A New Life

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Posted on March 13, 2017

In the 6 years that I have been writing this blog there have been numerous posts about mending and repairing clothes to extend their life.

Tonight I want to show you a couple of projects I completed on the weekend.

This was a long-sleeved shirt which was worn at the cuffs. The traditional repair of this problem is ‘turn’ the cuffs, that is, to remove the cuff and replace it with the worn outside to the inside, thus doubling the life of the shirt. Unfortunately, this had worn right on the edge and was visible from both the right and wrong sides. So, I decided on a different course of action as it is a much-loved shirt.

Using an existing short-sleeved shirt as pattern, I re-fashioned it to a short-sleeved shirt.

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The excess that was cut off did not go completely to waste, either. I removed the buttons and added them to my stash because, to quote my late father, “you never know when it might come in handy”. I think that growing up in the Great Depression drove much of his thinking in that respect. I do not hoard stuff but I do recognise that some things are likely to have a potential future use. It is all a matter of balance. I also managed to cut 6 x 5″ squares for future patchwork projects.

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My next project is a perfect example of when those salvaged bits do actually come in handy. A elastic in a pair of GMan’s shorts had stretched to the point where even the associated drawstring was not sufficient to comfortably keep them up.

I unpicked the stitching and removed the elastic and salvaged the drawstring. I just needed some suitable elastic and I would be able to reconstruct the shorts. I found some that I had kept from some underpants that had worn out! Of course, the fabric from the underpants had ended up in the rag bag.

Here are the shorts with the elastic removed and the drawstring and ‘new’ elastic ready to be re-assembled.

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So, thanks to my stash of salvaged elastic the shorts have been repaired and are as good as new at zero cost.

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Recycled Outfit?

Add Some Straps

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Posted on January 17, 2017

Here is a quick post about a small sewing project I did recently.

Miss O had this strapless dress which was not really practical as it kept creeping down and she spent the entire day hitching it up.

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The addition of some simple black straps made it much more wearable. This is the true colour of the dress, too.

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I used some wide elastic from my stash to put inside the straps and they now sit nicely on her shoulders.

A Particular Passion

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Posted on January 8, 2017

During the holiday break I have had time to read and post in various groups and forums. I participate to varying degrees in several groups. I find that many of them have quite a narrow focus, sometimes to the exclusion of all else.

Some of the topics covered include:

Frugal Living
Zero Waste
DeclutteringMinimalism
Veganism
Upcycling
Buying Nothing New
Simple Living
Plastic Free Living

I dabble in all of these to some degree apart from veganism although we have reduced our intake of red meat to quite a modest level.

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At times it seems that I am not sufficiently passionate about any single topic, however, I feel that they are all inter-related and one aspect can support another.

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Hence, this blog contains posts which cover and wide range of topics and I hope you will find something of interest to you.

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Please let me know if there are particular topics which you would prefer to see more of or less.

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Running Repairs

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Posted on December 14, 2016

I feel as though I could open my own repair cafe at the moment.

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Yesterday I repaired the cover for my iPhone rather than buying a new one. I have a tiny tube of supa-glue and I managed to re-attach the plastic case to the cover and also re-join the split along one side of the plastic case. I did such a good job that it is not really visible in these photos. Unfortunately, I did not get any ‘before’ photos as the battery for my camera was flat and I had to recharge it.

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Tonight I did the second step of the repair when I replaced the small magnet which actually secures the closure on the case. I had lost the original one some time ago so it did not actually fasten. The replacement magnet was salvaged from the cover of a little notebook. The notebook had become detached from the cover and my grand-daughter was ready to toss the cardboard cover so I retrieved the magnet before she did so.

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While I had the supa-glue out, I also repaired a Christmas ornament which had a mishap when being hung on the tree.

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The antler and the oar back in place.

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Finally, this is a dress which belongs to my grand-daughter. It is strapless but not really practical for a 9 year old. It needs some shoulder straps and I have found some black fabric which I will use. I will do the sewing on the weekend during daylight hours as I find it too difficult to sew with black fabric and thread at night.

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Taking Responsibility

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Posted on February 24, 2016

I stumbled upon this article online today. It is about a study showing the correlation between age, gender, race and political ideology to belief in the reality of climate change and the impact caused by humans. The content did not surprise me greatly, however, I was bitterly disappointed by the following couple of paragraphs towards the end of the article.

“But accepting climate change did not necessarily make you greener, at least in your home life, the study also found.

While those who accept human’s role in climate changes were more likely to take more public action, such as signing petitions or joining demonstrations, that was not necessarily replicated in private action, such as cutting energy use at home and using public transport over the car.”

