Busy with Bags

1 Comment

Posted on March 2, 2014

This afternoon I re-acquainted myself with my sewing machine. I have several projects that I want to get done but I decided to start with something manageable that I could finish in an afternoon.

First, I mended this reuseable silk bag which I was given about 10 years ago. It is used frequently and some of the stitching at the top of the side seams had come undone.

Next, I retrieved a piece of material I bought some years ago for the purpose of making another bag using this one as a pattern. Sometimes my grand plans turn out to be more complex than I imagine but it was not the case this time.

I successfully replicated the original, complete with side gussets and double stitched seams on the handles and bottom edge of the bag.

The best part about these bags is that they are lightweight and fold down to almost nothing. I was spurred into action as I wanted to have 2 lightweight bags to take when we travel overseas. They can be used for grocery shopping, carrying personal effects to a shared bathroom or keeping worn clothes separate from clean ones when packing. They can be easily washed and will dry in a matter of hours. The total weight of the 2 bags is 79g.

Finally, I made a lining for a hessian carry bag that I bought when we were in the USA in 2012. The bag originally had a plastic coating on the inside but it was starting to crack and deteriorate as you can see here.

I removed all of the plastic coating and then washed the bag as it was quite grubby from use every week. I measured the dimensions of the bag and then cut out and made a lining from some navy poly cotton fabric. It matches nicely with the print on the outside of the bag.

Here is the new lining assembled and pinned in place. Tonight I will sit and handstitch the lining to the top edge of the bag. I will add a photo of it when I am finished.

It has been a successful afternoon of some small sewing tasks. Do you make or repair items that you use? Do you use reuseable shopping bags?

Flown the Coop

You Must Remember This…..

10 Comments

Posted on February 4, 2014

Remembering, memories and shared experiences all combine to be part of what we are today.

The past helps to shape the future.

For many people, our memories seem to be inextricably linked to things from the past. It may be the souvenir trinkets you bought on holiday last week, your college sweater from 30 years ago or great-grandma’s fur wrap.

What would happen if you removed all of this stuff from your life? Would the memories disappear? The memories will remain because the human brain is so smart that we do not need physical reminders of events and people from our past.

Let us take the college sweater as an example. Does it add value to your life by being stashed in a box in the attic. Perhaps it is sharing a box with some old text books or the corsage from your debutante ball and the suit you wore to your first job interview? If you got rid of the sweater, corsage and suit would that mean that you did not attend college or your debutante ball and the job interview didn’t happen? No, of course not. Moving items such as this along will not destroy the memories which you have kept alive, despite having no day-to-day physical connection to the item.

The holiday souvenirs are insidious. The Eiffel Tower keyring, leprechaun fridge magnet and so on – are these the ‘real’ memories of your visit? Did you need a keyring or fridge magnet? Will you forget that you visited France and Ireland if these things are no longer stashed in a shoebox in the top of your wardrobe? Time to move them on and remind yourself not to be sucked in to buying these knickknacks in the future. Save your time and money for things that really count and add value.

Then there are the family heirlooms such as that fur wrap. Do you wear it? Can it be refashioned into something you will use? If the answer to both these questions is no, then perhaps you could ask other family members but if no-one wants it perhaps it is time to let it go so that someone can gain some benefit from it. Think of the alternative – the wrap sits in that box in the attic, gathering dust and probably deteriorating until you depart this earth and someone has to go through your possessions. It will be tossed out without a second thought.

If you are struggling with decluttering stuff, stop and put yourself in the shoes of your children (or others) who are sorting through your stuff when you are gone. Ask yourself, “What would they do with this?” Better still, ask them if they would like the item now. If they don’t, you can be rest assured that they will not want it in 10, 20 or 50 years time when you are gone.

I am not saying that you need to get rid of all of your possessions but rather, we need to evaluate what we have and keep that which is useful, we truly love and which adds value to our lives. Anything that has been stashed in a box or cupboard for more than a year needs a careful re-assessment. Depending on what it is, put it on display, use it everydayor refashion it so that it fits with your current needs. If none of these actions are right, move it along to someone who will love and use it.

Don’t let your memories hold you back. Let go of some stuff, free up time and space, go and create new memories. Enjoy!

Making Ends Meet – The Essentials

2 Comments

Posted on December 11, 2013

In an earlier post I identified the essentials for life as shelter, food and clothing.

I talked a bit about food and how you can immediately reduce your costs by creatively using what you have on hand and also the importance of not wasting precious food.

Now for the other 2 essentials before we move back to food.

Shelter

I know it is unwise to assume, but for the purpose of this exercise I will make the assumption that you currently have somewhere to live. This means that you will most likely have the expense of either rent or mortgage payments. These need to be your first priority when you are accounting for money and if you are unable to meet this payments then your situation is very dire. You should seek financial counselling as soon as possible.

