Waiting for Baby...My First Attempt at a Crafting Tutorial

First of all...not MY baby! Been there, done that...this little darling bundle-of-boy-joy to be is my amazing cousin's baby who will be joining the family on Friday. Although she is keeping the name a surprise, we do know it is a boy. Since I LOVE babies...I love to spoil babies!!! My crafting helper, aka my daughter Meridyth, and I went to work on one of our favorite things to make...a Raggy Quilt.

When my oldest son was just a few months old, a family friend stopped by to visit and brought him a handmade blanket/quilt. It was simple and not overly attractive, but the thought behind it was so kind that it is still around here somewhere. The effort that went into making this creation meant so much. It taught me an important lesson about the ease of picking up a gift card versus putting that extra little touch of, "hey...I'm thinking of you..." into gifts we give others.

For years I made a variety of pseudo-quilted blankets. As the mom of a seriously sensory challenged kiddo, I have always made my quilts and blankets with a variety of fabric types, styles and textures. I started with bigger kid sizes but realized how appealing these sensory experiences were to little bitty ones as well.

These blankets were all well and good, but I felt like something could be...more. In one of those perfect moments, the mother of a good friend introduced me to what I did not even know I was searching for...the Raggy Quilt! If you have never had the pleasure of experiencing one of these treasures, you are absolutely missing out! Here are a few of our creations...

 

 

These blankets have it all...snuggleability, weight, warmth, fidget factor...what more could you want? Oh...wait! They are not terribly difficult to make, they can be done in one day, since I have admitted to a penchant for that and it is something the kids can help with. My youngest helped pick out and piece together a blanket for a teacher who had a baby - it added his personal touch to this gift. Here's why:

 

Raggy Quilts begin by making little "sandwiches" of a layer of fabric (we prefer flannel), a layer of batting (we use 100% cotton), and another layer of fabric (again, we prefer fabric for the bulk of the blanket):

 

 







 

The sandwiches are then put into order based on how you want the finished quilt to look. It is a bit tricky to make sure the front and back both look the way you want, so when the front is done, I flip all sandwiches over to confirm they are in order. A good friend also learned the hard way that taking pictures of the front and back when everything is laid out just in case things get mixed up.

 

 

 

Each sandwich is then sewn with a "X" from about 1/2 inch from each corner. I prefer to use a wavy stitch, but this is a personal preference. I do, however, find it to be a little more forgiving for people like me who are not perfectionists. It is important that you stitch across the sandwich. During one of my first attempts, I thought it would be cute to tack the middle with a cute heart stitch...I quickly learned why these blankets have "X" shapes...the batting balled up in the middle of the sandwich and the blanket was nice and lumpy - cute, but lumpy.

 

Once all the sandwiches are sewn, I then stitch them together one row at a time. Here is the difference between Raggy Quilts and other blankets and quilts - there is no tucking under...the seams come together so the back is flat, but the topside seams are brought together at about 1/2-3/4 inch.

 

 

Once the sandwiches are sewn together, then the strips are sewn together in the same way, lining up the seams and, again, allowing 1/2-3/4 inch seams for "ragging".

 

At this point, I run a seam all the way around the perimeter of the quilt. As the seams will not go all the way to the edge, I often run this seam a bit deeper in (3/4 to 1 inch) so that it runs inside each seam.

 

Now comes the fun part (just a hint, this is a great "watching a movie" project as it definitely takes some time)...the snipping! I have tried snipping with a variety of scissors and have found the Fiskers spring-loaded snip scissors (intended for ragging) to be the best. How you snip is up to you, but you want to make sure you snip all the way to the seam, but not through it. There is no absolute width of strips that are snipped, but the more narrow, the more they will "rag" when washed...mine are probably about 1/4 inch.













 

Now to the washing part...again, I have done this by trial and error....so take my tips for what they are worth:

1. I learned not to wash a new raggy blanket with anything else, especially towels! They shed!
2. I wash them the first time on a regular cycle.
3. I use dryer balls, the bumpy ones, when I dry towels and I have found they work wonders with the raggy blankets as well.
4. When you dry them, they will shed...LOTS! I stop the dryer every 15-20 minutes and clean out the lint trap.
5. After the first wash, there will still be some shedding during the next few, but it is minimal and it does eventually stop.
6. The more times the blankets are washed, the softer they get and the more the ragging turns into more of a chenille.

 

There are more specific directions available as well as books, etc. The size of the squares, the size of the blankets, and so on are all up to you. When I give baby quilts, I almost always give a mini quilt as well, just in case the raggy blanket becomes the favorite blankie...then the larger size does not have to go everywhere.

 

Happy quilting!!!

 

To Scrub or Not to Scrub...Almost Everything You Need to Know!

EXFOLIATE! Your skin will thank you!!!

There...I said it. Now the hard part...how to go about it. Hopefully I can help.

