Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

vhalla1478

Morning everyone, I remembered this in the middle of the night and had to restrain myself from getting up and posting it there and then! If you're struggling to find curtains that you can afford and that keep the draughts out, look out for old, faded, cotton velvet ones in charity shops/jumble sales etc. It doesn't matter how revolting the colour is - look for quality and then dye them a luscious colour. You'll probably need two packets of dye per curtain and I would advise deconstructing them before washing and dying as the linings will probably have had it and remove any tatty edges; then remake - lining is very cheap and if you're feeling energetic, interline them as well. There's nothing better for keeping out draughts at night, and retaining that expensive heat, especially if you make them full length.

Another idea is to make a cosy winter duvet cover with some. Unless you sleep in a single bed the widths will need joining - don't put a seam down the middle - that looks ugly - use a full width in the centre and two smaller pieces at the sides (measure against an existing cover and remember to add seam allowances all round). Use an old flat sheet for the backing, otherwise the cover will be too heavy and cover the joins with ribbon, braid etc. In one of my past lives I made one and painted butterflies on it with fabric paint. Finish with ties or buttons and buttonholes. So easy, after all it's just a big bag.

Don't worry about how horrendously creased the velvet is when it comes out your washing machine - it needs a fairly high spin otherwise it will take forever to dry at this time of the year; just steam iron on the reverse.

Right, now I must sort out the remaining vegetables that are dying in the bottom of the fridge and make some comforting soup with them.

Viv x

silvasava

Vhalla Second the curtains - all my downstairs ones are full length and I have a heavy curtain for my front door too. It doesn't often get used unless the wind is coming from a particular direction but boy does it keep the heat in! You can buy thermal linings that you can attach with the curtain hooks if your existing curtains are nice but not very thick.
Managed a couple of 'little' things today - tag came of the zip on my favourite fleece so I've used a round key ring thingy temporarily to do it up & down until I can find something a little more presentable. I'd also snagged my nice quilted jacket last year - difficult to repair as it would have shown so I bought a nice iron on badge to cover it. Only trouble was the badge needed a really hot iron & my jacket is polywhatsit. so its been lurking for the last 3 months. Brainwave!! I got a small log from our stack about the same diameter as the badge & put it underneath so I could keep the rest of the fabric out of the way of the iron & the heat wouldn't transfer through - its worked a treat although DH thought I'd lost it!!! I couldn't sew it in place 'cos the darn badge was so hard & rigid I couldn't get a needle through it. Happy Bunny - small pleasures

Effyb4

Today I have sewn a button back on a cardigan for DH and made a batch of cauliflower soup for lunches this week. We had chicken for lunch yesterday as well and will have chicken and mushroom spud pie for dinner tonight.

cheerfulness4

I knew someone would start 'make do and mending' with their computer soon. Way to go, JackieO!

I've been doing a little 'make do and minimising' on the spending front.
Mum was given a big bag full of accessories from the husband of a friend of ours who passed away a couple of years ago. She was an elegant lady, always nicely dressed, and the things are lovely.

I chose a little leather purse, a little tapestry type zipped pouch/bag (that will be perfect to get my little sewing kit together in my knitting bag), 2x knitted gloves (gorgeous cabled design on one and both really high cuffed. Beautiful!), matching scarfs and a lovely, floaty chiffony scarf that will look perfect with a black maxi dress I have to give it a warm pop of colour.
I left the jewellery for mum and the shawl scarves, bags etc. It was very kind of her husband to pass them on. Very much appreciated, too. I've never had such pretty things.

vhalla1478

In the end I decided against soup with my neglected vegetables and made this instead after cutting a very manky end off one of the courgettes! It's an excellent cheap meal - I'm not a vegetarian but I do eat vegetarian meals and this one is filling. I don't intend to teach my grandmother to suck eggs, but a good tip is to assemble all your ingredients before you start instead of wandering round looking for them whilst you're cooking. And I always keep a polythene box of homemade breadcrumbs in the freezer - just take them out half an hour before you need them and then pop them back.

