Yoga Skirt Tutorial

Want to know how to make a 'yoga' skirt? I got the idea from this website (found another tutorial here) and adapted it slightly. Very slightly. Only to make it easier for my impatient self to finish as fast as possible so I can wear it as much as possible!
I finished it while my little boy was taking his nap this afternoon...it took him 25 minutes to fall asleep and then he slept for an hour, so it took me less than 1.5 hours from start to finish!Get your fabric. I used 1 yard of fabric for $6 that was 58" wide and 5% spandex (make sure it has spandex! this skirt relies on that to stay up! no elastic!) First, take two measurements. Your waist. And then from your lower hip to however long you want the skirt to be.

Then take the waist measurement and subtract 3" (this allows it to fit snugly and stay up!). Then divide by 2. You are now ready to cut the two panels you'll use for the waistband. Cut each one 15" tall (they will be doubled...you'll see) and then the other edge will correspond to your waist measurement minus 3 divided by two.

Now sew the two panels together like a tube. I used a zig-zag stitch. Make sure you sew along the sides that are 15". Your waist will go through this tube.

Now just fold the panel in half.
Easy.

Now, remember that other measurement you took? I used the full 58" width of fabric for my skirt and cut the length to my specific measurement. It hits below my knees. After you cut it, you're going to gather the fabric. This isn't hard! Just set your sewing machine to the longest running stitch setting...(mine is 5)...sew along the top border but don't back stitch at either end!

Then take the top thread and pull gently (don't break the thread). You'll need to go along and even out the gathers as you go so you don't have an extremely gathered end and then one side with no gathers. (You'll get the point when you do it.)

After you have it gathered, pin the edges and sew up the skirt part.

Now attach the waistband of the skirt to the 'skirt' of the skirt with pins. Make sure you try and even out the gathering. It doesn't have to be perfect, but make sure you don't have any areas that are just flat.

I used a lot of pins.

Then I zig-zag stitched to secure this seam.

You will want to go back and pull out the gathering stitches you made. Make sure you pulled out all the pins, too!

I chose not to hem the bottom of my skirt. The fabric I used curled at the edges and I hate hemming anyway! End result:

Shower Cleaning Tips

Our shower accumulates a lot of soap scum. I have managed to keep the bottom pretty clean, but the sides have needed some TLC for a while now. I tried something new today!

Take some Borax (sold as '20 Mule Team Borax' for less than $3 at Target) and sprinkle it on the surface of your shower. Scrub with a scrub brush and the soap scum comes off easily. Borax rinses without leaving residue, so it is great for this purpose!

Try Murphy's Oil Soap on the sides and hardware of the shower. I wouldn't use it on the bottom because it will probably make it slippery. (Don't spill the oil soap all over your bathroom floor like I did!) The Murphy's Oil Soap will help keep soap scum from building back up. It also helped remove some of the soap scum in spots that were tough to hit with the scrub brush.

It sounds like I love to clean with all the posts on cleaning lately...but I really don't!!

Removing Dust from Curtains

Here's a tip from my mom! I don't really like taking my curtains down to wash, but it's a good idea to do from time to time! Instead of washing them if they're just dusty and not dirty, try throwing them in the dryer on the 'air fluff' cycle with a damp towel.

My mom says that the towel must be damp for this to work.

This keeps the curtains from getting too worn or faded from washing them too often.

Price Adjustments

I bought two things at Target on Saturday. (A pair of goggles, gift for Father's Day for my hubby, and a plastic storage bin for our son's outgrown clothing.)

On Sunday, I browsed through the Target ad in the paper. I was bummed to see that both things were on SALE this week and I had spent approximately $2.50 over the sale price.

I checked out the price adjustment policy and was able to go back to Target with just the receipt within 14 days and receive a price adjustment (so I don't have to empty out all of my son's clothing and return the whole bin!)

Is $2.50 worth my time? What do you think?

Money Saving Ideas

~Plan your meals ahead for the week. Limit grocery shopping to one or two trips per week.
~Never throw away bread if it gets stale. Freeze it, and then put it in the blender to make breadcrumbs.
~Eat leftovers for lunch. My husband would never DREAM of going out to eat or ordering food into work more than once or twice a month and then only as a treat.
~Let your kids make birthday cards and then send those to your family members.
~Did you know there is an "Oops Paint Section" at Home Depot? They sell the ''Oops" Colors for a discount.