It is not a good idea to try to sell or move to another rental property when things are really tight as there are costs associated with moving house, so, if it all possible, it is best to see if you can possibly maintain your current location by cutting back in other areas. If it is absolutely essential that you move, you could consider moving in with other family members as a temporary solution or sharing with another couple or family to reduce the costs. All of these strategies have been done before, and whilst not perfect, they are better than ending up homeless.

Clothing

“It is interesting, because I often don’t think of clothing myself as an essential. When I was trying to save for a deposit for a house, that’s the category I set to zero (save for a three week holiday I budgeted for overseas, and within that budget I was allowed to buy whatever, which happened to include lots of clothes!). Admittedly, most people have clothing, so can skimp for a while. And there’s free clothing, through hand me downs, swaps and freecycle. Or there’s op shops. Still, very interesting reading!”

This was a comment in response to my post where I placed clothing in the ‘essential’ category. Having clothes to wear is essential – we are not in the Garden of Eden – but buying new clothes is definitely not essential! In fact, like Sarah’s comment, in tough times the clothing budget should be set to zero.

Think about this: You had enough clothes last week and nothing has changed so there is no need to go and buy more. Children’s clothes can be let down, patched and created from refashioned adult items. Check out websites and you will find many references to challenging yourself to buy no new clothes for a year. It can easily be done.

A final tip: Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.

In my next post I will look at what meals I can create using the list of contents of Sarah’s refrigerator and pantry.

Woodshed – Finished

2 Comments

Posted on November 17, 2013

As you know, we demolished the old chicken run a couple of months ago but left the woodshed which was attached to the end of the run. There was only chain wire between the coop and the woodshed and this was removed during the demolition process, leaving the woodshed without a side wall. We had plenty of Colorbond sheeting which we salvaged from the demolition and yesterday The Duke created a side wall. We also had to add a narrow strip to the roof and then finished it off with some metal angle, also salvaged.

The finishing touch was to plant a climbing vine that we bought yesterday. It is a Richmond Birdwing Butterfly Vine. I have been meaning to plant one for ages but have not really had the right spot.

I finally finished tidying and sorting all of the wood in the shed. The wheelie bin is also full of kindling. All of the wood is now in one place instead of various spots around the garage and under the house as well as the woodshed.

This is the area where the chicken run was so we are planning on extending the area which is planted with heliconias, gingers and bromeliads. These are currently on the embankment to the left of the photo and we will extend it into the vacant space. I plan to move some rocks to create a defined edge to the area . The ground has lots of leaf litter as well as chicken manure and composted vegetable scraps so I don’t think we will have any trouble getting them to grow.

Just to let you know that starting from tomorrow I will be doing a series of posts about the practical applications of having a smaller selection of clothes. Please join me then.

Furniture Restoration

3 Comments

Posted on November 16, 2013

I do not have photos of each piece but The Duke and I have been busy today, working on 3 different pieces of furniture.

The main piece is a silky oak chest of drawers/dressing table which we finally got around to beginning to stain. We bought it unrestored a couple of years ago and the Duke worked hard to strip all of the paint and sand the individual pieces. The oval mirror which attaches to the top has been dismantled and that was what was holding us back. We needed to have it resilvered and there always seemed to be something more pressing to do. The Duke searched on the internet and found that a large glass and mirror business in the city no longer do resilvering as it is cheaper, easier and more accurate to cut a new one, no matter what the shape or if there are bevelled edges. We will have the frame stained and take it with the old mirror next week to get a new mirror cut and fitted into the frame. Once it is finished it will replace the current pine chest of drawers that I am using.

On the left-hand side of the photo is what was originally our TV cabinet which was used by our daughter for a few years and then found its way back home. Today we have sanded and undercoated it and the finish will be gloss white enamel and it will go in the guest (Air BnB) bedroom instead of the small decoupage desk which is there at the moment.

Finally, there is a pine blanket box standing on its end in the background. We plan to use this as a storage box on the verandah. It will hold BBQ supplies and tools and will be painted ‘Woodland Grey’ which is the colour that we will be using for a lot of the exterior trim as well as all of the fenceposts. We have had this box for over 30 years but it has been superseded in our bedroom by an antique cedar chest. It had heavy rope handles which we removed and are replacing with metal handles. We bought them some time ago from Paddington Hardware along with all the new handles for the chest of drawers. The holes where the rope was attached needed to be filled so I sanded a piece of an old broomstick and cut it into pices to plug the holes. We overfilled them with Plastibond and tomorrow will sand the box including the Plastibond.

It may take us a couple of weekends to finish them all but I am looking forward to taking photos of the finished articles to show you.

Make & Mend – Shelving

4 Comments

Posted on November 15, 2013

My latest project is something completely different. I designed and made a piece of furniture. ‘Furniture’ is probably a slightly too grand to use as a description for the rustic shelving unit which is made from vintage wooden crates and lengths of undressed pine.

This creation is the culmination of much discussion over a number of years. When we first moved into our home in a country town in South Australia we discovered that the large shed held numerous old treasures that had been collected, perhaps even hoarded by previous owners. Amongst these items were 5 solid wooden crates which had been used to hold explosives. This was evident from the markings on them.

