How to Make Fabric Flowers

May, 20 2013
By Machine Shed Blog
DIY
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Forget buying fabric flowers on Etsy – these Fabric Flowers are a great way to use what you have and dress up any outfit!

Tips on planting a container garden

The Shed’s designer, Steve, shows you great tips on how to plant an outdoor container using a “Thriller, Filler, and Spiller” plan.

Unique Sewing Boxes

May, 09 2013
By Machine Shed Blog
Mini Moments, Organization, Vintage Finds
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The next time you find a vintage roller skate case, small suitcase, or adorabale basket – convert it into a sewing box. Keep all your odds n ends, scraps of fabric and patterns all in one place. Below are some great examples.

Kitchenaid Mixer, a great investment!

Guest Post by Stacy Christoffersen

Are you on the fence about buying a Kitchenaid mixer? They are worth the investment!

I saved for a year and purchased a 5Qt heavy duty Kitchenaid mixer. It has been the best purchase I have ever made. These mixers are known as a “workhorse” in the kitchen. They are solid, strong, mix things unbelievably well and have little maintenance issues.

Founded in 1897 by the Hobart Electric Manufacturing Company, they manufactured kitchen equipment for restaurant and industrial kitchens. Hobart introduced the KitchenAid stand mixer in 1919. Billed by the company as the first freestanding mixer they also created attachments; from sausage stuffers to strainers, graters to pasta makers. Even better, all of those attachments will still fit any newer-model KitchenAid stand mixer today!  What’s the difference?

Do a simple test by making a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

You’ll see a huge difference between the Kitchenaid mixer and the hand mixer; the ingredients get more thoroughly combined which makes the cookie taste better and the entire cookie dough is consistent in taste, texture and quality. You can easily make bread (even the thick dense sourdough breads), homemade frosting or whip cream and the Kitchenaid really shows its power with mashed potatoes and gingerbread dough.

Kitchenaid mixers rarely need repair, in fact I have had mine for 15 years with no problems, until year 16. Something dropped in the bowl and got caught by the blade and my motor started to sound “funny”. I finished mixing and called our True Value Hardware store and they repair Kitchenaids. I took it in and the next day they quoted me $53 to repair it and the repair man said “You want to fix this one, it is a great mixer and has a strong motor and it would be worth $1,200 today”. I fixed it and it’s ready to make another batch of cookies!