Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

good_advice

Happy Sunday everyone
Just watching the end of Creatandccraft on TV. 8 - 9am every sunday they demonstrate patchwork = show you how and try to sell their wares.
Good programe for crafters.
Don't be silly = I do not splash the cash. I just like seeing the things they are making.

I have bought x3 items for sewing, I think it was from Amazon or may be the crafting programe.
I can recomend a green cutting mat. A rotary cutting wheel and a 12 inch ruler. The ruler is special one to use on the mat. It is about 12 x 6 .
I use these 3 things a lot.

Today, i will continue to sew the useful cotton sacks with draw string tops.
I have finnished the first of 4. Got the name on in 4 inch letters.
I recycled 3 diffrent cotton fabrics and sewed x3 blocks.

I have sewed many little zipped bags, fully lined - like makeup bag size. So usefull and nicer than keeping things in a plastic bag.
I learnt how from a you tube dvd.

Bags to keep things tidy = I have 3 in my undies drawer. Socks, pants and bra's. No having a drawer full of jumbled mess.
I lift the bag and chose which one I want to ware that day.

well better stop chatting. I am on my mini ipad. Another very useful item.
I can sit with my feet up on the sofa. Small enough to take on my travels.
Yes, I sewed its padded travel bag.

This is when you press post quick reply and then see all the spelling errors.
Oh well, you you can tell my post is home made ;0)

IrisViolet

Good morning all.
About crochet, I found it quite easy to learn on my own mainly with you tube, but did have a friend who introduced me to it, she taught me how to chain and do simple poncho that used trebles that increased. A good simple project to get the hang of the hook and rhythm. I also adore attic 24, her stuff is gorgeous and her tutorials are great. I also love the stylecraft DK yarn she recommends, I've made blankets with it and they are really soft, for acrylic its lovely and very affordable.
I can't knit, I've tried and found it hard, but determined to learn one day. From friends who do both I hear crochet is a bit easier and its faster to work up project's, but there is a few things you just can't do with crochet that you can with knitting, so worth knowing both skills I think.

Love all the talk of the drawstring bags, that's what I need, just need to get the sewing machine. I was gonna buy the John lewis one but although it looks great for price I really don't want to spend 100, so gonna keep looking for second hand. I know once I've got one it will save me money eventually plus I just really want to make more of my own thing's, its a skill I wish to have.

Today I need to see if I have some things I can use as a make do sewing box, I have lots of tins and jars about. I might use a jar for cotton reels, one for ribbons, one for buttons and maybe a little tin for my needles and pins etc. They are all loose in a few random boxes and drawers ATM - the shame!! - I can't find my darning needle, so best sort it today. Also going to sort out the big cupboard in my front room, it's a gorgeous wooden unit with three drawers and four shelves up top behind glass doors but it's a state!!! Full of books and paper, craft stuff, paint, sticker books, tissue paper............. Can't find anything, need to organisie it and make it look neater. Bet I'll find all sorts ha.

Listed an excellent condition PS vita consple and a new computer processor on eBay last night. Both item going for around a £100 so hoping to make enough to buy my sewing machine and pay the rest off my overdraft. Its so shameful again, we bought the processor about 6 months ago and it was the wrong one and we just stuck it in the cupboard, the vita was meant to be a Xmas present for son bit we change dour minds about wnanting him to have it and bought him something else. I can't believe I've had these just sitting around but at least I have come to my sense now.

Today its soup for lunch that I made in slow cooker yesterday just needs blending. Tea will be simple eggs chips and beans. Might make some biscuits for kiddies.

Will prob start the crochet hats, need to pick a pattern i like.

GreyQueen

Hi IrisViolet, I'm a keen sewer and have a lot of bit and bobs. I've experimented with many ways of storing stuff over the years, and observed many other pro and semi-pro sewers. If you'd like, here is the fruits of my gleanings.

1. Every pro sewer I know likes to store threads, sorted by colour, in those oblong Ferrer0 R0che boxes. You can see what you have, they don't get grubby, they don't fall around and unravel.

2. Baby-change boxes or wicker picnic hampers make useful sewing boxes, if you need to be portable.

3. My best non-portable solution to sewing supplies is what I have at present; a small cabinet made of blockboard pretending to be mahogany, which was marketed to hold CDs and DVDs. It has a drawer at the bottom, a main body of the cabinet with shelves and two semi-secret pull out sections, one at ther front and one at the side, also shelved. I have the FR boxes and small plastic containers on there, to hold the bits.

4. For pins, get a smallish stubby jar, something like a pesto jar, and look for a foam pincushion pad. The size of the jar lid should be the same as the base of the pincushion. Detach it from whatever it is on, and glue it onto the jar lid. Then take a bit of felt and stick it all around the jar, overlapping onto the base slightly, and add a circle of felt a bit smaller than the diameter of the base. UHU Gen Adhesive (the one in the yellow tube) is perfect for this. You can also glue some ribbon etc around the outside to pretty it up.

Everyone who has seen this has wanted one, and I have run up quite a few. It's big enough not to get lost among the fabric, heavy enough not to be knocked over, and the inside of the jar is useful for oddments - I keep some supersized pins in there. Made one for Mum and she keeps the heart-headed sewing pins which are used when making up her handkints inside. You could also stash a tape measure/ needle-threader etc.

