How to Dry Flowers in the Microwave

I originally published this tutorial on Crafting a Green World.

Have you ever gone out to collect flowers and then wanted to make some beautiful craft with them RIGHT THEN, but were kind of over the impulse by the time you finished drying and pressing them weeks later?

Unless your attention span is really, really, really short, that won't happen when you use my full-proof method of drying flowers in the microwave. Pop a flower in and two minutes later you'll be crafting away!

This method works with both flowers and leaves--it's particularly great for making leaf collections and saving wildflowers, especially with kids (although preserving leaves with beeswax is also really fun!).

Supplies & Tools

You likely have everything that you need to dry flowers already in your house. Here's what it takes:

Microwave

I know that a lot of y'all don't use microwaves for your food, and that's cool, but you're not going to eat these flowers. If you don't own a microwave, ask a friend if you can come over and dry flowers in theirs for a few minutes.

Unglazed Terracotta Dish Or Tile

You can find one of these at your local hardware or garden store, or in a store like Restore that resells such supplies. I'm using a large terracotta plant saucer that in its free time sits underneath my fern.

Paper Towel Or Paper Napkin

I know, this supply is also pretty gross and environmentally unfriendly, but it's also necessary. The good news is that you can use the same quadruple-folded paper towel or paper napkin for all your flowers, only changing it if it gets stained.

Glass Bowl Or Plate With A Flat Bottom

This is actually the trickiest supply to source, because the glass bottom needs to be flat so that it presses against the flowers. Most plates and even bowls have a bottom lip that makes that impossible.

I make do with a couple of glass food storage containers, but what I wouldn't give for a flat piece of glass that better matched my plant saucer! You could also upcycle picture frame glass or glazed tiles for this--just make sure that there's no metal at all in what you use, since you'll be nuking it in the microwave!

Directions

1. Set up the plant saucer and paper towel.

Make sure the plant saucer is clean and dry, then cover the bottom with four layers of paper toweling.

The paper towel layers keep the flowers from sticking to the unglazed terracotta, and they also pad the flower a bit as it dries, so that it doesn't crumble to bits between the heavy top and bottom layers that it's sandwiched between.

2. Arrange the flowers and leaves in a single layer on the paper towel.

I actually think that it's really hard to arrange flowers in a way that will look attractive when they're dried and pressed flat, so don't be afraid of trial and error here.

3. Cover all of the vegetation with a piece of flat glass.

Don't mash it down or try to manually flatten the flower; just set the glass on top of it.

4. Microwave it!

 

Set the saucer down in the microwave, and microwave at full power for 20-30 seconds. A delicate, thin flower will be completely dry in 20 seconds, but a juicier flower will take a bit longer.

If you've got something thicker, like a Bachelor's Button or Black-Eyed Susan, microwave it for 30 seconds and then check on it, then microwave it again in increments of 20 seconds, checking each time to see if it's dry. When the flower feels stiff and no longer damp, it's ready! If the petals start to brown then you've microwaved it for too long--try again with another flower, but dial it back by several seconds.

You guys, this method of drying flowers is so easy and fun! My kids and I can go from taking a walk in the woods to making bookmarks out of the flowers that we picked on that walk on the same day. Our leaf collections are EPIC. I actually went looking for more crafts to do with dried flowers the other day, I had such a lovely surplus.

If that surplus lasts long enough, I'll come back in a couple of months and talk to you about making dried flowers into Christmas ornaments!

P.S. Yes, you can use this same method to dry herbs, as well, but if you're feeling wary of microwaves, remember that you DO want to eat your herbs.

How to Sew an American Girl Doll Face Mask with Ties

My kids don't even play with their American Girl dolls anymore, and I don't even care--I'm still sewing them matching outfits and adding cute DIY accessories to my dollmaking Pinboard.

It's not a non-possibility that when both kids move out one day I'll turn their bedroom into an American Girl doll world and set up a bunch of little handmade scenes that the dolls can prance through wearing their handmade clothing and accessories.

Just... come find me there sometimes and bring me snacks, okay?

Anyway, for obvious reasons I deeply needed to make the kids' American Girl dolls face masks that match the kids' own face masks that I made them. It took some fiddling to get those tiny pleats just right, but I'm super happy with the pattern now, so much so that I've also been selling American Girl doll masks in custom colors in my Pumpkin+Bear etsy shop, and I'm going to show YOU how to make them, too!

