Category Archives: Homemaking

Suit Yourself

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When we were in Melbourne last month, The Duke bought a new suit.  Before we left the store it was packed onto hangers and placed in a suit bag.

These bags are fairly lightweight plastic and we now have at least 3 of them at home.  They are convenient if you are taking a suit when flying interstate but I would never store clothes in them as the plastic does not allow any air to circulate and the clothes would be mouldy in no time.

2013-03-04 01We are going on holidays next week and will be travelling by car for a couple of weeks.  The suit will be packed as we have a wedding to attend in the latter part of the trip so I decided I wanted something better than a plastic bag.

First, I removed the zipper to re-use in the new bag.  Then I used the existing bag as a pattern.  I made the new bag somewhat longer so that is able to hold a dress as well.  Thanks to the generosity of a friend I have several metres of poly cotton fabric, some of which was perfect for my project.

Here is the suit in the finished bag.

2013-03-04 02All zipped up and ready to go.

2013-03-04 03We now have a breathable carry bag/dust cover for special occasion clothes and another piece of plastic has been eliminated from our home.

Slow Living – February

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This is my second month of joining in the monthly round-up at Slow Living Essentials and already I seem to be struggling with what to write.  A couple of things seems to have conspired against me – it is a short month – is it really the end of the month already? and the weather!  Since the dry spell broke on the Australia Day weekend (26th January) it has rained almost constantly which limits our activities somewhat

Here are the Slow Living categories:

{Nourish}  With the onset of some cooler weather with the rain it was an ideal time to pull out the slow cooker.

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I made a batch of pumpkin soup and and beef casserole.

Dinner

{Prepare}  We had an excellent crop of figs.

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As well as eating lots of them fresh from the tree, I was able to dry some.  This was very successful so I am hoping to have enough to do again next year.

 

{Reduce}  This is always a hard one as we do this each and every day.  I turned a singlet of mine that was too short into one for Miss O.

2013-03-03 05{Green}  The weather has brought out the mould but I am keeping things clean and smelling fresh with the use of clove oil.  You can read a previous post here.

Clove oil

{Grow}  The warm, dry beginning to the summer meant that we had about 8 mangoes on our small tree.  We planted it about 4 years ago and this is the first time it has fruited.  I suspect that it is generally too cool for them here but this year’s crop has made it worthwhile.  They are some of the best mangoes I have tasted and the flesh is as smooth as anything with no sign of stringiness.

Last weekend we had a rare fine day so we bought and planted some vegetable seedlings.  They have more than doubled in size in a week.

2013-03-03 07{Create}  Since my sewing machine has returned from being serviced I have got quite a bit of sewing done.  I am working through my stash of fabric as well as some pieces I have been given.  Here are some of the results.

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Winter and summer pyjama bottoms.

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A new lining in my skirt.

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{Discover}  I don’t think I have read anything this month but in a different vein I did discover some fabric to be used when I was sorting out my stash.

{Enhance}  We gave away the used fencing wire via Freecycle.  I also shared some of the many self-sown cucumber seedlings with neighbours, work colleagues, blogging friends and also on Freecycle.

It is a shame that I did not take some photos of them.  Not so much for the seedlings but the innovative packaging.  I used some excess egg cartons that I had been given and each seedling and its soil was packed in a space in the carton.

2013-03-03 11An internet friend sent me some fabric and I used some of it to make a dress suitable for an 18 month old.  I will send it to her for her granddaughter who was born last week.

{Enjoy}  We travelled to Melbourne and spent a weekend with our daughter who moved there recently.  We saw her new home, sampled food at some local establishments and shopped.

2013-03-03 12I bought this dress to wear to a wedding in a few weeks.  I just need to finalise accessories.

The slow living this month has been heavily weighted towards sewing and I guess that is not entirely unexpected with being stuck indoors due to the weather.

Now I am off to check out some of the slow living blogs.

Til next month………..

Use It, Don’t Store It

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The rain continues to pour down here with more flooding predicted.  This is our third round in less than 4 weeks so I think the only ones enjoying the weather are the ducks.  Extreme weather events make life a bit more challenging so we just manage the bare basics.  The systems and organisation that I have in place make it reasonably easy to get by but there is no denying that I do long for a bit of fine weather.

Our lake

In the meantime, I wanted to share something small with you.  We do not have a toothbrush holder as a permanent fixture.  At one stage we would put them on a shallow tray in the cupboard but I decided that it would be easier to have them accessible on the bench so I cast around for a suitable container.  I wanted something stylish but did not see the need to rush out and buy one so I re-purposed this vase.

2013-02-26 02It is the right size and shape as well as being stable and quite heavy so is unlikely to be knocked over.

I was involved in an online discussion recently regarding how many vases people had and where they stored them.  I found that I had 5, including this re-purposed one.  None of them are stored as such.

This one which came from my mother is a piece which I love and it is the centrepiece on my dining table.

Two of the others live on the sideboard and are essentially decorative, although they can be used for holding flowers as required.

The final tiny vase which I was given for my 21st birthday is an ornament on my dressing table.