5. An old-skool needle book is really handy for keeping a variety of sizes of needles together. The pages are best made from something loosely-woven like an old blanket, with the edge pinked. Take 4 or 5 rectangles of blanket, and one slightly larger rectangle of felt. Put them together - the size should be approx 3 inches wide by 4 tall, and cut it so that the rectangles fold like a book, with the felt on the outside. Add a few stitches to make the 'spine' and you have a needle-book. It's best to blanket-stitch the edges of the felt to keep it together. I made mine in the 1980s and it's still lookin' good.

6. Ribbons and tape are wrapped around small bits of card and are in FR boxes or plastic sandwich boxes. Keeps them ready for use. Buttons are in tins, sewn in sets onto card, so I can see if I have enough at a glance.

I'm contemplating getting one of those magnetic strips which are used to hold kitchen knives to attatch to the inside of the cabinet to hold the scissors, but haven't got around to it yet - need to check there is sufficient clearance between the edges of the shelves and the inside of the door when it's closed - suspect there might not be, but it could work for someone.

vhalla1478

Good Morning Everybody, just a few more random thoughts and a query.

Query first, has anyone got any bright ideas as to how to contain the miscellaneous recipes that one collects? I've everything from torn out magazine pages to scribbled on the back of cardboard inserts from tights packets, all stuffed into a rapidly disintegrating cardboard box.

Here's a quick recipe to elevate those cheap pork steaks to a gourmet standard - easy and cheap. pound a couple of cloves of garlic with a tablespoon of wholegrain mustard, zest and juice of a lemon and two tablespoonsfuls of olive oil. Leave to marinade in fridge for at least half an hour, then put under a grill for no more than 8 minutes each side (pork turns into shoe leather after that!)

If you're desperate for curtains, and can't find anything of quality second hand that you can afford, opt for cotton muslin (NOT polyester voile) - it's wide, it drapes beautifully and you don't even have to do much sewing - just make a channel in the top of each length, hem then thread as many widths as you desire - more will certainly look more opulent -through a curtain wire the taut width of your window. if that looks too plain, add a border down the leading edge - nearly anything goes from ticking to a lush piece of old velvet to some trimming you've been hording. When you're feeling more flush you can recycle them for under curtains or bed hangings.

I must just say that I do admire everyone's positive attitude in what for many are obviously very trying circumstances. If I may add a few words of hard won wisdom, believe me, you will look back at these hard times as some of the most fulfilling in your life. Best wishes everyone - Viv xx

THIRZAH

I have some draw string bags which I use for socks and undies when travelling.They were made from oddments of pretty material If we are staying some where like DD2s where we have to keep our clothes in a suitcase it makes it much easier to find things. When we go to DD1s where there is hanging-but no drawer space-I hang the bags on a hanger.

Wrapping paper I keep in those long bags that places like the Card Factory give you when you buy paper.

Buttons and ribbon are sorted by colour and kept in zip lock bags in a tin. Sets of buttons I just put a piece of thread through and knot it. I do keep odd balls of wool in separate bags-usually the ones the colour supplement from the weekend paper comes in-saves them getting tangled up.

I have a couple of the clear value pencil cases, one of which I use for aspirin etc in my handbag and the other I use for keys. That way I can just transfer them when I change bags. I also have a pencil case in my knitting bag for scissors, stitch holders and a tape measure

Floss

GQ, when I inherited my mums sewing box, I found several felt needlebooks made when I was in the Brownies around 43 years ago, so I'd agree with your comment about them lasting!

Vhalla, we keep our (carefully filtered & selected) recipe cut-outs in polypockets in 3 lever arch files, sorted into type (baking, meats, vegi etc). It took time to do but makes life a lot easier when DH wants the scrap of paper with the recipe for Lancashire Hotpot!

GreyQueen

Yeah, Floss, Mum has one which she made for her Mum when she was a small girl - Mum, not Grandma, she passed in 1970. Got to be 60 years old at least and still looking good. Make it once and have it for a lifetime.

sistercas

Thanks grey queen. The pillowcase is indeed too small , I will have a look round and see if I have anything suitable , I like the idea of attaching handles .

good_advice

Just washed up another Douwe Egberts coffee jar. It seems a shame to keep putting them in the glass recycle crate.

Any good idea's for thifty use?

The last one I put some dog treats in.
I realy prefer Lock and lock boxes as plastic will not break the same as glass jars.

tomtombeanie

vhalla1478 wrote: »

Good Morning Everybody, just a few more random thoughts and a query.

Query first, has anyone got any bright ideas as to how to contain the miscellaneous recipes that one collects? I've everything from torn out magazine pages to scribbled on the back of cardboard inserts from tights packets, all stuffed into a rapidly disintegrating cardboard box.

similar to an answer above, i use something like this:

http://www.theworks.co.uk/p/pocket-display-books/black-a4-pocket-display-book/5052089019423?CAWELAID=1420299321&CAGPSPN=pla&gclid=CjwKEAiA0O2lBRDOrPX4oJP3t2oSJACjpaHA16TSIPv-IOnwRYOQeQLk60-uUe_KcZDVOX-dmmz5VBoChb3w_wcB

an A4 display book, clip the recipes out tidy from wherever i've found them, then slot them in. when i get some small ones, i stick them onto an a4 sheet first and group them by "type". a ring binder is probably easier to manage if you want to rearrange your recipes but i don't have a lot of space for cookbooks and find these disply book take up very little room. i have two - one for savoury stuff , soup and meals and one for baking/puddings.