Slow Living – February

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Posted on March 3, 2013

This is my second month of joining in the monthly round-up at Slow Living Essentials and already I seem to be struggling with what to write. A couple of things seems to have conspired against me – it is a short month – is it really the end of the month already? and the weather! Since the dry spell broke on the Australia Day weekend (26th January) it has rained almost constantly which limits our activities somewhat

Here are the Slow Living categories:

{Nourish} With the onset of some cooler weather with the rain it was an ideal time to pull out the slow cooker.

I made a batch of pumpkin soup and and beef casserole.

{Prepare} We had an excellent crop of figs.

As well as eating lots of them fresh from the tree, I was able to dry some. This was very successful so I am hoping to have enough to do again next year.

{Reduce} This is always a hard one as we do this each and every day. I turned a singlet of mine that was too short into one for Miss O.

{Green} The weather has brought out the mould but I am keeping things clean and smelling fresh with the use of clove oil. You can read a previous post here.

{Grow} The warm, dry beginning to the summer meant that we had about 8 mangoes on our small tree. We planted it about 4 years ago and this is the first time it has fruited. I suspect that it is generally too cool for them here but this year’s crop has made it worthwhile. They are some of the best mangoes I have tasted and the flesh is as smooth as anything with no sign of stringiness.

Last weekend we had a rare fine day so we bought and planted some vegetable seedlings. They have more than doubled in size in a week.

{Create} Since my sewing machine has returned from being serviced I have got quite a bit of sewing done. I am working through my stash of fabric as well as some pieces I have been given. Here are some of the results.

Winter and summer pyjama bottoms.

A new lining in my skirt.

{Discover} I don’t think I have read anything this month but in a different vein I did discover some fabric to be used when I was sorting out my stash.

{Enhance} We gave away the used fencing wire via Freecycle. I also shared some of the many self-sown cucumber seedlings with neighbours, work colleagues, blogging friends and also on Freecycle.

It is a shame that I did not take some photos of them. Not so much for the seedlings but the innovative packaging. I used some excess egg cartons that I had been given and each seedling and its soil was packed in a space in the carton.

An internet friend sent me some fabric and I used some of it to make a dress suitable for an 18 month old. I will send it to her for her granddaughter who was born last week.

{Enjoy} We travelled to Melbourne and spent a weekend with our daughter who moved there recently. We saw her new home, sampled food at some local establishments and shopped.

I bought this dress to wear to a wedding in a few weeks. I just need to finalise accessories.

The slow living this month has been heavily weighted towards sewing and I guess that is not entirely unexpected with being stuck indoors due to the weather.

Now I am off to check out some of the slow living blogs.

Til next month………..

Weekend Work

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Posted on February 24, 2013

We have had a busy and productive weekend but it was not without some recreation as well.

Yesterday was the one bright spot, according to the weather forecast, in an otherwise wet couple of weeks. We set off early and headed to the markets at Yandina, which is about 40 minutes north of us. Our main goal was to buy some seedlings for our vegie garden. There is a great stall there and this was our first stop. We bought cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, beetroot, bok choy and lettuce seedlings.

The main focus of this particular market seems to be plants and The Duke always checks out the fruit trees and yesterday we bought another mandarin tree. I cannot remember the variety but it was not one had heard of, although the stallholder said she finds it is one of the sweetest varieties. We are happy to give it a try.

Once we were back home our next project was to hang the gates to complete the new fencing. I also did 2 loads of washing. After lunch the Duke mowed the lawn. I was very thankful that the weather stayed fine and windy so the washing was all dry and I got the ironing up to date.

It was easy to stay focused on what I needed to achieve as we had decided to go to the movies last night to see Quartet. It was the first screening by the Maleny Film Society back in the revamped Community Centre. We also had dinner there before the movie and had a fun night out. The meals are catered by Pomodoras on Obi, a local restaurant and function venue which also has on-site accommodation.

Today the weather has not been quite as pleasant, and we had some rain this morning, but it has not deteriorated as predicted yet. I have made some progress with several sewing projects. Three pairs of trousers for The Duke have been shortened as well as a new skirt I bought in Melbourne.

I have put a new lining in a skirt and am working on the waistband.

Here is the lining attached to the skirt.

And the right side with the waistband partly attached.

The reason I relined this skirt is because the original lining was straight and very narrow and I had split the side seam on it. I find this disappointing and annoying when I pay for a good skirt and find that they have skimped by making a lining that does not match the shape of the skirt. I am confident that my alterations will work well and I am looking forward to getting plenty of use out of the skirt. I also did some sorting of my fabric and have some ideas for several pieces so there is plenty to keep me going for a while.

Finally, this afternoon we topped up the soil in the raised garden bed and planted the seedlings. There are no photos as it was getting late and the light was not good. I hope to post some later in the week. It is now raining lightly so the seedlings will be enjoying that.

I am still waiting to hear from SarahN to claim the giveaway. Once I send it I will share what it was with you all.

Making Way

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Posted on February 18, 2013

As many of you would be aware, I have been streamlining my wardrobe for nearly 12 months. My goal is to have a modest selection of good quality clothes that I love and are flattering to wear.

The Duke generally keeps his selection of shirts under control but after our shopping spree in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago it became obvious that he had too many pairs of trousers that he rarely wore. So, this evening we went through them and culled 3 pairs of trousers as well as the suit he had replaced. I have also put 3 skirts into the op shop bag. I am planning on refashioning 2 other skirts but the these do not fit with the clothes I need and love. All of the items we are letting go of are good quality and in excellent condition so I hope someone can use them.

