Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

Mamma85

Hi, HOWMUCH , I'm a newbie here too.

Went in out in the garden and tidied up all the old toys, found my measuring jug, the DDs had appropriated it for their 'cooking', it's full of mud no needless to say I binned it, binned a slightly deflated space hooper, old pegs and play saucepans and the like.

Also binned all the felt that's come off the shed roof, (hope to bin the shed soon aswell!)
Got out an item for a freecycler and have decided to freecycle some plant pots I'll never use, that's as far as I got as found a massive spider :eek: in a box of dh's old rucksacks, so when I'm feeling braver I'll bin it all as I'm sure those bags have been in there since we moved in 2 1/2 years ago

Had a lightbulb moment about all the paint I have in the built in hall cupboard, the DDs had lots of sweets in little pots for Xmas, decant the paint into the little pots and I'll have more space and still plenty of paint for doing my canvases (when I'm feeling artsy lol)
Then the big tins can go, our local tip takes them. And I'll have more space in the cupboard.

So not much make-do ing or mending here but lots of minimalising!:o

GreyQueen

Hi to jk0 and others afflicted by the shrapnel of power cords etc.

With power cords and peripherals not belonging to you, is it possible to put them all in one place and grab the probable owners by the scruff of their necks and make them identidy them? And then label them immediately. And to establish, once it's known what they're for, if that appliance is still on the premises and itself functional?

If the appliance is dead but the cable working, it may be possible to sell it/ freecycle it. I think I saw a blogpost on 365lessthings where Colleen mentioned doing this - the item was a rather expensive one to buy solo, so people were keen to get a cheap secondhand one.

When my printer died a few years ago, my Computer Wizard having dignosed it as in need of a new printhead, which I wasn't prepared to pay for, I thought it'd go to the electronic part at the tip. He suggested freecyling it. I rounded up the printer, the driver discs, the cabling and all the odds and sods into a fruit tray, offered it up as spare or repair and had about 20 folks clamouring to take it off my hands.

I have a home habit of labelling any bits of 'stuff' which are relevent to an appliance but not actually used on it, like the immobiliser bolts which come with new washers and which you should retain in case you move house. I put them in small, strong clear plastic bags with a piece of paper inside saying what they are and what appliance they're for. With the model number as well; I have a B0sch washer shortly to be replaced with another B0sch washer, and am intending to put the bolts onto the dead one just before it leaves. Otherwise I run the risk of having 2 pkts of B0sch immobiliser bolts floating around.

I also cull the paperwork relating to appliances from the folder where I keep such stuff; if it's being sold/ donated, off it goes with the item, if the item is dead, the paperwork goes to recycling.

jk0, re the multi-generational IT situation, they're beggars, aren't they? At some point you have to draw a line under old tech and get rid. I have only a small flat not a house, so can't harbour these things anyway. If I'm not using it, it has to leave.

meames_2

Ok, easier than me typing, what with the auto correct :-)

cheerfulness4

I think the case with the my men folk is they are hoarders and positively pale at the very mention of my whittling down their stash of techie wot nots.
In fairness, they don't moan about my wool and fabric stash. Also, I'll soon be seed sowing in earnest and DH & DS will be up to their necks in seed trays on every windowsill and surface. My be prudent to bide my time before mentioning another clear up.


Having a lovely time sewing my sausage dog and watching Murder In Paradise on Iplayer. A blissful afternoon.

cheerfulness4

meames - have you managed to attach the waistband okay? Is it just making the casing afterwards that you're struggling with?

maryb

I think I see what they are saying Meames. It's a bit confusing because they say to fold the waistband in half matching the side seams but that is just to enable you to find the point halfway between the side seams so you can match it up with the middle of the skirt.

Once you have done that unfold it all and then you need to put the circle of waistband on the outside of the skirt right sides together and line the top edge of the waistband up with the top edge of the skirt. Stitch them together all round the top of the skirt.

At this point you have still got a raw edge of waistband. Fold under a small hem along this edge to the wrong side of the waistband and press it down.

Then fold up the whole waistband so that it stands away from the top edge of the skirt. The top edge of the waistband is now the edge with the folded under hem. Fold the waistband all along its length so that the edge of that fold comes to the line of stitching on the inside. Pin it then stitch along just beside the folded edge of the waistband so that it is fixed in place. I think you should leave a gap of about an inch rather than sewing all the way round and back to where you started. Because the waistband is wider than the seam allowance at the top of the skirt you will be left with a tube which you can get some elastic through. However you will only be able to do that if you leave a gap.

Are you OK with inserting the elastic or do you want talking through that bit as well?

cheerfulness4

Phew, glad you came along Mary!

