Category Archives: Homemaking

Installation Day

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Yesterday we had a couple more changes finalised.

The front room which is my sewing room has large outward-opening French doors but no way of restricting access to the unwanted insects. These doors are the only direct ventilation for this room and that is not a significant issue for the majority of the year as we are trying to keep the house warm. However, about 4 months of summer can be a different story. After much research we found a solution to the problem.

A retractable, folding mesh screen that is barely noticeable when it is retracted yet allows us to open up the doors on warm days without the insects coming inside.

This is the view with the doors open and the screen closed.

The doors are closed and the screen retracted in this photo. It is quite difficult to make out the housing for the folded screen on the left-hand side.

The second part of the job was to have a security door installed on the front door. Once again, there are limited times that we actually need the front door open but it is a nice option as well as the additional security even when the door is shut.

The view when the main door is shut.

And when it is open.

It is great to have these improvements in place as the weather is set be be quite hot over the next few days.

Starting Afresh

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Revamping our walk-in wardrobe was not an absolute priority but rather a by-product of the pantry extension. Our wardrobe is now about half of the original size but we are very confident that it offers more than enough space for our needs.

Once the new wall and cornices were installed, the next stage was to repaint the entire space. It is now white which I feel provides a clean, bright backdrop to the clothes.

We had removed all of the shelves and hanging rails before the renovations and are planning to install a more functional modular system which fits our needs. We are going to check out the components next month as the business is located on the other side of Melbourne from us and is not that easy to access. I expect it will be 2025 before we actually install the new shelving and rails.

In the meantime, we have moved some of our clothes and shoes back into the space.

There are plenty of off-season clothes, coats and jackets still in another wardrobe as well as shoes, hats and bags. Of course, I also have tops and underwear folded in drawers. However, this is a pared down selection of what GMan and I mostly wear. I will be interested to see how often I actually need to go to the other clothes.

When I look at this small hanging rail of clothes it is really easy to see why I have consistently remarked that my food is more important to me than my clothes when asked about our plans for the pantry and wardrobe.

Notes From the Sewing Room

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I finished the piece of patchwork I was working on and that is now with a lady who will quilt it using a longarm machine.

I then turned my attention to a bit more tidying up in the sewing room which seems to be a continual work in progress. I noticed a couple of pieces of Christmas fabric along with some fabrics which had a definite Christmas feel to them.

So, I made these two tote bags.

I am not sure where they will end up but I think they are rather gorgeous.

My storage space is definitely not well-organised but I keep living in hope. These cube shelves were repurposed from their original location in our walk-in wardrobe and a lot of fabric was simply unpacked from boxes and shoved in to spaces wherever it would fit. I know I can do better and I am working towards that goal.

The previous owners also left two unused glass shelves for these cubes and I added them which makes the size of the cubes more functional for small baskets and other items.

Here is a close-up of one of the glass shelves.

I have decided to get get 4 more of these from IKEA next time we are in Melbourne so watch this space for future improvements.

Meanwhile, I continue to work on various sewing projects with the goal of using up some of my stash.

These pieces will become a couple more tote bags for our local Community Pantry.

Setting Deadlines

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Deadlines are not something that you would generally associate with being retired. Most of the time I coast along comfortably and do what needs doing in a timely manner, often with the aid of a list.

However, now and then I find that I have a project with a completion date that I know will not be met if I continue to just do a bit now and then. So, patchwork is taking priority at the moment.

Here is the work in progress.

This is the first stage of laying out the blocks in preparation for creating Disappearing 9 Patch blocks.

Here is a detailed description of how it is done.

Time to do some more sewing.

Feeling Accomplished

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Today I have completed 2 sewing tasks that I have been working on recently.

The first is a shirt for my daughter using a pattern and fabric which she provided. The linen fabric was a delight to work with as was the pattern which came together beautifully. I am really pleased with the result.

The other was a skirt which I spotted at the op shop a few days ago. The colours caught my eye initially and although it was supposedly my size the waistband was much too small. For $3.50 it was definitely worth buying and refashioning. I removed the side zip and recreated the waistband with it flat at the front and elasticated at the back. I am looking forward to wearing this as the weather warms up.

Finding Fabric

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Yesterday we went to Castlemaine which is a larger town about 15 minutes drive from home. GMan needed to buy more bread flour and pick up a reserved book from the library. We also visited the hardware and landscaping supplier to check out our requirements for upcoming projects but more on those another time.

As we had plenty of time and no deadlines to meet we also wandered through 4 different op shops. Some yielded nothing but I had a couple of wins.

Two different pieces of fabric.

This one is earmarked to make a polo shirt for GMan. I used to make them all the time but haven’t done so for a number of years. He really likes the colour and it is a nice weight fabric.

Another piece for my red and black patchwork project. It is probably more than I will need so will be good for making bags.

I could not pass up a blue and white summer top.

The whole lot set me back $7 and it is always fun to poke around and check out what is available.

In other news, the work on the pantry is progressing and the replacement of the front fence will be starting tomorrow too. There will be updates and photos later in the week.

Work is Underway

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After almost 18 months of debating, wondering, planning and trying to find a suitable tradesman, the changes to the butlers pantry and walk-in wardrobe are now underway.

After one day this was the view.

Looking from the existing pantry you can see where the wall has been removed exposing the end of the walk-in wardrobe. The pantry extension will go right through to the wall in the background.

Looking from the door of the walk-in wardrobe.

