Make & Mend – Cot Quilt

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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

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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.

STREAMLINE – Starting Over

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Posted on October 16, 2013

As promised, here is the first in my decluttering series based on “The Joy of Less” by Francine Jay.

Whether it is a whole room or a single drawer, the principle of this step is to start from scratch. That is, you need to get the space back to how it was when you moved into the house.

If you leave things in place this activity becomes one of cleaning around items rather than seriously questioning the value of every single piece. As Francine says, “Nothing gets a free ride”.

Are you about to give up before you even get started? Does the prospect of removing everything fill you with terror? Or are you thinking that you have nowhere to put the stuff until the next step of “Trash, treasure or transfer”? You have made it this far so I expect that you have some very good reasons for wanting to declutter.

Perhaps you could start small and tackle one drawer. Empty the entire contents onto the kitchen bench. Don’t focus on what is on the bench. Give the drawer your entire attention. Clean it inside and out. Replace it and feast your eyes on the space. Space to hold the things you really need and love. Now, close the drawer and turn your attention to the pile on the bench. Would you simply toss all of this back in the clean drawer? Now it is time for “T” – “Trash, treasure or transfer” but more of that tomorrow.

There is no specific order in which to tackle the decluttering. You could try the most-used room, or the least. Perhaps the worst area or one that causes you the most personal angst. It could be you bedroom so that you have a calm and peaceful retreat from the chaos around you or the entry area so that you are thrilled to greet visitors. Whatever you decide, it is your choice.

I have chosen a small space – the cupboard above the refrigerator. This sees very little activity usually but it has been opened several times a day over the past week. You see, we have a new refrigerator which fits easily in the available space, however, the doors on the overhead cupboard were custom-made to suit the old refrigerator so they need to be opened every time we go to the refrigerator at the moment. The cabinetmaker is coming on Friday to remove and modify the doors. Having this cupboard opened regularly has reminded me of what I have stashed in there and how infrequently it is used so I have decided it is time to take everything out and have a serious look at why it is there.

What are you going to tackle first? I am looking forward to hearing of your choices, successes and challenges.

Tomorrow, we will get right into it.

Holiday Fun

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Posted on September 27, 2013

No organising happening here today as we are too busy having fun. Miss O and Izz are staying for a couple of nights as it is school holidays here.

It has been a full day which included picking strawberries at a local farm as well as buying some fruit and vegetables and getting hair cut. That was just this morning!

Then it was time for lunch.

A platter which included freshly picked carrots and avocadoes plus some cracker biscuits. A cup of water and some strawberries rounded off a healthy lunch.

The weather has been really quite hot the past few days but even though it was much cooler today it was still warm enough to play in the pool.

Climbing ‘mountains’, hide and seek and racing around the yard used up some excess energy.

And taking a moment to smell the roses AKA cannas.

Going, Going………Not Quite Gone

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Posted on September 26, 2013

Last weekend we did some more demolition work on the old chicken coop. We have been fairly careful in how we went about it because it was our goal to salvage most of the materials for use in future projects. There is now only one piece of chain wire to remove and then the posts.

The Colorbond sheeting from the roof and walls will come in handy for some of the remaining raised garden beds that we are planning to construct. The posts have been earmarked for use in building the perimeter fence of the vegetable garden. That was the reason that we fenced the new chicken run before the vegetable garden as the posts for the run were taller so had to be purchased.

The woodshed which is in the foreground of the photo will be retained and some minor modifications made to it.

I will also be making some changes to how the wood is stored. Although it cannot be seen in this photo, I had wood stacked quite high against the side wall. I use the past tense of ‘had’ as recently there was a tremendous crash during the night and we have now discovered that my carefully stacked wood has collapsed and is now a disorganised jumble on the ground. I suspect that some of the local wildlife was instrumental in this event.

As always, there is always another project lurking in the background, even if it is only in our minds at this stage. Once the structure is completely removed this will open up the possibility of having at least one large limb lopped from one of the jacaranda trees. There is also a very large boulder which has dislodged from higher up the mountain and is resting against part of the old fence at the top of the block. We may remove the fencing to allow the rock to roll to the bottom of the garden (another ‘meteorite feature?) before repairing the fence.

Then there are the possibilities of what to do with the area where the chicken run was but I will save that discussion for another day.

The Production Line

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Posted on September 16, 2013

Having a productive garden entails more work than just planting, watering and harvesting the crops.

The next step is to make sure that the produce is used wisely. It is difficult not to have some wastage, especially when there is a glut.

At the moment we have an over-abundance of lemons and grapefruit and are doing the best we can to deal with them.

On Saturday evening, The Duke and I juiced and froze about 3 litres of lemon juice and a litre of grapefruit juice. Most of the lemon juice is in 1 litre quantities so that I can thaw it and make cordial when required. However, I did put some into ice-cube trays for those moments when I just need a tablespoon or so of juice. We have 2 lemon trees and it is only a rare time when there are no fresh lemons available but it is best to be safe and have some on hand.

You can also see more beans and carrots that we picked on Saturday.

What are you harvesting at the moment?

Nachos Night

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Posted on September 13, 2013

As per my menu plan for the week , we had nachos for dinner last night. Like everything I prepare on weekdays, it is quick and easy.

Corn chips
Tinned tomatoes
Refried beans
Cheese

I make my own refried beans from the recipe here using dried kidney beans. I freeze the mixture in 500g tubs for future use.

Last night I used tinned crushed tomatoes but you can use chopped fresh tomatoes or even a bit of diluted tomato paste.

Here is the first layer – corn chips, refried beans, tomato and then grated cheese.

Add layers until desired quantity is reached.

This is 3 layers ready to go into the oven. I use 2 small Pyrex casserole lids as I find the Pyrex easier to clean than a metal tray. This used half a packet of corn chips and is a substantial meal for 2 adults. I serve this with home-made guacamole and yoghurt on the side.

Total preparation and cooking time is about 20 minutes.

Sustainable House Day – A Review

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Posted on September 10, 2013

As you would be aware from my previous posts, Sunday 8th September was Sustainable House Day here in Australia.

We decided to register our house as open for the event and were happy to show people the features of both the house and garden. We had 4 groups of people come to visit and while the number may seem disappointing, there are some very positive ways of looking at this.

We were able to spend time in direct one to one conversation with the visitors
Security issues were not a concern
The people who came were really interested and committed to making a difference in their own homes

I was pleased that 3 of the groups were young couples who appeared to have clear visions of what they wanted to achieve and we hope that seeing what we have achieved with our property went at least some way to inspiring them.

I do not anticipate registering next year as we are likely to be on holidays. If I decided to participate in the future, I would definitely do more to promote the day, particularly with the local council. I was surprised by the lack of organised promotion of the overall day, especially since it has been an annual event for more than 10 years. A lot of the advertising seemed to be left up to the individual homeowner and unfortunately I was interstate for the week immediately prior to the event. This was due to circumstances beyond my control.

Other Stuff

Sustainable House Day 2013

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Posted on August 27, 2013

Sustainable House Day 2013 is an opportunity to check out a variety of dwellings in your area with sustainable features. You can check out the website here.

We have chosen to be involved and are included in this list. If you are in the area and would like to see ‘The Castle’ in real life please come and say hello.

I am looking forward to being able to show people some of the features of our house and garden which reduce our impact on the environment and invariably save us money at the same time.