Do you have vases and how do you store them?

Weekend Work

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We have had a busy and productive weekend but it was not without some recreation as well.

Yesterday was the one bright spot, according to the weather forecast, in an otherwise wet  couple of weeks.  We set off early and headed to the markets at Yandina, which is about 40 minutes north of us.  Our main goal was to buy some seedlings for our vegie garden.  There is a great stall there and this was our first stop.  We bought cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, beetroot, bok choy and lettuce seedlings.

24-02-13 01The main focus of this particular market seems to be plants and The Duke always checks out the fruit trees and yesterday we bought another mandarin tree.  I cannot remember the variety but it was not one had heard of, although the stallholder said she finds it is one of the sweetest varieties.  We are happy to give it a try.

Once we were back home our next project was to hang the gates to complete the new fencing.  I also did 2 loads of washing.  After lunch the Duke mowed the lawn.  I was very thankful that the weather stayed fine and windy so the washing was all dry and I got the ironing up to date.

It was easy to stay focused on what I needed to achieve as we had decided to go to the movies last night to see Quartet.  It was the first screening by the Maleny Film Society back in the revamped Community Centre.  We also had dinner there before the movie and had a fun night out.  The meals are catered by Pomodoras on Obi, a local restaurant and function venue which also has on-site accommodation.

Today the weather has not been quite as pleasant, and we had some rain this morning, but it has not deteriorated as predicted yet.  I have made some progress with several sewing projects.  Three pairs of trousers for The Duke have been  shortened as well as a new skirt I bought in Melbourne.

2013-02-24 02I have put a new lining in a skirt and am working on the waistband.

2013-02-24 03Here is the lining attached to the skirt.

2013-02-24 04And the right side with the waistband partly attached.

2013-02-24 05The reason I relined this skirt is because the original lining was straight and very narrow and I had split the side seam on it.  I find this disappointing and annoying when I pay for a good skirt and find that they have skimped by making a lining that does not match the shape of the skirt.  I am confident that my alterations will work well and I am looking forward to getting plenty of use out of the skirt.  I also did some sorting of my fabric and have some ideas for several pieces so there is plenty to keep me going for a while.

Finally, this afternoon we topped up the soil in the raised garden bed and planted the seedlings.  There are no photos as it was getting late and the light was not good.  I hope to post some later in the week.  It is now raining lightly so the seedlings will be enjoying that.

I am still waiting to hear from SarahN to claim the giveaway.  Once I send it I will share what it was with you all.

Minimalism and Multipurpose

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While the nature of some tasks require a specific tool or space to complete the job, many things do not.

The first thing that comes to mind are the plethora of single-task appliances which seem to take up residence in many kitchens.  You know the ones – waffle makers, ice-cream makers, popcorn makers, juicers, breadmakers and so on.  I admit to having a breadmaker – The Duke makes all of our bread and has done for many years, although he is playing with the idea of artisan-style bread baked in the oven and successfully made a loaf the other day.  We also have a juicer which could be used more.

However, today I want to take the concept of multipurpose away from appliances.  When we had our kitchen re-modelled a few years ago we created a large amount of bench space, including this breakfast bar.

2013-02-20 01We use this space for eating meals, serving food and general food preparation so it does not always look like this.  Once I have finished using the bench, it is cleared and we try not to use it as a ‘dumping ground’.

By having a clean, clear bench I am able to use it for other purposes.

2013-02-20 02I can pull the chairs back out of the way and I have a cutting table and workbench for when I am sewing.  It is the perfect height and totally stable.  I am also able to access it from almost any direction.  My sewing machine is in the closest bedroom (a few steps along the hallway) but this is the perfect solution for me.

So, which comes first minimalism or multipurposing?  If I had more stuff the bench would probably not be clear to use.  If I could not use the bench would I acquire a suitable table and contribute to more stuff?

This is a winning solution whichever way I look at it.

Prepared

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The wild weather we experienced 3 weeks ago is back, although not quite so dramatic.  Parts of the Sunshine Coast and hinterland, where I live, have received well in excess of 200mm since the rain began on Thursday.  The majority of it fell overnight on Sunday and all day yesterday.

2013-02-19 01The rain has eased for the moment and the forecast is that we have seen the worst of it so any flooding should only be minor to moderate.  The lake in our backyard is nowhere near as extensive as it was last month or on many other occasions.

2013-02-19 02Gale force winds are being forecast for the next 2 to 3 days and of all the extreme weather conditions, it is wind that actually poses the greatest risk to us and therefore the need to be prepared.  While there is a small chance of structural damage, either directly or from falling trees, loss of power is our major potential problem.

2013-02-19 03Electricity is integral to almost everything we do in the 21st century so we have done all that we can to make sure that we can function for up to 3 days without it.  Before I left for work today I made put containers of water in the portable fridge/freezer (set to ‘freeze’) so that we will have plenty of ice available to keep foodstuffs cool if we lose power for more than 24 hours.  We also have 20 litres of drinking water immediately available.  The cooktop is gas and we have solar hot water (if the sun happens to be shining!)

