My (Better Easier Faster) Way To Make Little Boys' Suspenders (And The Tale Of An Etsy Copycat)

My best seller on Etsy is the baby flat cap. You know, the Irish hats that 90% of old men (and hipsters) wear - also called newsboy hats as well as other names. I made the first one for my son because they're pretty hard to find, which is why they've been selling pretty well, I suppose. They've evolved over time, and I take great care in the details that make them special.

I kind of prided myself on not being an assembly line kind of shop and offering all the same stuff in all the trendy fabrics (ahem *chevron* cough). BUT I love requests for custom orders and that is how I made my first pair of suspenders! They are so darn cute and go so perfectly with the hats... So now they are a permanent fixture in my shop!

How To Turn A Long Skinny Tube Without Special Tools

I hate turning tubes so much that I almost used potty mouth in the title of this post. It's those long skinny tubes (less than 1") that are a real pain in the arse, like when making suspenders or the neck strap of a bow tie which I have been doing a lot of lately. I bought one of those tools with a latch hook on the end which is useless and pokes holes in your fabric. I've tried the safety pin thing, and the trick where you sew some string to one end inside the tube and pull it to turn the tube... nothing has really worked for me.  I really want to get that tool that looks like a giant pair of scissors, do you know what I'm talking about? Anyway I've found a decent way that has been working for me with a minimal cursing. All you need is a couple of pencils!

Homemade (Raw, Probiotic) Pickles

It is SO easy to ferment pickles, and they're so healthy. I got into fermented foods with the whole Weston Price thing, and pickles were something my family would actually eat (and salsa!). Recently my youngest had to go on antibiotics for an ear infection, so I was trying to think of as many ways possible to get probiotics in him to offset the damage. Which brings us back to pickles.

It sounds gross but you leave the cucumbers out (unrefrigerated) in a brine solution for a few days and (good) bacteria starts to grow, while the salt prevents them from spoiling. I use pickling spice for a familiar dill pickle flavor but you can use fresh garlic, dill etc. The whole process takes a few days, or longer depending on how sour you like your pickles.  Mo' sour is mo' betta, nutritionally speaking.