end to ensure that they lined up properly.
Holding them together with the tops lining up I used my sewing machine to attach the two panels on one side. It wasn't difficult to do; however, two panels of Merete drapes are quite heavy, so I did have some wrangling of fabric to do while sewing.
When I came to the bottom I realized that the panels weren't perfect. One panel was definitely a different length then the other.Since this was the bottom of the curtain it didn't matter too much. I would be folding and re-hemming. I simply needed to consider this when doing my folds. Next, I ironed the seam flat.
I then took the sewn panels and laid them flat on the living room floor. I measured from the curtain rod to the floor - 89" ... almost 90. All the instructions I found for sewing curtains said to check what the shrinkage of your fabric is and consider this when making a decision on length. The Merete package said the fabric had a 4% shrinkage rate. 90 * 1.04 = 93.6" - I decided to go for 94" since I was still considering moving the curtain rod closer to the ceiling. I used my measuring tape, and with the help of Walter I marked the fabric with pencil at several intervals along the length. I then used a ruler to connect these markings in a complete line drawn across the fabric.
Once I completed this step I went back to the sewing machine and sewed my hem, keeping the stitch close to the fold (about 1/2" in from the fold).
Then I simply repeated all the steps for the second two panels.
We've gone from this:
To this:
It's definitely more our style. I like the feel of the cotton window coverings over the scratchy, synthetic feel of the shears. The new drapes still let some light in, but it's definitely harder to see in at night.
Sunday, June 02, 2013
Two Down ... One To Go
Last time I mentioned three projects I was hoping to tackle by the end of May - drapes, utility closet, and record storage. Well, I managed to get two of those projects done. Yeah!
First. The utility closet in the kitchen. Eventually Manuel would like to build a shelving system for this space, but right now he's got a lot more important things to do on his list. So, in the interim I wanted something that would make the space more functional. Some shelving for storage, and a place for the recycling were my main goals. I wanted to use items that I could re-purpose later since I didn't want to spend money on temporary things that wouldn't have much longevity. I found two perfect solutions at Ikea.
For the storage portion I was looking for something that could fit into a 41cm square area - the deeper portion of the closet. I found the Limhamn stainless steel shelving unit (product # 801.777.16).
It was one of the few units I could find that wasn't too small nor too big. It fit just right.
For the recycling portion I was looking for something that I could stack. I had considered the more traditional blue-style boxes that you can find at Home Depot, but that meant using the deeper portion of the closet, thereby losing out on more storage options since the shallower part of the closet is only 30 cm and I couldn't find any real useful storage options that shallow. Enter the Retur recycling bins (product # 001.657.03).
At only 20 cm deep they fit perfectly in the shallow part of the utility closet. Plus they are stackable ... and I can attach them to the walls.
I went from a fairly unusable space ...
... to something that works really well.
I'm happy with the results - it's definitely made things neater around here which was a big goal.
The other project I managed to complete was the drapes for the living room. I thought about sewing curtains for this rather large slider. Window coverings are fairly straight forward, but I just couldn't find the right fabric (or more appropriately, there were too many that I liked ... I couldn't make up my mind). After doing a fair bit of reading on-line I realized that I was probably better off getting a second set of Merete curtains from Ikea (product # 801.119.85). First, I sewed two panels together and ironed the seam flat. I then measured from the curtain rod to the floor (just shy of 90"). Reading the curtain package, shrinkage for the fabric was 4%, which meant a measurement of 93.6" would be appropriate. I laid the curtain down on our living room floor and marked out 94" across the fabric with a pencil. I made a 1/2" inch fold in from the hem and ironed, followed by folding to the pencil mark and ironing this fold. I pinned as I went to hold it all in place. I then sewed this new hem length ... and repeated the same process with the other two panels. Once I had finished with both sides I hung them, and finished everything off with some simple finials (also Ikea - Blast - product # 402.172.48).
The end result is a billowy curtain. When the curtains are closed you really don't notice the panels that are sewn together as the seams are camouflaged within the folds of material.
I'm happy with the results - the colour is neutral enough to not stand out. It doesn't call attention to itself. It just does its job.
I didn't get the final project - the record storage - completed. I'm still thinking through some ideas. In the interim ... I've moved the boxes into the guest room closet. Out of sight out of mind? At least I don't have to stare at them constantly. Plus, we now have room for my little ninja to practice his karate moves. Bonus :)
First. The utility closet in the kitchen. Eventually Manuel would like to build a shelving system for this space, but right now he's got a lot more important things to do on his list. So, in the interim I wanted something that would make the space more functional. Some shelving for storage, and a place for the recycling were my main goals. I wanted to use items that I could re-purpose later since I didn't want to spend money on temporary things that wouldn't have much longevity. I found two perfect solutions at Ikea.
For the storage portion I was looking for something that could fit into a 41cm square area - the deeper portion of the closet. I found the Limhamn stainless steel shelving unit (product # 801.777.16).
It was one of the few units I could find that wasn't too small nor too big. It fit just right.
For the recycling portion I was looking for something that I could stack. I had considered the more traditional blue-style boxes that you can find at Home Depot, but that meant using the deeper portion of the closet, thereby losing out on more storage options since the shallower part of the closet is only 30 cm and I couldn't find any real useful storage options that shallow. Enter the Retur recycling bins (product # 001.657.03).
At only 20 cm deep they fit perfectly in the shallow part of the utility closet. Plus they are stackable ... and I can attach them to the walls.
I went from a fairly unusable space ...
... to something that works really well.
I'm happy with the results - it's definitely made things neater around here which was a big goal.
The other project I managed to complete was the drapes for the living room. I thought about sewing curtains for this rather large slider. Window coverings are fairly straight forward, but I just couldn't find the right fabric (or more appropriately, there were too many that I liked ... I couldn't make up my mind). After doing a fair bit of reading on-line I realized that I was probably better off getting a second set of Merete curtains from Ikea (product # 801.119.85). First, I sewed two panels together and ironed the seam flat. I then measured from the curtain rod to the floor (just shy of 90"). Reading the curtain package, shrinkage for the fabric was 4%, which meant a measurement of 93.6" would be appropriate. I laid the curtain down on our living room floor and marked out 94" across the fabric with a pencil. I made a 1/2" inch fold in from the hem and ironed, followed by folding to the pencil mark and ironing this fold. I pinned as I went to hold it all in place. I then sewed this new hem length ... and repeated the same process with the other two panels. Once I had finished with both sides I hung them, and finished everything off with some simple finials (also Ikea - Blast - product # 402.172.48).
The end result is a billowy curtain. When the curtains are closed you really don't notice the panels that are sewn together as the seams are camouflaged within the folds of material.
I'm happy with the results - the colour is neutral enough to not stand out. It doesn't call attention to itself. It just does its job.
I didn't get the final project - the record storage - completed. I'm still thinking through some ideas. In the interim ... I've moved the boxes into the guest room closet. Out of sight out of mind? At least I don't have to stare at them constantly. Plus, we now have room for my little ninja to practice his karate moves. Bonus :)
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