I am a Pinterest junkie. I'm sure there is a 12-step group for that somewhere, but I live blissfully with my addiction. I promise that is not as random a comment as it seems and here's why:

If you search exfoliating scrub on Pinterest, Google, or just about anywhere, your head will start to spin. Exfoliate everyday. Exfoliate only on Tuesdays. Exfoliate only your body, never your face. Don't forget to exfoliate your face. Use salt. Use sugar. Use both. Use sand. Use clay. Use citrus. Use avocados (does it go without saying that avocados do not have any scrubbing properties on their own although if you smush them up, they do wonders for your skin in other ways). Use bananas (see avocados). Use ground almonds...unless you have a tree-nut allergy...then do NOT use grounds almonds. Don't use almonds, use ground almond shells. Use oil. Don't use oil. Use oil but don't use that oil....ARGH!!

All that said, do not fret...there is help.

1.  Exfoliation is good.
2.  Nearly everything said above is true in context.
3.  All exfoliants are not created equal.
4.  Yes, you can make your own exfoliant (also known as scrubs) at home.
5.  If you make your own exfoliant at home, it will often be as beneficial to your skin as what you can buy and will frequently be better because it will not have all the other "stuff" in it.
6. Yes, there are advantages to purchasing scrubs...especially if they are made by hand in small batches and do not have the word "Mart" in the manufacturer's name.

Making a basic scrub at home is easier than you think. If you have never used a scrub, practicing at home is a great place to start because it will give you an idea of some of your personal preferences, e.g., fine grain or coarse, salt or sugar, and so on...

Step One: Choose your abrasive ingredient (the exfoliant). Your choice of exfoliant is best determined by what/where you want to scrub. Here are some basic choices:

*  Sugar: I prefer fine grain raw sugar mixed with Sugar in the Raw (a coarser grain raw sugar), but you can use pretty much any sugar. Personally I stay away from brown sugar because of the molasses, but that's just me, there are others who swear by it. Sugar can be used to exfoliate pretty much any area of your body - including your face. It is mildly abrasive but is also a humectant, meaning it will draw moisture to your skin rather than away from it.

*  Salt: If you are using what is in your kitchen, Sea Salt is going to be the most readily available salt. The "grain" of your salt is really a matter of personal preference. The coarser the grain, the "scratchier" the scrub. I do not use table salt as it is processed and does not offer any good "extras" found in Sea Salt and higher end (read as more expensive) varieties. Salt can be drying. Salt is also more abrasive than sugar and should NOT be used on your face but it has great detox benefits on other areas and if your salt has minerals (such as Dead Sea Salt, etc.) it is certainly not a bad thing for your skin.

Step Two: Take an inventory of the oils you have in your pantry. Click here for a fabulous link to non-comedogenic (pore-clogging) oils. This is going to be your best starting point. For a scrub, I highly recommend sticking with the oils that are least likely to clog your pores with the exception of COCONUT OIL. There is some information out there about coconut oil that I find a bit confusing...for a quick coconut oil tutorial, please take a look here.

You can make scrubs with as many or as oils as you like. If you want to truly start with something simple, grab your Olive Oil (aka EVOO) and some sugar or salt  (or even a little of both) to get started.

Step Three: Measure approximately one cup of your chosen exfoliant(s) in a bowl.

Step Four: Add approximately 1/4 cup of your chosen oil(s) to the exfoliant and mix them together. Drizzle oil a little at a time until it gets to the consistency you want. Unlike the first attempts at commercial scrubs, your exfoliant does not need to float in a pool of oil. I prefer to add until the mixture is saturated, but not dripping with oil. Note: the amount of oil you use will vary greatly based on the exfoliant...finer grain exfoliants use more oil, coarser use less...

The first couple of batches you will probably go back and forth by adding a little more exfoliant to offset too much oil and vice versa. There is no right or wrong mixture or texture, but the more you add, the larger the batch....if you don't like what you created, you'll have a lot of it. You can cut these measurements in half...I wanted to start with something that can be easily measured in your kitchen.

Once your scrub is mixed, head over to the sink, scoop out a small amount (a little goes a VERY long way) and give it a whirl on your hands. Some people scrub "dry" then run their hands under warm water to wash away the exfoliant, then pat your hands dry...you want the moisturizing oil(s) to continue to nourish your skin.

As a starting point, that's it! I would be remiss not to mention that if you move your scrub to the shower, be careful!!! The oil in the scrub will make surfaces slippery. If you are scrubbing your feet, I highly advise doing it outside of the shower, perhaps while sitting on the edge of the tub, or even using a foot bath.

A few additional thoughts...the rougher the area, the coarser the scrub you can try if you choose. The more fragile the area, such as your face, the more gentle the scrub (again, never use a salt scrub on your face). From the voice of experience, if you use a salt scrub on your legs after shaving...it will STING! If you are going to exfoliate when shaving, many people prefer to do this before shaving.

Scrubs are best stored in glass. If you store your scrub in glass and decide to scrub in the bath or shower, please scoop out a little into something plastic so you are not taking glass in the bath or shower.

If your scrub separates, just give it a stir before using.

If you give scrubs as gifts, please make sure you include ingredients! Although many believe that nut oils do not hold the same risk as nuts to those with allergies, that is not a decision I choose to make for others...and those I know with nut allergies almost always choose not to risk a reaction when there are other choices to be made such as olive, rice bran, avocado, soybean, etc.

Have fun...and enjoy your blissfully smooth skin! I will follow-up soon with more advanced information...other things you can add...and more!

~Heather