Here's what you need to make your own fabric face mask for an American Girl doll:

• fabric. Unlike with my human face masks, it does not matter what kind of fabric you use for these face masks, because your doll doesn't care whether or not the fabric touching its doll skin is 100% natural. The important things are that the fabric is thin enough to pleat and can be ironed on hot. I HIGHLY recommend using up your fabric scraps for this project!
• bias tape. I use a poly-cotton blend 1/4" bias tape for my human masks, and the great thing about it is that it also works perfectly for these doll masks. I wouldn't go any wider than this on the bias tape, because you want it to look proportional to the doll. 
• matching needle and thread. I like a universal needle for sewing the mask fabric, and a jeans needle for sewing the bias tape.
• iron
• measuring and cutting supplies

1. Cut the fabric and bias tape to size. Cut two pieces of your fabric to 3.5"x3". Cut two pieces of bias tape 21" long. I really like this photo that shows all the cut fabric sizes for adult, big kid, little kid, and doll masks. The doll mask fabric is the tiny one at the bottom!

2. Sew the fabric. Put the two pieces of fabric right sides together, then sew down both 3.5" lengths with a 1/4" seam:

Turn it right side out and iron the seams to press them flat:

3. Pleat the mask. Because your piece is now approximately 2.5"x3.5", the pleats are a little fiddly to make. First, measure and mark a chalk line approximately 1/4" from the bottom of the fabric. Crease the fabric again a little more than 1/2" above that mark and fold the crease down to that mark. You'll make two more pleats above the first one, each a little more than 1/2" from the top of one pleat to the fold of the next. For your last pleat, take care to make sure that the fabric above the fold visually matches the width of the fabric below the bottom pleat, even if it means that the top pleat is a little uneven. 

Baste the pleats in place.

4. Attach the ties. Fold each piece of bias tape in half and iron the fold to crease it, marking the center. 

Center the bias tape on the middle pleat of the mask, then pin it well, encasing the raw edges of the side seams in the bias tape:

Sew down the entire length of the bias tape, sewing it shut and sewing it to the fabric mask.

Here's what the masks looks like when worn by my kiddos' American Girl dolls:

They're not too hard to tie onto the dolls--

--and I think the proportions look just right!

Want to make a human-sized face mask to match the doll masks? Here's how to make a fabric face mask for an adult, and here's how to make a fabric face mask in two children's sizes.

Or I can make them for you! Here's my listing for fabric face masks in the colors that YOU choose, in adult size or two children's sizes. And here's my listing for doll face masks in the colors that you choose!

Whether you're a human or an American Girl doll, please stay safe!

How to Sew a Child-Sized Fabric Face Mask with Ties

Kids, especially, often don't like to have a lot of extra fabric on them--especially on their faces!--and so even though most adult-sized face masks with ties really would fit most kids, too, it can be nice to size their masks down for a better, less claustrophobic fit.

The most popular mask that I've sold so far in my Pumpkin+Bear etsy shop, actually, is my Big Kid face mask. It's more tween-sized, best fitting kids around the ages of 7-12, but as you can see in the photo above, the Big Kid mask is also a good size for my 14-year-old Syd. It's approximately 7" across the face, and expands to a maximum of 5" to cover the nose and chin.

Size down even more to make a Little Kid mask, which is approximately 6" across the face and expands to a maximum of 4" to cover the nose and chin. It's designed to best fit a kid around the ages of 2-7. With a little kid, especially, you can see how nice it might be to not have all the extra fabric of an adult mask on their face!

These masks are a little fiddly to sew, with the precise pleats and the narrow bias tape, but if you'll bring your sewing skills, I'll deliver your tutorial!

Here's what you'll need to sew one child-sized face mask with ties:

Here's an example of all the different mask starting sizes. The grey fabric at the top is an adult mask, the pink fabric below it is the Big Kid mask, the light blue fabric below that is a Little Kid mask, and the indigo fabric at the bottom is a doll mask.

