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Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend
Comments
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Always happy to receive sewing tips, @joedenise. Yes, that is exactly how I do gathering (following lesson from my sister!) Have already gathered a tier onto main body of dress to make it into a maxi & that worked ok so will do the same wirh the sleeves, which I've altered slightly from the original pattern.
F
2026's challenges: 1) To rebuild our Emergency Fund to at least £5k.
2) To read 50 books (12/50) 3) The Re-Shrinking of Foxgloves 8.1kg/30kg
Remember....if you have to put it on a credit card, extend your overdraft or take out a loan to buy whatever it is, you probably can't afford it, as that's not your money, it's somebody else's!4 -
And how fortunate that the Sewing Bee featured lots of gathered puff sleeves this week!Save £12k in 2026 #2 I have banked £2870.61 so far, against a £10k target The 2026 Save £12k in 2026 thread is here
OS Grocery Challenge in 2026 I am sticking with a £3000 annual budget for 2026 - currently £568.34 and most of my March purchasing made
I also Reverse Meal Plan on that thread and grow much of our own premium price fruit and veg, joining in on the grow your own in 2026 discussion thread
My keep within our budget diary is here3 -
foxgloves said:& Ash is engaged in performing an extreme pedicure on the living room rug.
Lucky you! I find the noise of ripping cat toenails to be quite off-putting!Mortgage free 16/06/2023! £132,500 cleared in 11 years, 3 months and 7 days
'Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.' Ernest Hemingway3 -
@Suffolk_lass - Indeed! Though I haven't gone for puff sleeves, I've gathered the other end, prior to binding the cuffs. First one successfully done!
@thermadvix - Oh I agree....& don't you find them in odd places......go to play a bit of Chopin & there's one sitting on your B flat.....probe the furthest depths of your handbag for a 20p coin, & there's one in there, ditto stuck in my knitwear where they've tried to grab me on the way past for a laugh!
F2026's challenges: 1) To rebuild our Emergency Fund to at least £5k.
2) To read 50 books (12/50) 3) The Re-Shrinking of Foxgloves 8.1kg/30kg
Remember....if you have to put it on a credit card, extend your overdraft or take out a loan to buy whatever it is, you probably can't afford it, as that's not your money, it's somebody else's!5 -
Just a quick report to say that I really enjoyed my sewing day. I didn't achieve nearly as much as a confident dressmaker but both sleeves were successfully gathered & bound (3/4 length) & finally on my 3rd attempt, I got the hem pinned up to the length I want it. It was that thing of defo wanting maxi-dress length, but not maxi-trip hazard potential. Ever-practical, as I stood in front of my full-length mirror trying on the dress with my boots, I thought of wearing it out, say for some city centre shopping......well, that instantly brought to mind the escalators in Nottingham's shopping centre & the steep stairs in Lincoln M&S & I went back to my sewing station & cut off another 1cm of fabric, before turning it up an extra 4cms. And that did the trick! I just need to get it stitched tomorrow morning & I will have a new dress for what I think is the very reasonable sum of £25.
Other budget-friendly stuff today:
*Not buying much fruit atm as am eating my way through our grapes & pears.
*Baked a loaf.
*Tonight's meal to be accompanued by courgettes (of course it is!)
*Mr F announced he's coming home via a different supermarket as they have Persian Queen cat food on offer. Ash has been indicating that recent bowl contents have not matched expectations, despite Mr F reminding him that when he was feral, he probably ate from bins!
Right, the most recent shower has stopped so time for a meander up the garden.
F x
2026's challenges: 1) To rebuild our Emergency Fund to at least £5k.
2) To read 50 books (12/50) 3) The Re-Shrinking of Foxgloves 8.1kg/30kg
Remember....if you have to put it on a credit card, extend your overdraft or take out a loan to buy whatever it is, you probably can't afford it, as that's not your money, it's somebody else's!13 -
When boot cut trousers and pointed heel boots were in fashion circa early 2000s, I fell up many a stair by catching the toe of my boot in the hem of my trousers. Once very embarrassingly up the stairs of MnS with lots of bags of Christmas shopping. It took several people to heave me back upright due to so many bags - I was flat on my face 🤣
My cats have gone off the Persian queen food to favour a slightly more expensive brand, the little devils.I get knocked down but I get up again (Chumbawamba, Tubthumping)4 -
Turning up the hem has got to be the worst part of dressmaking! I've finally got a dressmaking dummy and it has a gadget on it to get hems level - it's not foolproof but definitely better than trying to do it by eye!
Are you planning on sewing on the machine or hand sewing the hem? I can't stand hand sewing so generally machine stitch but only if the colour match of the thread is very close so that it doesn't show!3 -
@joedenise - I will machine stitch it. I can sew a hem by hand, but I find it too easy to put my heel through a hand-sewn one, much like @Sun_Addict's tale of woe on the stairs at M&S. I even managed to put the heel of my boot through the hem of my wedding dress! Luckily my Mum had a safety pin so I didn't trail a section of dropped hem up the aisle....well, not really an aisle, as it wasn't a church, but yes, I'm a terror with a hand-stitched hem!
F2026's challenges: 1) To rebuild our Emergency Fund to at least £5k.
2) To read 50 books (12/50) 3) The Re-Shrinking of Foxgloves 8.1kg/30kg
Remember....if you have to put it on a credit card, extend your overdraft or take out a loan to buy whatever it is, you probably can't afford it, as that's not your money, it's somebody else's!7 -
I thought Persian Queen was the expensive brand!! 😳 You mean you can go up a level from that?? Please don’t tell Chloe Madame!! 😉😂😂😂
KKAs at 17.04.26:
- When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £216,847
- OPs to mortgage = £17,793 Estd. interest saved = £9,021 to date
c. 16 months reduction in term
Fixed rate 3.85% ends October 2030
Read 28 books of target 52 in 2026 as @ 23rd April.
Produce tracker: £78 of £400 in 2026
Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
Watch your words, they become your actions.Watch your actions, they become your reality.2 -
£25 for a made to measure dress is incredible really and very satisfying to achieve especially as you build proficiency along the way. Well done for all that sewing! Must admit that I would hate to be on Sewing Bee as I prefer to take my time and get the best finish that I can. I do admire how well the competitors manage within the time constraints and also their creativity. I imagine part of the audition must be the ability to withstand constant interruptions and then negative comments without visibly gritting their teeth!3
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