Plastic Plates

I recently purchased a pair of yoga pants at a local thrift shop. The previous owner was evidently a lot shorter than I am. The hem had been turned up three times and had bands of iron-on hemming tape holding the shorter hem in place.

When I took the hem down, I had to figure out how to get the residue off the pants. I tried so many different ways!!! I washed and dried them on the hottest settings. I soaked them in vinegar. I tried dipping them in ammonia. I even soaked the hems in Goo-be-gone. I tried ironing cloth to them in hopes that the residue would stick to the cloth. Nothing worked though.

Finally I decided to get some trim tape to decorate the hem and at the same time cover up the hem-tape gunk. I found a cute sparkly trim that was the perfect width. I decided to use a product called Steam-a-Seam to attach the trim to the pants before sewing it down. BIG mistake. The iron neared the trim and instantly the tape melted into a gooey plastic gloppy mess! Oh NO! Now what???

I grabbed a bunch of used dryer sheets to clean the goop off the iron. Then I used them to get some of the black off my ironing board. Finally I put one on the pants to get the goop off. Here is what the pants looked like:

Using the hottest setting I not only removed goop but the old hem tape residue came off!!!

Not perfect but nearly so!

I think the trick was that the dryer sheet was thinner than the pressing cloth I previously had tried. It got hotter and the residue could stick to it better. I am just happy I have yoga pants that don't look so tacky!

Next I want to talk about my Dresden Plate Project. I had tried the white thread for my blanket stitching. Remember what it looked like?

Well, I finally tried the black thread and I think this is the way I will be going. I was surprised that it looked as good as it did. (Remember, you can click on any photo to enlarge it for better viewing.)

I am also pushing on with the "My Favorite Things" block borders. Here are the pieces laid out to join around the cake block:

I got row three sewed together too.

I am almost done with this month's block:

I decided the two flip  flops needed jazzing up so I found the seashell material and fussy cut out a few to add to the block.

As you know, I do a lot of work by hand. This is my 'mini' studio:

The purple spiral you can see is a scarf I am crocheting. I found the wooden bowl at the thrift shop too. It makes a GREAT yarn bowl! I have pins, needles of several sizes, threads, a scissors, glue, and projects all surrounding my favorite chair in the living room. I can't just sit still and watch TV. I 'listen' to TV more than I actually watch it with my eyes.

It is super duper hot here in Arkansas. Temps have been in the high 90's with the heat indexes in the hundred teens. Thank goodness for air conditioning. Tomorrow night is my monthly guild meeting. I am looking forward to that. I always get inspired.

So, that's the latest from here! I hope you are enjoying the last weeks of summer. Till next time, happy sewing y'all!