In the back of my mind I keep thinking of the money that we have spent on these (and clothes) over the years but I know that I cannot use that as a reason to hang onto them for ever. That is no way to recoup the money spent. However, it is a timely reminder to be very thoughtful about what you spend you money on, whether it be clothes or something else entirely.

It is far better to someone else the opportunity to gain some use from the items that are no longer wanted or required.

Finally, a warm welcome to all of the new readers and followers. I hope you find something of interest in my blog and thank you for joining in.

Sew Quick and Easy

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Posted on February 17, 2013

Yesterday I finally picked up my sewing machine from having it serviced, so today I decided to spend some time sewing. Some of it has been quite challenging, a pleated skirt which is now too big for me. I have completely disassembled it and am in the process of re-making the skirt but in the meantime it was good to start and finish a couple of simple projects.

First was a pair of boxer shorts for summer pyjamas for me. These were from some material kindly given to me by a friend.

I teamed them with an existing tank top to make this set.

She also gave me a piece of flannelette with a cute teddy bear pattern that was just begging to become winter pyjama bottoms.

I did some mending, too. This pair of shorts is about 12 years old and I wear them when painting or gardening. The fabric is in good condition but the elastic had given way so I unpicked the waist and old elastic, replacing it with 2 rows of new 6mm elastic.

The shirt which was waiting to have the buttonholes done is also finished.

I will keep you updated on the progress of the skirt.

In the meantime, don’t forget to comment on this post and follow my blog for a chance to go in the draw for the mystery giveaway.

What A Difference……..

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Posted on January 25, 2013

…….a week makes!!

We have had a very dry few months and some extremely hot weather .

In fact, last Friday night I was contemplating how The Duke and my brother-in-law would manage doing some fencing in the predicted hot weather last weekend. Tonight it is raining steadily and the rain is predicted to increase in intensity over the next 48 hours as the tropical low moves further south towards us. We have already received about 150mm (6 inches) of rain in just over 36 hours.

The second stage of the fence building may be delayed.

The humidity is off the scale, everything is wet to touch, I have washing on the airer indoors and we are running the dehumidifier in the bedroom. But……the life-giving rain is back to replenish the tanks and gardens and I am so happy.

This weekend might be an indoor one but I have plenty to do. I have more things to unpick for patchwork fabric. If I can get this done and the fabric sorted and put away ready for use I will be pleased.

Stay safe wherever you are and whatever the weather. I hope you have a relaxed weekend.

Clear The Clutter

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Posted on January 6, 2013

I have spent several years gradually decluttering in an effort to simplify my life. I am not sure what the end point of this journey looks like, or even whether there is a destination. Since I have most areas in my house fairly clear and streamlined, I am certainly at the point where it is easy to recognise potential clutter before it becomes entrenched.

It is important to identify things before they become clutter. An example is a plastic water jug that was in our refrigerator. It had obviously developed a hairline crack because I discovered a pool of water on the shelf where it was standing. Until yesterday this was a perfectly functional item in our kitchen, today it will not hold water which is what I use it for. So, I have thrown it in the garbage. Some people would suggest that it could be used to store/display non-liquid items or be refashioned into something else. I am all for minimising the amount of stuff that goes to landfill, however, I do not need this jug for any other purpose other than holding water, so out it goes.

Do I need another plastic water jug? I am trying to use more glass and less plastic in the kitchen so my plan is to look for a suitable glass jug. It is not desperately urgent so I may check out the op shops when I have time.

My sewing room is one area where I still have quite a bit of ‘stuff’. I am gradually working through it so tonight I did a little more. Just before Christmas it was a bit of a mad flurry to get the sewing table (folding) cleared so that I could fit bedding for 4 children in this room. I have previously resisted stashing things away without sorting them properly but as time was limited I carefully folded the remaining fabric and half-finished projects into 2 lidded boxes. I put the boxes in the wardrobe but as soon as Christmas was over and the table re-instated I brought the boxes out and placed them on the table as a reminder to me that I had to sort through the contents.

There are several garments which I had bought from the op shop last year with a view to using the fabric for my patchwork. I had begun unpicking this blouse which was in the box so I decided to finish that job.

Here is the material that I have for use in my patchwork project.

The buttons have been salvaged and are now in my button collection.

The scraps of fabric have been discarded.

I now have 1 less thing in my ‘to do’ pile. Here are another couple of garments which are the next things I plan to deconstruct and use for patchwork.

By having the things confined in a box I can easily see that I am making progress in clearing them out.

Do you have a particular room or type of items that present a decluttering challenge to you?

New and Not So New

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Posted on December 2, 2012

I have been busy with my sewing today and wanted to show you what I have done.

This morning I started on the blouse which I cut out earlier in the week. I was on target to have it completely finished today, however, the sewing machine decided to misbehave. The automatic buttonhole function is not working, I do not know what the problem is and have tried all of the usual trouble-shooting ideas – re-thread the machine, reset the buttonhole settings, clean the bobbin case etc but all to no avail. I will have to ring the sewing machine shop tomorrow.

In the meantime, here is a sneak preview of the blouse. It is all done except for the buttons and buttonholes.

The next project is another skirt but I decided to have a short break from making new things and set about repairing/refashioning this bag.

This bag belongs to my daughter and it previously had rope handles which were knotted on the inside. The holes were finished with large eyelets, however, one of the eyelets had pulled away from the fabric. In order to repair the bag I removed all of the eyelets and made new handles.

I used some scraps of chocolate brown fabric which was lurking in my stash. I had to join a couple of pieces together to get enough length for the handles. The straps are double-stitched to allow for heavy weights that may be carried in the bag. You can still see the eyelets holes on the inside but all in all it is a functional bag again. It is great to be able to give items a new lease of life.

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.

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.