Simple Decorating

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Posted on November 25, 2012

Yesterday we hosted a Christmas gathering for our neighbours. We live in a semi-rural area and often the annual Christmas function is the only opportunity we have to get together.

We were mostly on the verandah, however, I had cleaned and set up the living area in case of inclement weather. Although it is still November I did want to have a simple, Christmas-themed decoration.

I put this centrepiece together using a crystal salad bowl and some silver balls which are normally used on the Christmas tree. It looked really pretty and effective.

Here you can get a good view of one the tablecloths that I have converted from a rectangle to an oval to suit the table. You can read more about the project here and here.

A Pile of Clothes & Something For Me

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Posted on November 9, 2012

I am gradually working my way through a pile of clothes that I brought home from Missy’s place nearly 2 weeks ago. I was helping her to sort and declutter in preparation for her interstate relocation.

Some items were deemed not suitable, too old, worn out or simply no longer loved. Most would suitable for someone else so they went to the local op shop.

I did score a scarf which Missy no longer wanted. I am not usually a huge scarf fan but this was a small lightweight one in turquoise, black and beige/gold colours which caught my eye. I have worn it twice in less than a week. The first time was out to dinner when I had a black skirt and 3/4 sleeve top of the same turquoise colour. The top has a v-neck and no collar so the scarf really finished it off nicely. Secondly, I wore white 3/4 trousers and a black camisole with a gold tie-up 3/4 sleeve mesh top. I used the scarf as a belt for the trousers and it added a bit of colour and brought the whole outfit together. I certainly had not gone out looking for a scarf like this but once I saw the opportunity it fits really well with my existing wardrobe.

Like most people she had some items lurking amongst her clothes which were not wearable for a variety of reasons. We assessed the viability of each piece and I brought some home for some alteration/mending to return them to fully functional pieces.

The handiwork has included replacing buttons, letting down hems and a multitude of minor adjustments that enhance the wearability of a garment.

One dress gaped where the bodice crossed over but since it was a stretch fabric I just permanently sewed the crossover section. Another top had fold back cuffs on the armholes which needed to be pressed into place each time before wearing so I stitched them so that it stays in place. These adjustments are not usually evident at the time of purchase and it is not until you wear an item a few times that you realise that it is not as ‘easy’ to wear as you would like. Sometimes there is a simple solution that can make all of the difference.

This is the pile that I have finished. There were some other maintenance jobs like trimming off loose threads and pilled fabric. All of this combined with washing has created a pile of items with a new lease of life.

I still have a bit left to do but it is not as bad as it looks spread over the ironing board. Soon it will be a neat pile of wearable clothes.

One of the things that I have learned from my involvement in Project 333 is that nothing deserves a place in your wardrobe unless it is wearable and you love it.

Do you find yourself with a cupboard full of clothes and ‘nothing to wear’? Perhaps it is time to check out what is lurking in the cupboard.

Back Again

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Posted on November 5, 2012

Blogging has taken a back seat this last week as my ‘real’ life has been rather busy.

We have been away for the weekend to catch up with friends and celebrate a ‘milestone’ birthday for my girlfriend. We had a fabulous time and I have returned refreshed and with renewed enthusiasm after our short break.

I am working through a pile of mending/alterations of clothes for Missy which I have promised I will finish before she moves interstate in a couple of weeks. I have spent some time helping her declutter and sort some things prior to her move as it is an ideal time to rationalise exactly what you have and what you need. There is no point in paying to move things that you really do not want to keep.

Speaking of things you do not want to keep, this is a pile of fabric that a friend offered to me last week as she did not see the possibility of using it any time soon. I have accepted it and have space to store it until I start creating. I think that may be next year as the next 7 weeks are looking pretty busy in the lead-up to Christmas. However, I already have some plans for some of the fabric and am looking forward to using it. Thanks, Sandra.

I mentioned that it is 7 weeks until Christmas but my busyness is not really related to a crazy shopping frenzy or significant over-indulgence in food. It is more about a self-imposed deadline for projects that I want to complete both at home and at work before the end of the year. More about that in tomorrow’s post.

The Linen Cupboard

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Posted on October 13, 2012

As promised in my post from yesterday, I have finally finished the linen cupboard that I started back in about July. It was not a huge task as I tend to regularly check my linen and cull any excess that cannot be otherwise used, either by me or someone I know.

I finished it all apart from the 3 tablecloths that I set aside to refashion to fit the oval table. This is how I left it.

Most of it looks fine, apart from the 4th shelf with tablecloths, placemats and serviettes in no particular order.

Here is the close-up of the shelf to be done.

All finished – the tablecloths are in 3 piles. One pile of cloths for the table when it is round, one for the extended oval table and one pile of ‘other’ cloths. These are 3 small square one suitable for afternoon tea as well as 3 bigger cloths for the outdoor table and 2 folding tables which we sometimes use if we have a bigger gathering. The serviettes are on the same shelf as the tablecloths while the placemats are on the shelf below.

Now I am off to make some more wool wash and hope to post the recipe and instructions here tomorrow.

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.