Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

HOWMUCH

Hello everyone not been on for a while what with one thing or another it's been manic at this end. Hubby is on the mend and I've had my big toe injected for osteoarthritis and had to look after DGS but everything is back to normal come Monday. Not spent much so far this month due to having to carry everything as hubby couldn't drive for two weeks. DD wanted to take me shopping but I like to be independent so been using my bus pass and DGS buggy shopping basket. The Aran sweater is finished and has a matching hat. We go to Norfolk in two weeks on the first of our bargain holidays.

IrisViolet

Thanks for the advice about sewing everyone. I have ordered some bits and bobs from Amazon as we have. a prime account (not renewing that in july!!) And will use a few old sheets at first till I get the hang of it. Then I will have a look what I can find on charity shops and reduced to use as fabric.

I know its going to be along process and I won't master everything overnight, but I feel so committed, more than I have ever felt before. Plus it seems me and DH are finally on the same page here which is great.

I'm hopin that by the end of the year I will be able to use the sewing machines relatively well. Ive been doing crochet for a year now and I'd say the past few months are when I've felt I have finally clicked well with it. Doing bits and bobs between the kids obvs takes longer so someone without little ones could prob do it much quicker than me!

I will definitely take the advice re storing bed linen, that's a job for tomorrow!! Funny you should mention it helping when kids are sick, whole house was struck with a bug last week, kept running out of bedding, why are kids always sick in the night -all over their beds?!!!

One thing I won't need is any more baby equipment thankfully. My eldest is a boy age six then I gave two girls age 4 & 1 and new baby is also a girl. I have lots of clothes all waiting their turn for the next girl in line. Quite lucky as my neice is six so I get a lot of her old stuff for my four year old too. Try to save as much as possible.
I use cloth nappies and should have enough of those for two as I only wash every fourth day atm. Co sleep in the big bed, breastfeed, lots of slings alrwady (my guilty pleasure).
What i know is that its the children getring older thats gonna cost us, which is why finances need sorting now, and a life free from cinsumerist expectations needs implementing before the children are old enough that going back will be too difficult.

Today in the spirit of embracing mm&m I have mended dhs jeans. I have done some more crochet of the longies I'm making for cloth nappy covers. I have dried washing outside. I have cooked from stocks and used up a cauliflower that needed to go and made a deizzke cake to fill the kids up after their tea. Have also done some more of my declutter jobs, house is finally breathing again.

Really enjoying reading everyones posts.
Iris.

villagelife

Yesterday before going to a football match I had a busy day. I made celery soup as had celery which needes eating and is frozen for lunches.

I also planted and moved plants so I can enjoy the color and the fagrance over the summer.

I managed to iron and put away the washing I had put in the machine in the morning.

The posts on using sewing machines are starting to inspire me as its something I need to do.

GreyQueen

Morning all.

IrisViolet, second what the others have said. An iron is a crucial sewing tool, almost as important as the sewing machine. Iron the fabric before using it, use the iron to turn over the seams/ iron flat seams open. Iron the finished result. It makes an unbelievable difference to the result.

Treat yourself to a pair of sewing shears and hide them from the family. Strictly for cutting fabric only. A smaller pair of scissors for cutting threads. Black, white and whatever colour you commonly have to sew threads. Gutermann is good and widely available. A stitch-ripper, sometimes called a QuikUnpick. Tape measure, pkt of mixed handsewing needles, pkt straight pins. If you're going to be doing much sewing, tailor's chalk in white and a colour (common is pale blue or beige) to mark fabric temporarily. Some kind of container to keep it all together - babychange boxes work pretty well, as do toolboxes/ fishing tackle boxes.

A teeny tip for your drawstring bags, and it's useful for cushion covers or anything where you have to make a corner; don't go right up to the corner, stop, swivel the cloth 90 degrees then start stitching again. When you do it like that, when you turn the bag the rightway around, you get a clumsy corner.

Instead, stop a couple of stictch short of the corner, with the needle down in the fabric. Turn cloth 45 degrees and make a couple of stitches on the diagonal, then resume straight stitching - you've effectively cut off the pointiest bit of the corner. Before turning rightside out, trim the seam allowance close to the diagonal stitching, turn rightside and press. You can also use the end of a pin, working from the right side, to ease the last little bits of cloth out and make the point really pointy. Which is what you'll need to do if making most kinds of collar, so it's a good trick to practise.

The only difference between a newbie and a competant sewer is practise, so allow yourself time, use unspecial fabric until you feel at ease and enjoy yourself, sewing is great.

+++++++++++++

Yesterday I fixed a pair of fleece ballet-slipper style slippers which had lost most of their non-slip dimples on the sole and were now dangerously slippy on my tiled floors. I had an offcut of that rubbery mesh stuff you can buy to make non-slip linings for drawers etc. It wasn't long enough to cut two whole footprints out of it, so I maximised the usable bits by making a 3/4 lenth shape and a stripe across the heel bit of each slipper, so most of the foot is covered, the bits that are in contact with the floor, anyway. Et voila, non-slip slippers again.

