CasaSugar

Love It or Hate It? Kumi Kookoon Silk Sheets

CasaSugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:00:46 -0800

There's something remarkably luxurious about the idea of sleeping between these Kumi Kookoon Silk Sheets ($240-$1125). But given that they're dry-clean only, I can't imagine that the upkeep would be worth it. What's your take?

How-To: Be a Better Laundress

CasaSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Tired of pulling laundry out of the dryer and seeing that it's frayed or faded? Have you dyed your honey's tighty whities an embarrassing shade of pink? Don't worry, there's hope for you yet! You can still be an absolutely fabulous home laundress, when you use these tips.

Button-up pants and shirts, close zippers, and turn garments inside out to reduce wear from laundering.
Check for stains after washing and before drying, because drying sets the stains.
Don't use hot water unless you're washing items you believe must be absolutely clean and disinfected. Hot water wears down fibers.

For the rest of the tips, read more.

Don't bleach wool, silk, or garments with more than 5 percent spandex.
White sheets made of cotton not treated for wrinkles look best longest.
Inspect and pretreat stains and soils with liquid detergent. Use a bleach pen for pretreating stained white areas of garments with stripes or patterns.
Always wash garments with like colors to avoid those pink-stained whites! However, if you're washing in cold water, your clothes' colors are much less likely to run.
If you have a lot of loads, sort items into further subcategories, such as into heavy and light clothing.
Avoid fabric softener, since it leaves a coating on clothes. Use dryer sheets instead. Or, for the lightest impact on your clothing, avoid the dryer altogether and hang your clothes.

Source: Flickr User skenmy

Ask Casa: Dexter Duvet Cover

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:00:05 -0700

Dear Casa,
I am trying to track down a duvet cover/comforter that I saw on an episode of Dexter. I have exhausted the web and searched everywhere, but nothing. The duvet is a turquoise/teal blue with a gold iridescence to it. I would like to find it or something similar. You can see the duvet cover around minute 1:55 in this YouTube video. If you have any advice on what I can do to locate a similar duvet, I would really appreciate it.
Thank you,
Msgolitelee

To see my picks for Msgolitelee, read more.

Hi Msgolitelee,
Good find! That duvet cover has a sharp teal color, and it pairs well with her orange sheets. I wasn't able to track down the exact same item, but this teal Blissliving Max Peacock Comforter ($235–275) is a close second. This one is actually ribbed which gives it a really luxurious texture, and the underside is chocolate brown which gives you some versatility if you want to switch things up. The satin fabric also has an iridescence to it, which sounds like what you were looking for.

You can also just head to a fabric retailer like Calico Corners to find the exact silk fabric you want. Then, have a duvet cover made or make it yourself; it's a fairly simple sewing project.

If that's not for you, here are a few other options:

Blissliving Home Max Peacock Comforter - $50.00	Teal/Java Lotus Bedding - $29.00
Stripe Duvet by Jiti Bedding - $540.00	Curves Duvet by Jiti Bedding - $580.00

Hope that helps!
Cheers,
Casa

How-To: 10 Tips For Better Laundering

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:00:11 -0800

Tired of pulling laundry out of the dryer and seeing that it's frayed or faded? A recent San Francisco Chronicle article, "How to Make Clothes, Bedding, Last Longer," by Susan Fornoff, offers some smart tips for getting your clothes clean while also extending their lifespan.

Here are some of my favorite tips from the article:

Try to avoid sateen sheets, as they aren't as long-lasting as plain and twill weaves.
Button up pants and shirts, close zippers, and turn garments inside out to reduce wear from laundering.
Check for stains after washing and before drying, because drying sets the stains.
For comforters, choose the highest fill you can afford. 550 and up is recommended.
Don't use hot water unless you're washing items you believe must be absolutely clean and disinfected. Hot water wears down fibers.

For the rest of the tips, read more.

Don't bleach wool, silk, or garments with more than five percent spandex.
White sheets made of cotton not treated for wrinkles look best longest.
Inspect and pre-treat stains and soils with liquid detergent. Use a bleach pen for pre-treating stained white areas of garments with stripes or patterns.
Sort into whites, lights, and darks. If you have a lot of loads, sort items into further subcategories, such as into heavy and light clothing.
Avoid fabric softener, since it leaves a coating on clothes. Use dryer sheets instead.

Source

Ask Casa: Advice For a Beginning Quilter?

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:00:05 -0800

Hi Casa,
I have this awesome idea to make a quilt out of sari fabric. I found a couple listings on eBay for lots of sari fabric. Problem is, I don't know how to make a quilt. Do you have any suggestions for websites or books I may be able to use to help me?

Thanks!
Valova82

To see my suggestion, read more.

Hi Valova82,

Quilting isn't as hard as you might think, especially if you're sewing on a machine. I made my first quilt when I was 17, using velvet block patches and a sewing machine, and finished it fairly quickly. It's pretty addictive, actually, to be able to make such an impressive and large object, especially if you're making it as a gift, so be prepared to possibly give in to the desire to keep making quilts for years to come!

For a beginner quilt, you can get away with a minimum of materials. You'll need saris for the top, cotton batting for the interior, and more saris for the backside of the quilt, or, for an easier option, a pretty sheet. Instead of stitching through the layers, you can tie embroidery thread or yarn through the layers at evenly spaced intervals. However, this is just one method. There are many more!

I love the idea of upcycling saris into a new quilt. Since you're working with such large pieces of fabric, you have the option of creating a larger patterned quilt, like this silk scarf quilt. This might be the easiest place to start for you, as a newbie quilter, since the bigger pieces will cut down on your work time, and also be easier to work with.

A good place to start reading about quilting is at Quilting 101. It'll give you a good background for your project. Quilter Denyse Schmidt's Quilt-It Kit is also a good resource. You can find some free beginning patterns here.

Good luck on your first quilting project!

Casa

Source