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How to Hem Jeans Using the Original Hem

June 17, 2013 By 3 Comments

retrochick.JPG Michele says:

I have come to the realization that sharing my willingness to toss old socks has made me out to be exactly what I’m not: wasteful.  I’ve darned a slew of sweaters and I’ve frozen enough manager’s special groceries to feed the Army and the Navy.  I’ve never, ever missed an opportunity to haggle and (perhaps needless to say) I always shop the clearance rack when my family needs clothes.  I try not to spend more than $20 on any given article of clothing, which means that my pickings are often slim.  Since I’m pretty handy at sewing, however, I shop with the knowledge that many things can be changed.  Tacky embellishments can be removed, an undershirt can make a top more modest, and anything can be hemmed without looking hemmed.

Yes, even jeans.

I live in the NYC metro area where it seems that every new purchase is sent to a tailor for tweaking.  When I learned that people spend $20 per pair of jeans to have them hemmed without looking hemmed, I giggled; it’s a job so simple that even a novice hand sewer can get it done in less than 30 minutes!  So, stop stepping on the hems of your jeans—or worse, settling for an obviously modified hem—and let’s get stitching.

How to Hem Jeans Using the Original Hem

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What You’ll Need:

  • pair of jeans that need hemming (no flares, please)
  • tape measure
  • matching thread (I recommend blue denim thread)
  • medium-thick needle
  • chalk
  • seam gauge (optional, but highly recommended)
  • sharp scissors
  • pinking shears
  • straight pins
  • steam iron

Step One: If you don’t know your inseam length, measure a pair of well-fitting trousers from crotch to ankle (as we did in the first hand hemming post).  I don’t recommend measuring your own inseam any other way.  Add half of an inch seam allowance to your measurement; write the number down to avoid forgetting.  For example: If your inseam is 32”, your inseam for hemming jeans using this method is 32” + ½” = 32 ½”

Measure the inseam of the jeans that you are hemming, then subtract your inseam plus seam allowance to figure out how much you need to remove.  For example: If my too long trousers are 34 inches, I would subtract 32 1/2 inches from 34 inches and come up with 1 1/2 inches of length that need to be removed.

Step Two: Use your seam gauge to measure the width of the hem.  Subtract that number from your inseam.  For example: If you need to shorten the jeans by 1 ½ inches and your original hem is ½ inch wide, the amount of fabric you’ll need to remove is 2 inches from the bottom of the hem.  Use chalk to mark this spot on your jeans.

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Measure again to check your work, then cut off the excess length using pinking shears.  Save the hem!

Use your seam gauge to measure a ¼” seam allowance above the existing hem.  Use chalk to mark this spot on your jeans.  Measure again for accuracy, then cut off the excess length with your pinking shears.

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Step Three: Turn the jeans inside out (remember to turn the removed hem inside out, too).  Making sure that the side seams match up, pin the right side of the jeans to the right side of the hem.

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Step Four: Thread your needle and knot the thread.  Insert the needle through the wrong side of the jeans as close to on the original hem stitch as possible without covering the original stitching.

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Make a straight stitch, reinserting the needle about 1/8 of an inch away.

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Repeat these straight stitches all the way around the hem of the jeans, remembering to stay as close to the original hem as possible.

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When you reach the end, reinforce your work as we did in the straight stitch post.

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Step Five: Tie off the thread and flatten the new hem with your hands.  It will look a little funny at this point, but it’s nothing a little heat can’t fix.

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Step Six: Repeat steps one through five on the second leg.

Step Seven: Preheat your iron and then firmly press the new hems.  Turn the jeans right side out and press the hem a second time.

Should you feel so inclined, you can use your pinking shears to trim the excess seam allowance.  You’re done—and you never have to pay a tailor or dry cleaner to hem your jeans again!

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Michele Newell is a housewife turned blogger turned Home Ec 101 contributor.  You can read her near daily ramblings at Dreams Unreal.

Filed Under: Sew It Tagged With: , ,

Tomato Pie: Smack Your Granny Good

June 14, 2013 By 49 Comments

Heather says:

Two years ago I stumbled upon the deliciousness that is tomato pie. The framework for this recipe can be credited to Paula Deen, but it has been played with enough, to call it my own.

Before giving this pie a shot, make sure you have fully ripe tomatoes. I know, I know it’s tempting, what with the bacon and basil, but just sit tight and wait. Don’t ruin this with a tomato that has seen the inside of a refrigerator. Fine, you won’t ruin it, but. . . it’ll be worth it.