Sewing Bee does have some clips on the bbc site but I don't think they dealt with this matter. Its not in my book so must be from the second 'wardrobe' book.

mothernerd

Dear meames,
I started trying to explain - may have over-explained as wasn't sure how much you understood, then part way through I thought "No, I wouldn't do it that way".

So here goes and anyone else is free to jump in as well.

You are basically making a long tube to attach to the top of the skirt to put elastic through. If you were making a pe bag it might have cord through for a drawstring.

You have two pieces of material to make the waistband, long (this is going around your waist) and narrow (this is twice the finishes width of the waistband + 2 seam allowances - seam allowances are usually 5/8" or 1.5cm but pattern should say).

Put the two pieces 'right side together' - the right side is the side that will be showing when the garment is finished. Some materials it is obvious which is the right side, some aren't. Usually all pattern pieces are cut out at the start with the material right sides together. Sew one narrow end - you now have one long waistband piece.

Press (iron) the seam. It will be hidden away inside the waistband so this is your only chance to get it to lie flat. (personally I would stitch a couple of small stitches in it by hand to stop the elastic getting stuck half way round when putting it in).

This is where I would differ from the instructions. I wouldn't sew the other end. I would press the seam allowance in at both ends to match the other one but leave it unsewn (then you have a gap to insert your elastic and sew it up by hand after your have completed the circle and tied or sewn your elastic off).

However you now have your waistband in one piece (either in a circle or a long strip). You put the two seams together to get your midway points (so that your skirt is even all round). This is like pressing or folding a pair of trousers - you put the seams together in the middle and then flatten the trouser - your ironed 'crease' line is the same as your midway point. The pins mark the centre front and centre back of your garment, in this case there are seams there but some skirts the front and/ or back will be one piece.

Again personally I would mark and press in both seam allowances along the 'long' edges at this point (imagine your waistband as a large piece of bias binding). Attach the waistband to the body of the skirt at the four marked points (the ironed in seam allowance is your sewing line), right sides together. Use extra pins between the four marked points (I find it useful to take each one out as that part reaches the needle - saves that awful jolt when the pin and needle collide). Sew along the sewing line (marked by ironing and/ or the pins). Your instructions say stop 1" from the end (this is to have access for the elastic). If you did it my way and left one seam unsewn the elastic will feed in and emerge at the side seam, so go up to the point where you started.

Turn the waistband over to the inside of the skirt - the aim is for the top of the skirt to be enclosed in a 'tube' of material. Match the seam allowance to the sewing line from the other side and pin in place. I was always taught to hand stitch the inside of the waistband but if the instructions say to machine sew, sew close to the edge (can use the edge of the presser foot as a guide).

The safety pin and elastic method works but sometimes a slightly smaller safety pin moves along the channel faster. I would use a longer than required piece of elastic and adjust it to fit before cutting. Tie or sew the ends together (not sure which your instructions specify, sew back and forwards a few times if sewing), remove the pin, slip the end of the elastic inside the casing and sew the gap (hand sew the seam if using my method).

Good luck. It really is fairly simple. Wish I was nearer - having trouble typing as my hands are trying 'to show' you all the time.

Hope everything is here as I lost a chunk part way through.

GreyQueen

I was taught to hand-sew the inside of the waistband, too, mothernerd, this was back in the seventies. I'm often gobsmacked at the carpy work on many shop-bought clothes, and not necessarily the cheapest brands, either.

I re-zipped a pair of trousers today. It's not rocket science in terms of sewing, the individual moves of unpicking the old zip, taking it to the shop to get another one like it, pinning, tacking and then machine-stitching the new zip in aren't complicated, just a bit fiddly.

But what a difference being able and willing to re-zip trousers makes to the wardrobe over a lifetime, esp for those who are running a household and keeping a spouse and kiddies tidily dressed.

I can make garments from scratch and even pattern-cut, but don't ususally bother these days, it's not so much fun when you don't have room to swing a cat in your home. But I would be sad to be without a sewing machine as they are such a boon.

I really like mending things, it ticks some inner happiness box for me. If you can sew, you don't have to lump what the rest of the world thinks you should be wearing/ dressing your windows with etc etc. The fabricy parts of the world are yours for the plucking.

THIRZAH

I enjoy mending too but don't make garments from scratch. My sewing machine is nearly sixty years old-it was my Mother's-and only does straight lines but that's enough for my needs. I did make DGS a costume for his nursery nativity play last month and was very proud of it. He was a Wise Man. I made a tunic out of an old sheet and then a sleeveless coat out of a 10p remenant that I'd bought some time ago. I trimmed it with braid left over from another project so it really cost very little to make.