I find this very sad indeed and downright depressing. It is yet another example of the overwhelming apathy which so many people display. Everybody wants ‘something to be done’ but expect that it is the responsibility of someone else, usually the government, the mythical ‘they’ or in the case of climate change, the global community or, at the very least, another country.

Australia may be a small player in the global sandpit in terms of population but we create far more than our share of mess when it comes to environmental vandalism. Yet, our governments consistently drag the chain when it comes to making real changes that will tackle climate change and benefit the planet. Sadly, government policy by all parties seems to be limited to the interval between the present time and the next election. This is not limited to addressing climate change but policy in general.

In the absence of clear government action, the driver of change must come from each and every one of us. Remember the saying, “mighty oaks from little acorns grow”. We can and should all play our part in changing everyday habits. Addressing the problem of climate change is not just about legislation, coal mines and power stations. It is about each one of us doing our bit.

Can’t afford solar panels? Live too far from public transport? Organic food is too expensive? This does not mean that you cannot make a significant contribution by reducing your carbon footprint. In fact, many of the actions you can take to save money will also save the planet.

Buy second-hand – clothes, furniture, tools, toys
Do not waste anything – use up leftover food, finish the last shampoo in the bottle
Consider re-usable alternatives – cloth serviettes instead of paper, lidded containers instead of plastic wrap, refillable drink bottles instead of bottled water

These are just a few examples.

What have you done to reduce your carbon footprint?

Flashback Friday

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Posted on April 3, 2015

As with all new projects, ‘Flashback Friday’ is being fine-tuned. As well as linking back to the original post I am going to copy and paste it into a new post. So, here goes…..this is from August 2012 just before Izz turned 3.

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.

In the interests of presenting a complete picture here are a couple of photos I took when she received her parcel.

Modifying My Diary

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Posted on January 10, 2015

My personal diary which I showed you here is working well and does not require any modification. However, I also have a work diary which is an A5 size and quite slim as it has a week to a double page. However, it is missing one vital ingredient – a marker ribbon.

I did not realise this until I was using it last week so I decided to get creative. I found a length of narrow red ribbon in my sewing collection and was going to cut the length I needed and tie it onto the top spiral. Then I reconsidered and realised that by doubling the ribbon and looping it over the spiral I could avoid cutting the ribbon.

Now I can easily remove the ribbon at the end of the year and I will still have a usable length for another diary or different project.

The finished product is working well and it is much easier to find the page I want quickly. I also can use the second length to mark a different spot if I happen to be working on 2 areas at the same time.

Patchwork – 5 Months Later

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Posted on November 2, 2014

I have finally made it back to my patchwork that I first showed you here and here. Well it is 5 months later and I have finally got back to doing some more. I now have 31 blocks completed and here they are laid out on the floor in a totally random order. None of the fabric was purchased specifically for the project. It is all offcuts from dressmaking projects or small unused pieces from my stash of fabric. That stash is a bit smaller now. 🙂

By my calculations these 30 blocks should cover the entire bed but I am not too sure how much overhang I want at the sides and the end or how much I will lose when I add the wadding and quilt it. I think I will sew all of these together and see what I think. Then I can add another row or two of blocks if I feel it needs it. I am also wondering whether to put a plain border of 6 – 8 cm all around the edge.

Please share your thoughts or experiences on patchwork/quilting in the comments.

I have also cut out another 80 squares for a smaller rug using the same technique but more about that another day.

Shopping & Sewing

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Posted on June 22, 2014

Firstly, thanks for your kind comments on my ‘Hollywood’ outfit. I am really pleased with it and quite looking forward to the occasion. I am considering keeping the skirt as well as the top because I am thinking that there could possibly be other occasions for which it will be suitable. Also, I dislike being cold and it can be quite difficult to be warm and glamorous so this would definitely fit the bill. I could even add leggings under the skirt.

I am not keen on shopping but sometimes it has to be done, so yesterday we made a bit of a pilgrimage to a couple of the larger shopping centres which are about 30 minutes drive from where we live. I won’t bore you with all of the details but I did manage to buy this piece of fabric at Spotlight. I will make a camisole to go under the black top of my Hollywood outfit.

While I was at Spotlight I also bought a round plastic tablecloth. It was reduced in price and I had a discount voucher so ended up being priced at $5.70. It is to go on a plastic outdoor table that previously belonged to my mother. I wanted a permanent cover on the table so I decided to cut it a bit bigger than the table and attach elastic to the outer edge.

Here is the piece I cut off the cloth.
Coincidentally, there is a discount clothing store in the same complex as Spotlight and The Duke bought some new underwear and discarded several pairs that were looking the worse for wear. I salvaged the elastic and used that to attach to the plastic cloth.