Re-fashioned and Ready

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Posted on October 12, 2012

The last few weeks have a bit of a struggle blogging-wise as there seems to have been limited material that I have felt like writing about and most of it did not really lend itself to adding photographs.

In the spirit of simplicity I have been working on my sewing room – finishing some projects and working through my ‘to do’ list. Yesterday I finished the last 2 tablecloths which I had set aside to alter from rectangular to oval to fit my current round dining table when it is extended. You can read my initial post about this project here.

After the success with the damask cloths I decided to do the same to a plain pink cloth and a polyester lace one that I use as an overlay. The pink one was fairly straightforward but the lace one was a little trickier.

I ended up cutting the hemmed edging and then re-stitching it onto the re-shaped cloth which worked well.

I am now looking forward to the opportunity to use these pretty and functional items.

The only thing that remains to be done is to finish sorting and re-organising the linen cupboard which was the activity which precipitated this project in the first place. More on that one with before and after photos tomorrow.

Do you re-fashion or re-purpose linen in order to extract the maximum use from it?

Still On Track

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Posted on October 9, 2012

My tandem challenges for October are both still on track.

Frocktober – I have accepted the challenge to wear either a dress or skirt each time I leave the house. In order to add a degree of complexity to the challenge I am trying not to wear the same outfit twice during the month. So far this is going well.

Stoptober – in conjunction with Frugal Queen I am endeavouring to spend as little as possible this month. In addition to my haircut and fruit and vegetable shopping which I mentioned in an earlier blog, I bought some hem binding to complete a false hem on a skirt for Missy. My total spend in 9 days has been $59.70. The Duke has ordered a new DVD player online since our old one simply ceased to work. He searched for a good deal and this one is less than $5o, including delivery.

My organising has been fairly limited recently but I am working on completing mending and sewing projects.

I am busily making lists of what I need to achieve before Christmas which is only 11 weeks away. Composing my Christmas letter and writing cards are things that I like to get done fairly early so will be starting those soon. I am also keeping an eye out for recipes to include in our Christmas menu. It will be a little different this year as I am eating a gluten-free diet. I try to make it grain and sugar free as much as possible, too. Creativity will be the key.

Have you started thinking about Christmas or do you have your head buried firmly in the sand?

Sew Easy

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Posted on September 29, 2012

Our granddaughters are staying overnight so this afternoon I took the opportunity to get some current measurements of them.

While I was in the sewing room I found a piece of fabric and was inspired. I made this dress for Miss O, using the t-shirt she was wearing as a pattern.

The patterned fabric was a remnant that I bought from Lifeline a few months ago for $1.

The stretch fabric means that the dress can simply be pulled on over the head and there are no fastenings. It will be a cool, comfortable addition to her summer wardrobe.

Planning Ahead

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Posted on September 27, 2012

We will be going to a wedding in March 2013 and while that is still 6 months away I have begun to consider what I might wear. In fact, while we were on holidays I did look to see if I could find something suitable. I do not even know what I am looking for which does make shopping rather difficult.

While I was sorting out some items in my sewing room I came upon this skirt which needs to be mended.

The skirt is fine – it is the lining that is the problem.

The lining is much narrower than the skirt and it has split at the sides. I had only worn the skirt a couple of times before this happened and then I gained weight and it was a bit tight. Now the skirt is fine and once I replace the lining with an underskirt that matches the shape of the outer skirt it will be fine.

This is the top which I originally bought to wear with the skirt and although I have worn it with other outfits it definitely looks best with the skirt. The photo is not very flattering and the top looks better in real life.

I tried the ensemble on last night with black heels and have decided that it will be suitable for the wedding. I am thinking of making a black jacket – possibly velvet and also having a black shawl/wrap.

My only concern is that the wedding is in Canberra in March (early autumn/fall) and the weather is totally unpredictable. I could wear a camisole under the top and an extra slip if it is really cool.

I need to start looking at replacing the lining and choosing a suitable pattern and fabric for the jacket so that the sewing does not get left to the last minute. A little bit of lateral thinking and planning may have saved me a significant amount of money.

A Unique Gift

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Posted on August 6, 2012

I have been making a gift for Izz for her birthday. She has a doll’s bed which has been passed down to her but no bedding.

I bought 2 u-shaped pillowcases recently from the op shop. Here is one that I have unpicked ready to use. Note the roll of fabric which is the dismantled and pressed frill.

The Duke bought a piece of foam cut to size for the mattress and I have covered that using some of the pillowcase fabric.

The next step was to make a patchwork quilt. I worked out the size and number of pieces I would need. The plain pink is more of the pillowcase, plain mauve from a piece in my stash of fabric, Dora pattern is a few leftover scraps from the doona cover and curtains that I made for Miss O last year and the pink patterned fabric is from a blouse I picked up at the op shop. The frill is the one I unpicked from the pillowcase. The hemmed edge remained intact so I simply regathered it and reapplied to the quilt edge.

I bought a large piece of cotton/bamboo batting for a bed quilt I am working on for Izz’s bed so I used a small piece for this quilt. (I think this is a rather spoiled doll!) The backing is more leftovers from some op shop fabric. I quilted it by simply machine stitching along the seam lines which is nothing fancy but seems effective.

The finishing touch was to make a matching pillow. A couple more fabric scraps and some salvaged filling from an old cushion and I had a complete set of bedding for the doll. Here is the mattress with the pillow.