Over the years we have moved house twice, downsized and decluttered many things but the crates, which were someone else’s cast off stuff always managed to make the cut. The Duke would vaguely suggest that we could use them for shelving and they have often been simply stacked one on top of the other and used to store various things in the workshop. I had always had a rough idea of a design for shelving which would make the best use of the boxes that we had. After (yet another) clean-up in the workshop the other weekend my plan finally became clear. I found 2 identical pieces of undressed pine in amongst the odds and ends of wood. The Duke said that they were part of the packaging on the roll of fencing wire we had bought when we were building the chicken run. I needed 8 matching pieces for my planned shelving so I asked at the local farm supplier from whom we had bought the wire. He was happy to give me 6 more pieces that were sitting on a bench out the back of the shop. The pieces of pine would make the ends and legs for the unit.

The Duke trimmed the pine to the length required and we then set about assembling the shelving unit using my design which I had roughly sketched on a piece of paper to convince him that it was feasible.

The only cost was $7.00 for some screws. Some were from our stash but we needed to buy more to complete the project.

The shelves will provide some additional storage in the workshop and were a practical way to use the boxes which had been deemed as too good to throw out. By the way, I checked on eBay and found that similar ones were for sale at between $20 and $60 each. What is my designer original shelving unit worth? I would say that it is priceless!

Make & Mend – Cot Quilt

2 Comments

Posted on November 12, 2013

As promised here is another of the things I have been working on.

On one of my many attempts to sort/tidy/declutter my sewing room I found some offcuts of material. It is calico with blue teddy bears. I also had some plain calico.

With no-one particular in mind I decided to make a quilt. I discovered that I could make enough blocks to make a cot quilt if I added some plain navy blocks.

The batting and backing were added and the quilting was a simple ‘stitch in the ditch’ where the blocks were joined.

Then it just sat waiting to be bound and finished. I finally got inspired and completed the quilt. Handsewing the binding took a little time but I set myself a goal to get it done and here is the finished product.

I am planning to send it to a friend whose patchwork group are busily making quilts for those who lost their homes in the recent NSW bushfires. I hope it will help a family in need.

I am very gradually decluttering my sewing room. It is a gradual process because I do not want to get rid of stuff but rather to use it up. I plan to make things from the fabric that I have and donate them through various avenues so that others can benefit.

Make & Mend – Picture Frame

4 Comments

Posted on November 11, 2013

This week I want to share a few of the projects I have been working on recently.

First up is the picture frames. These are 2 large timber frames which belong to my mother. They have family photographs in them and usually stand on her sideboard. The problem is that the stand is actually very heavy cardboard. After several years of very wet and humid weather the cardboard has absorbed moisture and now has flexed and will not stand and support the frame.

I brought these home with the idea of repairing them and this is what I did.

I made a pattern from the stand on each frame and then marked it out on a sheet of plywood.

The pieces of plywood were cut using a jigsaw.

I then spread the glue (Aquadhere) over the plywood and placed it on the cardboard stand. I used several clamps to make sure firm contact was maintained between the surfaces. I left the clamps in place for 24 hours.

There are no photos of the clamps as my camera battery was flat.

Tonight I removed the clamps and the repair has been successful. Now I need to finish the other frame then return them to my mother.

Tune in again tomorrow for the next project.

Project 333 – Wardrobe Orphans

2 Comments

Posted on November 8, 2013

While I have been busily writing about some of the strategies you can use to reduce your stuff, I have been reviewing the contents of my wardrobe.

As I have said before, I do not have a bulging closet. Nevertheless, there are still items that get overlooked when I am planning an outfit to wear. Why? They fit and there is no good reason but they just tend to get overlooked. They are the wardrobe orphans.

This sleeveless shirt is an identical style to others that I wear regularly but although I like it the top it does not really work with other pieces. My skirts are all patterned and therefore I wear plain tops with them. My shorts are white, black, red and khaki. I don’t get excited about any of those combinations. I think it needs denim or navy shorts or skirt. I don’t have either nor am I planning on adding them to my wardrobe. The final straw is that it obviously requires a white or nude bra and the 2 white bras that I have are too big and really past their use-by date. So, the shirt has to go.

Another white shirt. This time it is a 3/4 sleeve one with light blue metallic pinstripes. Unlike the other one I have never really loved it. I bought this when I needed another ‘business’ shirt but it generally gets cast aside in favour of others that I prefer. It is just not right for me.

I am going to move both of the shirts out of my wardrobe and was planning on putting them in the op shop bag. However, my first option is to offer them to any of my readers who are interested. You may have one or both if you wish. I am giving them away on the understanding that you will pay for any postage costs. I am willing to post overseas if required. They are best described as an Australian size 10 – 12. The sleeveless shirt was made by me and is cotton. The 3/4 sleeve one is Jacqui E cotton/nylon/elastane.

If you are interested please email me. gandy79atgmaildotcom

Are there any orphans lurking in your wardrobe?