2013-02-19 04A less obvious piece of planning was my choice of clothes to wear to work.  I had previously decided to wear a skirt, blouse, stockings and heels but instead opted for lightweight jeans, fitted ¾ sleeve top and lace-up shoes and socks.  If we arrive home this evening (after dark) and there is no power I do not need to be stumbling around in my fancy work clothes.

I hope my preparation is not required, however, since it is only 3 weeks since we lost power for more than 3 days the inconvenience is very fresh in my memory.  I wonder if others have taken heed as a result of the previous storm or if they have quickly slipped back to the complacent attitude of expecting that there will always be power whenever they flick a switch?

Making Way

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As many of you would be aware, I have been streamlining my wardrobe for nearly 12 months.  My goal is to have a modest selection of good quality clothes that I love and are flattering to wear.

The Duke generally keeps his selection of shirts under control but after our  shopping spree in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago it became obvious that he had too many pairs of trousers that he rarely wore.  So, this evening we went through them and culled 3 pairs of trousers as well as the suit he had replaced.  I have also put 3 skirts into the op shop bag.  I am planning on refashioning 2 other skirts but the these do not fit with the clothes I need and love.  All of the items we are letting go of are good quality and in excellent condition so I hope someone can use them.

2013-02-18 01In the back of my mind I keep thinking of the money that we have spent on these (and clothes) over the years but I know that I cannot use that as a reason to hang onto them for ever.  That is no way to recoup the money spent. However, it is a timely reminder to be very thoughtful about what you spend you money on, whether it be clothes or something else entirely.

It is far better to someone else the opportunity to gain some use from the items that are no longer wanted or required.

Finally, a warm welcome to all of the new readers and followers.  I hope you find something of interest in my blog and thank you for joining in.

Sew Quick and Easy

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Yesterday I finally picked up my sewing machine from having it serviced, so today I decided to spend some time sewing.  Some of it has been quite challenging, a pleated skirt which is now too big for me.  I have completely disassembled it and am in the process of re-making the skirt but in the meantime it was good to start and finish a couple of simple projects.

First was a pair of boxer shorts for summer pyjamas for me.  These were from some material kindly given to me by a friend.

2013-02-17 01I teamed them with an existing tank top to make this set.

2013-02-17 02She also gave me a piece of flannelette with a cute teddy bear pattern that was just begging to become winter pyjama bottoms.

2013-02-17 03I did some mending, too.  This pair of shorts is about 12 years old and I wear them when painting or gardening.  The fabric is in good condition but the elastic had given way so I unpicked the waist and old elastic, replacing it with 2 rows of new 6mm elastic.

2013-02-17 04The shirt which was waiting to have the buttonholes done is also finished.

I will keep you updated on the progress of the skirt.

In the meantime, don’t forget to comment on this post and follow my blog for a chance to go in the draw for the mystery giveaway.

Transformed

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What a difference 75 minutes can make!  Yesterday I showed you my small bit of organising.  I had sorted the tangle of unironed clothes from earlier in the week into piles of shirts, skirts, t-shirts and so on.

2013-02-14 01This morning I caught the slightly later train so I decided to get as much of the ironing done as possible.  There is no doubt that, not only am I a ‘fowl’ (morning person), I do perform better when I am working to a deadline.  I knew that I had a window of 75 minutes, so naturally the challenge (in my head) was on to get as much done in the allotted time as possible. Here is the result.

2013-02-15 02 All I have left to do are the 3 pairs of trousers for The Duke which are on the left-hand end of the ironing board in the photo.

2011-07-10 02Because I use a steam iron and we live in an area of high humidity, I always hang the ironed clothes to air and dry thoroughly before putting them in the wardrobe. Ironing seems to be a universally hated task, however, I actually do not mind it – especially once I get started.  I find a great deal of satisfaction in having crisp, clean clothes hanging in the cupboard ready to wear. I know many people choose not to iron most of their clothes and some do not even own an iron.  That is not an option for me as both The Duke and I work in a corporate environment and almost all of our clothes are either 100% or primarily cotton/linen. There are stories of people who iron everything – including underwear and bed linen.  I think that may well be from a time when clothes dryers were not commonplace and it was a way of ensuring that everything was totally dry.  I do iron handkerchiefs, pillowcases, tablecloths , serviettes and teatowels which some would regard as extreme but I guess it is a matter of each to his own. What is your ironing story?

Small Steps

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During the week I do not have much time to do housework but some of the smallest things can make a difference.

I have managed to do 2 loads of washing since we arrived home on Sunday evening.  The folding is done and put away but I have not got near the clothes that need to be ironed.

2013-02-14 01Last night I quickly sorted out the pile which had been upended on the single bed in my sewing/ironing room into piles of similar items – The Duke’s business shirts in one pile, my skirts in another etc.  It now looks much more manageable and I plan to do at least some it tomorrow morning before I catch the slightly later train in the morning.

Do you have any tips and tricks that make a task seem less daunting (and look more organised in the meantime)?