3 courgettes - quarter inch sliced, 2 carrots - eighth inch sliced, 2 medium onions peeled and thinly sliced, 2 heaped tablespoons butter, 2 heaped tablespoons flour, 250ml chicken stock, 250ml milk, salt and black pepper, 2 ounces bread crumbs, 2 ounces grated cheese.

Heat butter until foaming. Add onions, cook on low until very soft. Tip in carrots and courgettes. Cook and stir until courgettes begin to wilt. Sprinkle over flour, stir until it has disappeared, add milk and stock and cook and stir until it thickens. Pre-heat oven to 200 centigrade. Butter a shallow dish, pour in mixture, then top with crumbs and cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes until brown on top.

In spite of going out today, I've managed to get the leggings finished, apart from the hems for two of my grand daughters, and finish one of the tops. Now all I've got to do tonight is my self-imposed quota on my rug! I'm determined to finish it this year.

babyblooz

vhalla1478 is it ok to wash velvet? I thought it was one of those things that shrinks in the wash so I've never tried it

Our front door is quite tall and we have a skylight above that as well, so to keep the whole of that space covered needs a really long length. I suppose I may have to get the sewing machine out and make mine.

Prinzessilein

I couldn't move much today...so settled myself comfortably in my chair, put on the TV and did a couple of hours knitting! I have enough oddments of wool for at least one bag, possibly two and three or four purses (for OCC Christmas Boxes)...I will go 'on the scrounge' in the next week or so and see what other wool I can collect (Mum knitted a Santa and reindeer for the grandkids at Christmas..I'll bet she has got some useful oddments left over!)


Mum and I have also been offered a free meal!...We went to a place early in December...and later complained about the lack of disabled access....we have been given an apology and told things have now changed and if we would like to go there and see the 'improvements' we will each be offered a meal from their lunchtime menu (soup or sandwiches, cake and tea or coffee) free of charge!


I can't use soap...so get stuff prescribed instead..it comes in pump dispensers. No matter how much I pumped the top, there was no more soapless-gunk coming out...so I took the top off - there must have been enough gunk for 3 good uses left at the bottom....those pumps NEVER seem to get the last bits out (and that goes for 'proper' soap in dispensers too...and those toothpaste pump things!)

silvasava

Babyblooz - curtain velvet is usually cotton so completely washable. My old door curtain was velvet & my rescue Tomcat sprayed it a couple of times until he settled down, so I washed it at 30deg on a slow spin - does better if you have a nice blowy day as the pile doesn't crush so much. If you have a long drop its sometimes better to lengthen from the top as the seam is not so noticeable among the gathers
Princess - How lovely that you have been offered a free meal for you & yr Mum. They obviously take feedback on board. Do let us know how you get on

vhalla1478

I totally concur with silvasava - don't forget there isn't such a thing as drycleaning. Dry cleaners use a liquid. I have a cashmere cardigan with a fur front (sorry animal activists) which is labelled 'dry clean only' -I always wash it in the machine and four years down the line it still looks good. Animals don't go to the dry cleaners, do they?

babyblooz

The curtains I have up at my double glazed windows now were heavy heavy cotton and the lady I bought them from had washed them ... they shrunk massively lengthwise but the polycotton linings didn't, so you can imagine what they looked like! I got them for a song but had to do some major unpicking and re-stitching. The fabric is so heavy that I had to buy a new rail because the old one fell off the wall with the extra weight. It was all worth it in the end because it stops so much heat escaping it's fantastic. If I need to remind myself I just pop my hand behind the curtain and brrrrr that's enough proof for me. Last year I put the thermometer behind the curtains, then put it in front of the curtains and there were six degrees difference in the temperature.

I see lots of homes in the swish magazines with no curtains up at their big french doors and even though they look lovely and very stylish the first thing I think is OH MY GOSH just think of all that heat that will be escaping!!!

I must be getting old!