Sewing: Cool ties for summer

After a lot of rain and cooler days, we're coming into the heat of summer around here. I start getting uncomfortable around 24˚C (including our high humidity), so I need to find ways of keeping cool when I'm visiting homes without even so much as a fan!

Here's my dishevelled Blondie dog modelling one of my favourite ties. In case you were wondering, she's also modelling what fly-away hair might look like! I couldn't get her to look at the camera as she just wanted to cuddle! 

So what are they? Cold ties are long thin scarves containing polymer crystals that soak up water. You tie them around your neck for the hot months after soaking them in water, and they keep you cool during the day.

What are the polymer crystals you need? You can get them at Michael's or other craft stores in the floral department, or in gardening stores as soil moisteners (far cheaper!) Ask for those crystal thingies you put in vases or planters that suck up water. They'll know what you mean.

SUPPLIES
1 piece of 100% cotton - the full width and about 4 inches high (10 cm)
needle and thread (or sewing machine)
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp polymer crystals (do not go over this amount -- you will have a very puffy cool tie!)

PATTERN
Click here for the PDF.



INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put the right sides together for the fabric and cut out a piece about 4 inches (10 cm) high and the full width of the fabric. You might not need all this fabric, but I find I need at least 25 inches or so.

2. Mark your hem at 6 mm or 1/4 inch on all three sides.

3. Sew up one short side and the long side. Cut the corners for a sharper corner. Flip inside out.

4. Now iron it. Please do this -- it looks much much nicer.

5. Find the centre of the fabric and mark it with a pin. Now measure from that pin about 9 inches on either side (6 inches if this is for a smaller person), and mark that. This is going to be the casing for the crystals.

6. At the marking at the end you've sewn, sew across it. This is going to create a pocket that is completely closed. This is a good thing.

7. Now put in the 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp of polymer crystals. (1/2 tsp for the smaller cold tie).

8. Now sew across the other mark you made.

9. Now sew the open side.

You're done!

Soak these ties for about 45 minutes before using. Over time, the water will evaporate out of the crystals and you'll have to re-soak it.

MAKING AN EYE MASK WITH POLYMER CRYSTALS

Download a pattern and cut it out (see below for links). Put in about 1/4 tsp crystals -- don't use more because you will make it too heavy! My modifications for a cooling eye mask:
1. Use a silky fabric on the back and a pretty cotton fabric on the front (or more silky fabric).
2. Don't use the batting in the middle. Just make up the eye mask with one layer of silky fabric, one layer of cotton fabric.
3. Leave the space for inserting the elastic a little bit bigger so you can put the crystals in.
4. Enjoy it!

Great eye mask from Burda Style but I think you need to log in to download it...

Eye mask on Craft Bits

Hope I've given you a way of staying cool this summer! 

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It's the year of the cupcake (for me, anyway)

I've really enjoyed my holiday time away from work, and I thought I'd post a few pictures of the (non-edible) cupcake-y goodness I've been working on with my sewing machine.

I generally hand sew all my projects - purses, shorts, skirts, coffee cozies, and so on - but I wanted to get my best friend's overnight bag done before Christmas, so I pulled out the machine and tried it out...and I'm quite liking it. I can't believe how fast it is to use a machine over hand sewing!

I'm in love with these cupcake pot holders. (click here to see the pattern I'm using - I bought mine at Hamel's Fabrics in Chilliwack, but you can get it from the designer, Susie C. Shore, along with a ton of other great cupcake designs like the iPod holder and the placemats, which will be my next project) I'm making them in anticipation of next Christmas or for random gifting throughout the year because I will get my crafting done before the mad rush of November. I've completed eight of them in four different tops, and I'm working on six more in black with pink polka dots.

But I'm in love with my shorts! They're flannel, very comfortable, and I'm wearing them right now! I made Raymond a pair of shorts in T-shirt fabric and what a pain that was on the sewing machine. (Again, I normally hand sew, and you can compensate for the stretch easily while doing that. On the machine, you have to be very careful! So I bought a walking foot to put on my machine!)

Next up? I'm making some cupcake pillow cases because I need new linens for our bed and I can't find anything I really like at the stores!

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