The slippers are going to live at my parents' place to be my slippers over there, as they have hard floors downstairs which are rather chilly underfoot. Saved me buying another pair, and has used up the offcut of rubbery stuff, so there's a bit less clutter floaring about the flat.

janb5

I have just re read Post 1 and realized that all the recipes are listed there - fab! I know that Cheerfulness was mentioned on the MSE boards but really this has turned out to be an outstanding thread. Thank you so much. I always come to this thread first and yes every day!


We must be one of the few threads where there is no !!!!!iness and there is a lovely feeling of camaraderie from our virtual friends.


Except I don't think of you all as virtual- you all seem very real to me.............!

vhalla1478

Morning Everyone,

I heartily endorse your comments, Jan! and GreyQueen, your
comments about a sewing kit were spot on; I especially would reinforce your remark about never using the scissors for anything else but cutting out fabric and I so admire your thrift; I think you deserve a gold star. One of my 'hates' are slippers; I tend to wear old flip flops in the summer in the house and old flatties in the winter. I did try a pair of slippers a couple of winters ago, but wore out the soles going over the gravel whilst disposing of my rubbish. And I also thought they looked 'beaten up' very quickly, although they were from the White Company (cheap on eBay).

I need to get myself motivated today to do my friend's son's books as I cleaned the house out as well as doing everything else yesterday and the weather is not conducive to gardening today - cloudy, dull, cold, windy! Talking of wind - I wonder how silvasava is getting on? And How Much, pleased your DH is improving; it must be such a weight off your mind now the op is over.

Have a good day, All.

GreyQueen

I'm not a fan of slippers, either, they are definately a grudge purchase. I much prefer padding around barefoot and do so if the temps aren't too low but I have tiled concrete floors and they can get a bit chilly.

In summer, I'm barefoot indoors and slip into a pair of mule-style flipflops to go out to the communal bins or my storage shed. They're a bit too knackered to be worn further afield, they're 12 years old, have gone on 2 worlkd trips and been glued together a few times. My main slippers are a pair of M & S moccasins. And when they get a bit too worn, I intend to buy stick-on soles and resole the beggars.

Righty, off to the allotment to sow some flowers and clip some grass off my path. Its 35 m long and I don't do it in one sitting (or should that be squatting? ) with the shears.

kittym

Morning peeps

Well put Janb. I love this thread as it's full of kind, like minded and helpful folks.
Thanks for the sewing thread links. I'm not a complete novice when it comes to sewing, but I like to push myself to see what I can achieve.
I'm pleased to hear things are settling down for you Howmuch and that DH is slowly on the mend.
Thanks for your kind thoughts everyone. I'm afraid a mixture of meds, brittle bones and the fact that I am hopelessly clumsy causes me a few problems from time to time. On the up side DD is on lunch duty today :T
I'm sure the weather man tells lies. The weather here is rubbish. It's cold and grey just like yesterday. I don't know what's happened to the sunshine. Hope at least some of you are seeing it. Fingers x Silva and family are having a great time, and I'm not surprised Rosewood that people are making enquiries about the dolls as they were beautiful. I bet they look fab in the shop window.
Hope you all have a lovely Sunday. xx

HOWMUCH

Good morning everyone, I took have to agree we all do get on well together giving tips and support to each other. Well I've finally had time to tot up my spends for this year. My March spend is a little higher because I knew I could be without the care for shopping for two weeks whilst hubby was getting over his op. The weather has turned much cooler today.
Rose you could have a nice little sideline with your dolls.

IrisViolet

Thanks for even more brill sewing advice. My bits and bobs came, everything except the threads, soi shall get the machine out soon and have a go stitching on paper like I've seen recommended earlier in the thread, hopefully figure out control that way!

Been in the kitchen this morning, had ran out of bread so I've made a loaf, also used up some oranges by making orange cake. DH is around in the day tomorrow so need to have food accessible or he will moan there is nothing in. I ran out of SR flour so used baking powder with plain, also used granulated sugar instead of caster, always works fine for me.

Got the nappies in the wash so they will be out on the line soon, much prefer them dried outside anyway, nothing like a line of white nappies! Ah the things that make me smile!

So this afternoon its sewing machine, crochet and a few little jobs. One being sort out paperwork box of bills etc and another the bedding, organising in pillow cases like I have been recommended. I'm also gonna have each persons bedding in their own room instead of all squashed in one box in my room now.
I have saved he cardboard from my deliveries to try and makeshift some drawer dividers to separate diff clothes.
Slowly getting there with decluttering. One last big job is doing under my bed, going to get DH to pull it out tomorrow for me.

Hoping I can really turn it around this year and learn lots of new skills. Need to buy a diary and notebook for keeping myself organised and writing lots of these wonderful tips down. Really enjoying reading back through the thread!!