The total cost of things I bought specifically for this project was $6.60. This is a gift which I know will be loved regardless of the cost. I am looking forward to seeing Izz’s face when she opens the gift.

Now I need to work on the the bed quilt I am making as well since her birthday is in 2 weeks and I want to be able to give her the present before we go on holidays.

Cut Out the Middle Man

Super Sunday

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Posted on July 8, 2012

Whatever I write tonight will not do justice to all that we have done today. Miss O and Izz did not wake until almost 8am but it was non-stop until they went to bed at 8pm. Who knew that 12 hours could be so exhausting?

We started the day with pancakes for breakfast then I did a couple of loads of washing and some sewing alterations. First up I re-did the elastic in both pairs of pyjama bottoms. Next was letting down the hem on Miss O’s dressing gown.

I also added ribbed cuffs and neckband to Izz’s pyjama top.

We left home at about 11.30 and went to a strawberry farm at Beerwah were you can pick your own fruit. 2 buckets and we were underway.

The girls very quickly figured out that the best ones were red right up to the top of the fruit. Izz still needed reminding that it is best to pluck the fruit rather than clutching them in your hand!

I had packed a picnic lunch so the next stop was Glasshouse Mountains township and the park. We had ham and avocado sandwiches, home-made sausage rolls with our own tomato sauce, home-grown mandarins and freshly picked strawberries. The playground, complete with flying fox provided heaps of fun and games.

Then it was next door to the visitor information centre where the girls discovered a wall puzzle of different dinosaurs as well as an interactive history of the mountains on a touchscreen. This centre is well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Finally, we headed home via a local fruit stall and chose a few things including a pineapple to use on our pizzas for dinner.

Later this afternoon, I made 3 batches of muffins and of course had lots of help. 2 batches were made with added berry yoghurt and coconut which I cooked in small patty papers and they will be frozen and used for snacks for daycare.

Dinner was pizza followed by strawberries, ice-cream and a pancake then it was showers and bed for 2 little people. After a very busy day we had absolutely no arguments about bed and sleep.

They are not the only ones who will sleep well tonight.

I hope you have had a great Sunday, too.

Badges, Blankets & Babysitting

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Posted on July 6, 2012

I have finished, albeit temporarily, a long-term project. The last badges are sewn on two camp blankets. They were begun about 20 years ago and belonged to Belle and Missy. The badges were mostly souvenirs of our travels as well as some that friends and relatives sent to them from far-flung places.

The girls grew up and left home and the last 15 or so badges languished in a container in my sewing room. Recently, I located the blankets when I was decluttering the wardrobe and after consultation with the original owners they will now be passed on to Miss O and Izz.

I was inspired to finish sewing the remaining badges onto the blankets.

And here is a close-up.

As you can see there is plenty of space for more badges so I will probably start on the merry-go-round again, starting with our upcoming trip.

I am currently looking after my grand-daughters for a few days while Belle is away so when we go home tomorrow I will be able to show them the blankets and try to explain the significance of them. I expect they will be a welcome addition to their bedding as it is currently quite cold at our place.

Decluttering Meets Damask

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Posted on July 4, 2012

I have decluttered my linen cupboard several times over recent years but there were a couple of damask tablecloths which defied decision each time.

We now have a small round table which extends to an oval but both of the cloths are rectangular and one is quite large. About a week ago I had a blinding flash of inspiration. I am unlikely to ever have a large rectangular dining table again so I decided to cut the cloths to fit my existing table and enjoy using them rather than storing them for some vague reason.

This is the larger cloth on my oval table. My mother gave this to me and I am fairly sure it belonged to my great-grandmother. What would she think if she knew I was taking to it with a pair of scissors? Probably happy that it was going to be used rather than stashed in the back of my linen cupboard.

I made a pattern of the tabletop, worked out how much drop I wanted and set about cutting out my ‘new’ tablecloth.

Here it is hemmed, pressed and ready for use.

Then I started on the other cloth which I planned to make to fit the table when it is not extended and is just a small, round table.

This cloth was much smaller and when I cut the biggest circle that I was able, it was still a bit short on the overhang. So, I decided to increase the diameter by stitching some extra fabric on. I cut 12cm wide bias strips from the leftover fabric which you can see below.

I then sewed them into a continuous strip and edged the cloth with it. You can clearly see the join but I am not particularly worried as I now have a usable cloth for my round table that I did not have before.

I have now been inspired to re-look at my collection of tablecloths and see which ones I really should be keeping and how I can re-fashion them so that they are able to be used with my current table, either as a round or oval.

What have you given a new lease of life to?

A Storage Solution

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Posted on June 27, 2012

I do not use any disposable cleaning cloths but instead I have a selection of microfibre and cotton cleaning cloths as well as an assortment of worn out towels and t-shirts which make great rags for almost any cleaning job.

The cleaning cloths had previously been folded in a pile in the laundry cupboard and the rags were in the cupboard under the laundry tub.

Recently I decided to make a ‘ragbag’ modelled on my memories of one that belonged to my grandmother.

I made this from some scraps in my stash of fabric. The patterned fabric is leftover from nursery curtains I made before Miss O was born, the plain green is the from the op shop doona cover which I used to make my ironing board cover and the binding on the opening came from a collection that belonged to my friend’s mother. There was no pattern – just my memory and an idea which I turned into reality.