Replacing a Back Pocket on a Pair of Levi's

My husband only wears Levi's. When I say he only wears Levi's I mean that he only wears 501, button-fly jeans. No other jeans will do.
In 1988, when we first met, that is all he wore, and to this day, it's all he still wears.
He has graduated to wearing other colors, not just blue, but they have to be Levi's 501s.
Being a frugal guy, he has a difficult time stomaching the purchase of a pair of jeans for $50. Consequently, he buys them on sale, or better yet, at Goodwill or Savers, when he can find decent ones that fit.
My husband will wear a pair of 501s for years and years and years. The new ones are for work, and as they wear, they are cycled and worn for home and outdoor activities.
It probably goes without saying that I have become pretty fair at repairing Levi's 501s so that he can eek a few more years out of them.
One of the areas that wears out rather quickly, is the back right (wallet) pocket.
Here is a simple method that I use to fix this.
Note: This method works for us because of the large number of old Levi's 501s my husband has.
Materials Needed:
Jeans the same color as the ones to be repaired
Seam ripper
Pins
Jean needle
Sewing Machine
Thread that matches the stitching on the jeans

Step 1: Carefully remove the worn out pocket with a seam ripper. Don't forget to save the red Levi's tag!

Step 2: Choose an old, done-in pair of Levi's that are the same color, and carefully remove one of the back pockets. (One that's in better shape)

Step 3: Remove any loose threads that are left on the pants and pocket from the seam ripper.
Step 4: Pin the "new" pocket in place, by matching the original sewing lines on the back of the pants. Don't forget the red tag!

 Step 5: Machine stitch (with a jean needle) the pocket along the original top stitching lines on the pocket. Use thread that matches the top stitching on the jeans. Be sure to stitch over both lines of stitching. Satin stitch at the top corners to make the pocket secure.

Step 6: The pocket is replaced. Can you tell it's a different pocket?

I think this repair could work with any type of jeans.

Black Friday Craft Project 2012

Once again my daughter and I spent Black Friday crafting instead of battling  crowds of shoppers. 
This year's craft was a sock snowman.

I started looking for an appropriate Black Friday Craft project beginning in October. 
Pinterest provided the research venue. The inspiration for this project can be found at the following link: 
http://childmadetutorials.blogspot.com/2009/12/what-fun-way-to-display-your-candy.html
The blog described using a small white sock for both the face and the hat. We decided to use a white sock for the face, and a holiday sock from the Dollar Tree for the hat.
Some other changes we made; using Puff paint, for the eyes and mouth, beads for the eyes, and holiday buttons for the hat embellishment.
In addition we gave each of the snowmen, a different personality.

 
We watched movies while we crafted and had a wonderful time talking and working together. 
I treasure these times with my daughter, because I know that very soon we may not be able to spend this kind of time together.
Last year, we began this tradition with creating Christmas trees: A Little Fun on the Day After Thanksgiving

We ended up making 22 snowmen and some precious memories at the same time.

Edwardian Era Motoring Outfits

I love wearing costumes! Costumes allow you to be anything you can imagine, if only for just a while. Each year our dear friends hold a Halloween party, and everyone who attends tries to create a costume that others will talk about.
I have made many costumes for these parties over the past 20 years. We have been the Munsters, a 1700's Scottish couple, Greek gods, Rhett and Scarlett, Vikings, and many others. 
This year, in honor of my husband's love of old automobiles, I made Edwardian Era driving outfits.
I am very proud of how they turned out. They are very authentic and I can just picture us motoring down a dirt road in a "Tin Lizzy".
It took me 4 weeks, 4 denim needles, 12 yards of cotton duck fabric, and 10 yards of trim to create these.
I also spilled blood for these, as sewing buttons on this heavy weight fabric caused me to jab my fingers many times as I worked on these. 
The hats were my first attempt at head wear, and 
they turned out pretty well. The flowers on the woman's hat came from Goodwill.
Anyway, here are some detail photos of the outfits. I hope you enjoy.

Pillow Project

I have been slowly working my way through an online course called Sewing Studio. The course is on Craftsy and is taught by Diana Rupp. It is a sewing basics class. It covers sewing home decor, clothing, etc. I decided to take it to refine and hone my skills. It has been fun and interesting.
The first project in the course is a French seamed pillow. I decided to try my hand at making them. The fabric I used came from a second-hand store in my hometown. I wanted to add a bit of color to my very brown living room furniture.
Here is the finished project.

I am very pleased with the result. I think they look beautiful! 

By following the instructor's directions and tips the resulting pillows turned out very professional looking.

Pillows like this would cost at least $15 a piece in a store.

They give the living room exactly the right pop of color I was looking for.

Kindle Cover

My wonderful husband gave me a Kindle Fire for Christmas! I absolutely love it!
I wanted to get a cover to protect it from bumps and dust, but when I looked for one to buy, I was put off by the price.
$30 to $100 for a Kindle cover!?!?! I was not willing to pay that.
The solution was for me to do what I always do in these situations...I searched the Internet for a pattern and instructions.
I found some on www.chicaandjo.com. The instructions on their site are for older models of the Kindle, but conversion instructions for different sized devices are included.
I think my first attempt at this little project turned out pretty well.  As my daughter said, "Fancy."

Working on this project, and seeing the results, got me thinking about modifying the instructions I found and creating a different style of Kindle case.
I am mulling it over as I write this, so check back to see what I manage to create.

Pie, Crusts, and Coconut

I love refrigerator pie crust.
It allows a pitiful, fumbling pie maker, like myself, to actually create a pretty respectable pie.
Before using refrigerator pie crust, the crust for my pies was like a tough, chewy, sole on the feet of my pies.
Cream pies have been my latest attempts. I made a coconut cream pie for my father-in-law...

A vanilla cream pie to take to my friend's for game night...

...and a beautiful White Christmas Pie (from my great grandmother's 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook), which, if you can believe it, I forgot to take a picture of!

However, my husband pointed out that if you've seen one picture of a cream pie, you've seen them all.
His belief is that pies are for eating, not photographing.
I apologize for exposing you to his rustic beliefs.