Some people get very persnickety about the bottom crust. You have three options:

  1. Blind bake -pre-bake the bottom crust-  but know that you will absolutely have to protect the edge of your pie during the real baking and I hate putzing around with foil like that
  2. Instead of draining the seeded tomato slices in a colander you can do so on a clean flour sack towel -it doesn’t have to be that particular one, you just don’t want to end up with linty tomatoes. Bleh.
  3. Suck it up and deal with it because it’s delicious.
Tomato Pie

Tomato Pie

Double Crust Tomato, Onion, and Bacon Pie Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 recipe pie crust (9″ pie) – feel free to cheat and use refrigerated pie crust if you’re in a hurry and sometimes I am
  • 4 very ripe tomatoes
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
  • 3 slices bacon crumbled
  • 3 TBSP cream cheese or mayonnaise*
  • 1 tsp dried basil, divided -If you have fresh, use a small handfull and cut into a chiffonade -fancy word meaning thin raggy strips
  • salt/pepper to taste

*It absolutely must be mayonnaise, not low-fat and for the love of all that is holy not miracle whip

Tomato Pie Recipe Instructions

Core each tomato. This is simply a matter of removing the hard area around the stem. Cut each tomato in half through the equator. Use your finger to scoop the seeds out and into the trash or sink. Then slice each tomato. Place the sliced tomatoes in a colander over a large bowl or the sink, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow this to sit while preparing the other ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 425F. Slice the onion very thinly. No, thinner. No, thinner still, we want the Calista Flockhart of onions.

In a bowl combine the cheese, bacon, and 3TBSP mayo. Mix thoroughly.

tomato layer Carefully lay the bottom pie crust in a 9″ pie plate. Arrange a layer of tomatoes, sprinkle with half the sliced onion and 1/2 tsp dried basil.

Repeat the first layer with the remaining tomatoes, onion, and basil.

Top with cheese mixture. Add the second crust, seal the edges, and cut slits in the top.

Use water to glue on any decorative touches.

Use water to glue on any decorative touches.

Tomato Pie Bake for 45 minutes, checking after 30. Use the foil trick from the pie crust recipe to protect the edges of the crust.

Allow the pie to cool for 10 minutes (at least) on a wire rack. If you can wait longer to slice the pie, the cheese won’t be as runny.

We look at each other and say, but we LIKE the cheese to be runny.

Enjoy.

***Submitted to: Mouthwatering Mondays***

Filed Under: All, Cook It Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Basic Scone Recipe

June 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

retrochick.JPG Michele says:

During my freshman year of college, I was required to live in a dorm.  It was the most miserable experience of my life, not because I had a terrible roommate, but because I couldn’t cook or bake without having to use the communal kitchen (which meant I had to share with whomever walked by and said “mmmm”).  I told myself that I would survive that year with nary a cookie to be had, but less than a month passed before I heard about the wonders of the bakery less than 30 yards from my front door.

Desperate for a muffin, a croissant, anything, I grabbed my husband (then my boyfriend) and ran across the street, hoping that I could hide in his shadow and no one would see me committing the shameful act of purchasing a bakery cookie.  When I walked in, however, I was greeted with a surprising sight: bakers covered in flour, stretching tangy, buttery naan in plain view of the customers.  “This place isn’t so bad,” I thought to myself as I decided what to order.  My husband opted for a cookie or twelve, while my eyes went straight to one of the things I just knew they couldn’t make as well as I: scones.

We paid and took our first bites.  After I swallowed, I promptly inserted my foot into my mouth.  They were the best scones I’d ever had!  I asked if they had a secret and the counter girl winked.  I went home fuming, deeply bothered by the fact that I couldn’t figure out the trick to their melt-in-your-mouth yet perfectly crumbly scones.  I told myself I was able to delay satisfaction and that I would never again return to my local bakery, but my already weak resolve waned after a week or two.  I spent the next couple of years inhaling the various tasty foodstuffs from the bakery I loathed to call my favorite.

Then, one day I woke up hungry for breakfast and broke (as college students are wont to be).  I knew that if  I wanted to keep my bank account in the black, I had to test my skills and try to make my favorite scones myself.  I mixed up the dough, shaped it, and threw it into the oven with my fingers crossed.  And that, Home Eccers, is the day my scone recipe was born—and the day I was finally able to give up my bakery addiction for good.

Even if you’ve never had a scone, give this recipe a shot. Who knows?  You may just realize that your favorite local bakery has been in your kitchen all along!

Basic Scone Recipe

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Plain Scone Dough

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (omit if using savory mix-ins)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup milk
  • mix-ins (ideas below; optional)
  • egg wash (recipe below)

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons milk

Mix-in Ideas

  • 1/3 cup cranberries and 1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
  • ½ cup cooked spinach, squeezed dry, and 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup dried- or rinsed and drained blueberries
  • 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese, 1-2 teaspoons herbs (your choice), and freshly ground black pepper

Step One: Combine 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar (if making sweet scones), 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Step Two: Add 1/3 cup vegetable shortening and 1 tablespoon butter to the mixer bowl.  Mix on medium speed until the flour looks crumbly or pebbly.
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Step Three: Whisk 1 egg into 1/2 cup milk.  Add the liquids to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms.  Add the mix-ins, if using.
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Preheat your oven to 425 F.