• 100% natural fabric. I've seen these masks made with cotton, silk, and linen. Jersey knit is tempting because it's so soft, but I worry that the weave is too loose for it to be an effective face mask. I've also seen masks made from upcycled denim, but to me that seems way to heavy to be right in front of your mouth. For a Little Kid mask, cut two pieces of fabric 6"x4". For a Big Kid mask, cut two pieces of fabric 7"x5". 
• bias tape. I use a poly-cotton blend 1/4" bias tape, and I think it's perfect for these face masks. For both the Big Kid and Little Kid mask, you need two pieces of 1/4" bias tape, each 32" long. 
• matching needle and thread. I like a universal needle for sewing the mask fabric, and a jeans needle for sewing the bias tape.
• iron
• measuring and cutting supplies

1. Facing the right sides of the fabric together, sew down the two long sides. Use a narrow 1/4" inch seam for both.

This essentially makes a tube. Turn it right sides out and iron to press the seams:

2. Pleat the mask. Put three pleats into the mask by folding the fabric down, then ironing it to crease it:

3. Baste the pleats. Baste the pleats on both sides of the mask:

4. Attach the bias tape. Fold each length of bias tape in half and iron it to crease it. Match the crease to the center pleat of the mask and pin it:

Sew down the entire length of the bias tape on both sides, stitching it to the mask:

If you want to sew a mask to exactly fit a kid, follow these instructions but measure the distance between the kid's jaws for the length and the distance from the bridge of their nose to the bottom of their chin for the width. These two kid masks, however, should fit all of your kittycats until they're quite grown up!

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Make an Upcycled Aluminum Can and Silverware Wind Chime

I originally published this tutorial on Crafting a Green World.

One of my favorite parts of windy weather is enjoying the sound of the wind chimes singing from my front porch and back deck. I love them even more because they're handmade!

Do you need some handmade singing in your life, too? Here's how to make your own wind chimes. Mine are upcycled from aluminum cans, silverware, old keys, bottle caps, and metal lids, but feel free to substitute your own stuff needing to be upcycled. I also really like glass bottle wind chimes!

Supplies & Tools Needed

Here's what you'll need:

• Aluminum can (empty, no label, clean, and dry)
• Embellishments (silverware, old keys, metal lids, stash beads, bottle caps, etc.)
• Keyring or paperclip
• Twine
• Cordless drill with a drill bit
• Scissors

Directions

1. Drill Holes In The Can

Use a drill bit that's slightly wider than the width of your twine, and drill a hole through the bottom center of your aluminum can.

Next, drill holes around the rim of the can. I prepped these cans for my Girl Scout troop, and drilled eight holes around the rim of each.

At this time, you can also drill holes through any of the hanging objects that CAN be drilled. The stainless steel silverware that I purchased from Goodwill for ten cents a piece can't be drilled by my cordless drill (you'll see soon how we'll attach those to the wind chime!), but the metal lids and bottle caps can.

2. Prime The Cans

Priming the cans will allow the paint to stick when you embellish them later. Paint-on primer is far more eco-friendly than the spray primer that I used here, but spray primer is a LOT faster when you're priming enough cans for seven kids!

While you've got the primer out, prime anything else that needs it. If you'd prefer a different base color, you can also use a spray paint + primer.

3. Embellish The Can And Silverware

Use acrylic paint or paint pens to embellish any of the hanging elements. You can even decoupage if you seal it VERY well afterwards, or super glue on three-dimensional embellishments.

My Girl Scouts especially enjoyed painting the silverware, although next time I do this project with a group of children, I WILL take my own advice and give some of the pieces a different base color. Some kids create better when they're not faced with all that empty, white space waiting to be filled!

4. Knot The Hanging Cord

To attach a hanging cord, cut a piece of twine, tie a knot to a key ring or even paper clip and pull the twine through the bottom of the can. The keyring will hold the can, and you can hang more wind chime elements from it.

To attach the hanging pieces that have holes, just knot twine around them and tie them to the can using the holes that you drilled around the rim.

5. Lash All Of The Hanging Piece To The Can

To attach the silverware, however, you get to act like a good Girl Scout and learn how to tie a lashing knot! Use this animated tutorial to walk you through the process, and then go forth with your life, knowing how to tie anything to anything else!

Seriously, the lashing knot is dead useful. You're going to be thrilled that you now know how to do it.

6. Seal Your Embellishments

Even if your wind chime will be hanging under a protected eave, you still want to seal anything that you painted or decoupaged. A clear sealant does the trick!

If you're feeling uncertain about any of your knots, you can also hit them with a little dab of super glue.

Pro tip: Noise can also be pollution, and wind chimes should only be mounted where they can enhance nature, not disturb it, so be a good Girl Scout and don't hang your wind chime anywhere that it can annoy someone else.

We've got acres of land and only ourselves to annoy on it, but we still wouldn't put a wind chime anywhere near our bedroom windows. If you've got other people's bedroom windows nearby, be similarly considerate of them!