Day 2 and things have started to take shape. The framing for the new wall is in place and I can start to imagine how things will look.

We now have a clear idea of the wardrobe space. It will be plenty for our needs.

I managed to buy matching tiles for the splashback in the pantry and today I sourced some more vinyl planking for the floor covering in the pantry. The particular colour/pattern I needed has been discontinued but thankfully there was some in the warehouse. The builder has matched the cupboard fronts, handles and benchtops so I am confident that it will all match up seamlessly when it is complete.

An Interstate Trip

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We live in Victoria and today we took a trip to New South Wales. The Murray River forms the majority of the border between these states and the southern bank is the actual border so once you are on the river you are technically in New South Wales.

Castlemaine is about 20 minutes drive from home and the railway station there is on the main line from Melbourne to Echuca. When we catch the train it is generally to Melbourne but today we headed about 130km north to Echuca.

About 18 months ago regional travel was made significantly cheaper so with our seniors fares we can travel all day for a mere $5.30. However, this week is Seniors Week and there is free travel anywhere in the state for seniors. We noticed that we we not the only ones taking a day trip to Echuca.

It is about 1.5km walk from the station to the old river port historical precinct. It was a gloriously sunny day and we stopped along the way to admire some of the old buildings and beautiful gardens. Many buildings have plaques which provide great information about the history and previous uses of the buildings.

lunch in one of the many cafes we headed down to the wharf for a cruise of a paddlesteamer. The river seems so benign but we know that this is not always the case. In fact, almost exactly 2 years Echuca endured on of the worst floods on record with the river peaking about 7 metres higher than the level it is at today.

One several paddlesteamers which offer short cruises from the Echuca wharf.

The PS Pevensey at the wharf. This was the one we went on.

The PS Pevensey was rebranded as the Philadelphia for a starring role in the 1983 television miniseries, ‘All The Rivers Run’ and this room included various pieces of memorabilia from the series which was one of my favourites.

Finally, another traveller kindly offered to take our photo on the boat.

No day out is complete without an ice-cream so we indulged on our way back to the train.

During our walking around the town, I spotted an op shop at the Anglican church and they had a terrific selection of cotton fabrics in large and small pieces. I was quite restrained but did pick up these for $5.

Before we knew it we were back at the station where the train was waiting for us.

New Curtains

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Aside from the pantry and walk-in wardrobe alterations we also needed to consider some screens for the front of the house.

Last Friday a gentleman came to measure and quote for a security screen for the front door and look at options for screening the French doors in the sewing room as well as the large sliding doors which open from the lounge onto the front terrace.

While the weather is cool more than it is hot here, we still wanted to have the option of being able to open up these rooms without assorted insects entering uninvited.

We were also interested in alternative options to the plain grey roller blinds that are currently in the lounge. They are not practical for a number of reasons and also make the room look rather stark and industrial.

So, we have decided to remove the blinds and install curtains instead. Today we went to the showroom in Bendigo to choose the fabric for the curtains.

This is the room (albeit a bit dark) with the existing blinds.

This photo shows the colour of the sofa and chairs along with the wall.

Here is the fabric I have chosen for the curtains against the sofa and the wall.

I am looking forward to the difference it will make to this room.

Planned Changes

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We have now been living here for 17 months so have well and truly experienced the full range of seasons. Despite having some basic ideas of changes we wanted to make to the house and garden from the time we moved in, we feel that it is good to be informed by the experience of actually living in the house for a full year.

There will be a number of changes over the next 6 months or so but the first one begins next week. I think this is the one I am most excited about.

The butlers pantry and the walk-in wardrobe share a common wall and make an L-shape on the relevant section of the floor plan below.

The wall between the pantry and the walk-in wardrobe will be removed and the wall behind the sink in the pantry will be extended. This will effectively double the size of the pantry and halve the size of the walk-in wardrobe.

The extended pantry will have a long bench on one side with 2 sets of deep drawers below it and the other side will consist of open shelving.

These are a couple of views of the current pantry. It is good but more space will be wonderful.

Looking from the kitchen directly into the pantry. None of this will functionally change. The extension will be on the right-hand side of the sink.

This is the wall that will be removed. The bench and shelving above will continue as will the floor-to-ceiling shelving on the other side.

I cannot wait to have more space and I will be able to rehome the storage buckets of bulk flour, seeds, nuts and dried fruit that are currently in the wardrobe of the spare room.

Of course, there is a trade-off. A smaller walk-in wardrobe is not an issue. The existing space is huge and could almost be regarded as a dressing room although we do not use it as such.

We have managed to spread things out to almost fill the space but we know that we can utilise the smaller space much more effectively as we will install modular hanging rails and shelving to easily accommodate our clothes. Additionally, there are 2 other bedrooms with wardrobes if we find that we need to hang out-of-season coats and jackets. The mirror will go and the shelving/hanging rails will be fitted on the side (about half the length) where the existing rails are as well across the end where the mirror is currently positioned. We have a full-length mirror in the hall near the front entrance so do not really need the second one.

During the next week we will need to move everything out of the wardrobe so that it does not get covered in plaster dust. The wardrobe and bed in the guest bedroom will accommodate most of it.

The pantry is not as much of an issue as everything on the open shelves is in sealed packets or containers but some of the things at the end near the wall removal will need to be moved out of the way. The builder has estimated about 10 days for the work so I am prepared for a bit of disruption. I am confident that it will be worth it when the job is completed.