Step Four: Pat the dough into a circle, then slice the circle into eighths.  Brush the top and outer edges of the wedges with prepared egg wash.
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Place the wedges one inch apart on a greased- or lined baking sheet.
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Step Five: Bake at 425 F for 16-18 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown.
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Makes 8 large scones.

Michele Newell is a housewife turned blogger turned Home Ec 101 contributor.  You can read her near daily ramblings at Dreams Unreal.

Filed Under: Cook It Tagged With: , ,

Let’s Get Grilling

June 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Heather says:

Memorial Day has already come and gone, but spring has been a little reluctant and slow this year. Down here in South Carolina, I’m just putting away the menus that focus on the stove and oven and turning my attention to cooler recipes that will keep the kitchen cool. Do you utilize your grill as much as you’d like? If not what holds you back?

Try to remember grilling is just like any other cooking technique, it takes a little bit of patience and practice to get it down. And for Pete’s sake do not let gender roles define whether or not you’re willing to learn. I swear if I see one more “Girls can grill, too” pitch in in my inbox  I just might lose my. . . stuff.  Seriously people, let’s try a different angle.

If you have questions about grilling, please ask them. I would love to know where you are running into trouble so I can help you out.

Getting Ready to Grill, the basics this includes the hand test – the quick and dirty way to figure out if your grill is actually as hot as the recipe asks.

Speaking of getting ready to grill, have you ever had an argument with a gas grill that just won’t get hot? There’s a reason and here’s how to fix it- Why Won’t My Gas Grill Get Hot

Are you biting the bullet and buying a charcoal grill? Here’s how to use a charcoal grill.

And here we look at flare-ups and keeping thin steaks from drying out.

So now, what about those recipes? And don’t worry, more will be coming, I’m ready to get back to it.

 

 

Are you ready to grill? What are you looking forward to making?

Filed Under: Cook It Tagged With:

How to remove mildew and musty odor from towels

June 7, 2013 By 9 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101:

My towels all smell funky. Is it my teenage son? He’s usually pretty good about hanging up his towel, but lately they’ve all developed a stink. There is nothing quite like stepping out of the shower to be greeted with a musty, mildewed, smelly towel.

Help!

~Musty in Muncie

Heather says:

Mildewed towels will shortly be the merest whiff of a memory. First of all, go sniff your washer. No, really, especially if you have one of those new-fangled, high efficiency front loading wonder washing machines. They are notorious for harboring mildew. If the machine is the source of your funk, check out this post, you’ll have things smelling sweet in no time.

If your washing machine is not the source of the odor problem, we must dig a little deeper. Make sure your son IS hanging up his towels as you say. If they stay wet for any length of time, it’s like inviting all your mildew friends to party and just like that one obnoxious cousin, they just don’t take a hint.

Now that we know that little Bobby is hanging up his towels and that the washer is not the source of the funk, it’s time to address the towels themselves. This may sound counter-intuitive, but often an underlying cause of odor is too much detergent.

When doing laundry there needs to be enough detergent in your wash water to surround the molecules that make up stains and bring them into solution (that’s your wash water). Remember, effective laundering happens with the right combination of thermal energy, physical energy, and chemical energy.

The thermal energy is provided by the heat of the water, the physical energy is the agitation created by your washing machine, and the chemical energy is provided by the detergent.

If too much detergent is used, it won’t all go into solution and will cling to the towels. And guess what, detergent is sticky, even tiny little bits of detergent. These deposits can build up on the towels and odor molecules just love to cling to these sticky spots.

The following tips apply ONLY to your everyday towels. For your guest and decorative towels always follow the label directions. These methods are for the ones you don’t mind fading. Personally, I’d rather use soft, slightly-faded, odor free towels on a regular basis and have a few set aside for decoration or guests.

If your towels are fairly ripe, it may be time to strip them of the residue. Wash them in very hot water with baking soda, borax, or washing soda, and add vinegar to the rinse cycle. If possible, observe the rinse water for sudsing. If the towels are creating soapy bubbles, you may need to repeat the first step. Otherwise, dry them immediately and thoroughly.

Fabric softeners can build up on towels making them less absorbent. 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle will naturally soften towels and help retard mildew growth. If all you have on hand is vinegar of the balsamic or red wine varieties, temporarily skip the vinegar step.

*Frugal Tip* With items such as laundry and dish detergent it may be worth your time to experiment and find the least amount necessary to achieve desired results. Too much detergent can build up on your clothing while too much dish soap just washes down the drain unused. Rather than blindly scooping to the recommended line with each load, try cutting back. When you first notice that you are not getting the desired results, go back to the last amount that worked well. Don’t forget to mark your new amount on the measuring cup.

Remember the amount of detergent you need depends not only on the amount of soil on your laundry, but the hardness of your water, and the temperature setting you choose.

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

Filed Under: Wash It Tagged With: ,
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