How to Sew a Cloth Face Mask with Ties

That's poison ivy on his neck, the poor dude. The two indoor/outdoor cats like to rub against it, then come inside and rub it all over us! In our family, a poison ivy rash is just proof that a cat loves you.

Here is how to make my absolutely perfect cloth face mask with ties instead of elastic!

I took my general sizing from the CDC's recommendation of cloth face coverings, but I took the length down a little, because that extra fabric isn't really doing any extra work. I also adjusted this face mask from my elastic face masks, making the pleated sides more professionally finished and reducing some bulk by doing away with now-unnecessary side seams. 

The result, I think, is a mask that's quick to sew, sturdy and washable,  comfortable and adjustable to a range of sizes.

And although I hate having to see my loved ones wearing face masks, I think these look very nice!

To make this cloth face mask with ties, you need the following supplies:

• cotton fabric, two pieces that measure approximately 8"x 6". Quilting cotton is my preference for this, although any fabric around that weight should work, for instance most polyester/cotton blends, linen, or silk. I personally think that jersey knit is too light and denim is too heavy, although I have seen homemade masks sewn from both.
• double-fold bias tape, 1/4"x 2 yards. I'm less picky about the bias tape, mainly because pre-made 100% cotton bias tape is hella expensive and making my own is not the way I want to spend my afternoon. I'm very happy with this bias tape, which is a polyester/cotton blend that I've bought for years from the same supplier. 
• Matching needle and thread. My sewing machine is CRANKY, so I'm also picky about needles. I use a jeans needle for this project because my sewing machine protests the bias tape otherwise. For sewing just the two pieces of quilting cotton together you can either test the jeans needle first on scrap fabric and adjust the thread tension, because otherwise it's a little overpowered, or switch to a universal needle. 
• iron
• measuring and cutting supplies.

1. Facing the two pieces of 8"x 6" fabric right sides together, sew down the two long sides. I like a 1/4" seam allowance for this. I also like to use up my weird thread for these types of seams, since you'll never, ever see that thread on the finished mask.

2. Turn the tube that you've made right side out, and iron flat. Run your finger down the seams from the inside, first, to press them outwards so that they're nice and precise when you iron:

If you do that, there's no need to edgestitch those long sides to keep the seam neat. You've just saved yourself a step!

3. Fold and iron the pleats. I like the pleats to be as even as possible, so here's the best way to do it:

• From the bottom of the fabric piece, measure up and mark in chalk 1", then 1.5".
• Fold the 1.5" line down to meet the 1" line. Iron to crease. If necessary, pin it to keep it in place.
• On the back side of the fabric, the top of that pleat should measure 1" from the bottom of the fabric. From that point, measure up and mark in chalk another 1".
• Fold the 1" line down to meet the top of the pleat. Iron to crease. If necessary, pin it to keep it in place.
• On the back side of the fabric, the top of the highest pleat should measure 1.5", and there should be about 1.5" of unpleated fabric above it. Measure up and mark in chalk 3/4" from the top pleat.

If you don't have 1.5" of unpleated fabric above that top pleat, don't freak out! Just measure up and mark in chalk the halfway point.

• Fold the chalked line down to meet the top of the highest pleat. Eyeball to see if the top of the fabric now matches the bottom. If not, adjust it a little so that they look even, then iron to crease. If necessary, pin it to keep it in place.

4. Baste both short sides to keep the pleats in place.

As you can see, you can still use whatever color thread you're looking to get rid of!

If your pleating has skewed the short sides a little, trim them to square them off.

5. Cut your bias tape in half. Now, you should have two pieces that are each one yard long. Fold each in half, iron to crease, then unfold.

6. Sew the bias tape to the short sides of the mask. NOW you need to switch to thread that matches your bias tape!

Match the center crease of the bias tape to the middle pleat on the face mask on each side, and pin into place.

Sew the bias tape closed down its entire length. If you're worried about the fabric feeding unevenly, you can start sewing at the top of the fabric mask down to the bottom end of the bias tape, then reverse it and sew the top tie closed.

Knot the end of each tie, if you like, and then try it on for size!

Here are the approximate finished measurements of the face mask:

This face mask should fit most adults and teens, and even most tweens, but sometimes for smaller faces all that fabric can feel claustrophobic. Next week, I'll show you how to size the face mask down to fit big kids and little kids.

And if you don't want to make your own face mask at all, you can buy a face mask from me. I'll even let you pick all your own colors!