A New Year of Sewing and a Vintage Dress

 Happy new year to you all, I hope you all got to celebrate in some way with your nearest families. For us it was an evening watching Vikings then off to bed before midnight with the youngest of the dogs going with us as the fireworks drive him crazy!  This has become worse as I am sure the fireworks keep getting louder, he never used to bother a few years ago, so taking him up with us for comfort was the best option.

My afternoon was spent making a vintage style dress for my son's girlfriend out of the Burda vintage anniversary edition.  It was not an easy make, it kept referring to markings that could not be seen on the pieces as the pattern sheet was so busy and despite straining my eyes I am certain they are not there!  Usually this is not a problem as I try on and sort things my way but as it is not for me and she is not here I could not do this. Also the fabric was so slinky it reminded me of the microfibre we used to use when I used to make sportwear for a company, it slides al over the place so lots of cursing ;)  I eventually got it made up and it is hanging on my mannequin but not before having to completely redo a front facing as the interfacing was showing through.  Yes not the most relaxing make, I really need her to try it now so I can finish it properly but to be honest I want to see the back of it, have you ever made anything like that? It really was such a contrast to the lovely relaxing day of sewing I had  making the hare dress a few days ago.  It just goes to show not all projects are equal and I would imagine if you were just starting out that could be the kind of thing to put you right off. 

So here it needs adjusting at the waist but we are different sizes so I need her to try it so I can do this properly.

She also didn't want the overskirt so it is just the image on the right but in the deep red fabric.

  So if you are out there and your new year resolution is to start making your own clothes do not be put off if you have an experience like this.  It just happens sometimes so just move on and make something else, I have been sewing years and this was just a combination of bad pattern markings, making for someone not here to fit to and the fabric.  So I will just accept this and move on, the plus side is that it looks nice, I have actually made the shoulder gathers into little pleats as I thought they looked neater.

Do you have any special plans for 2021? Our main one was to get in ten trips away in the new van, alas we have had it moths now and not been able to, we actually lost the deposit on the last site we booked but not  to be deterred as soon as we can travel anywhere we will be off for a weekend.  My husband was busy yesterday rubbing down a table  we bought for it second hand, it did come with a very heavy one but we wanted a light weight one we can take down easily and store in the awning when not in use so we are revamping this one.  We have even bought a glitzy topper to glue to the top as this table is a bit beige and boring.  My husband even went and sat in the van for a bit yesterday, he is keen to get using it. 

I have bought myself a book on coding, it is aimed at children but I find books aimed at children to be very clear and I have to say that this is definitely a new area for me so this is just what I need.  It had lots of good reviews from adults in the same position who had bought it for themselves so hopefully it will be useful.  So that is something I want to learn a little bit about this year.

One thing I am going to use less of this year is Facebook, I thought I never used to check it very much but I think this has increased and this is not a good thing.  Quite often it is a big time waster and my main reason for it was that sometimes people I don't see much of anymore might get in touch and need some sewing doing so they would message me that way.  This may only happen a couple of times a year so going it for twenty minutes a day is not necessary is it?? Yes I think it may be that long sometimes as I fall down the rabbit hole of reading everyone's posts, so that has to stop and I will do something more productive with that time.

A trip to the charity shop last week resulted in a couple of new books a few for mum, one for my husband and this one for me...

I have never read this though I know it was made into a film and I haven't seen that either so it is all new to me and a bargain at 99p!

Well enjoy your new start to the year everyone and here's to a good one. 

Ebay Bargains

I recently bought two blouses from Ebay for 99p each as the winning bid, of course there was a couple of pounds postage on each so they cost £2.99 each in total but they were exactly what I was looking for.  I had spotted some fabric with little deer on it but it was too expensive and while I enjoy making clothes I do not enjoy over paying for fabric.

The good thing I find sometimes is that if I want something very specific I can put in a style and colour and there is usually somebody somewhere selling something similar. Here are the two blouses I bought, both from next, in pristine condition and my size.

 

This one has just been washed and needs a press but I was eager to photograph in natural daylight.  I know not everyone will wear items that have been previously owned but after a good wash I don't see any problem.  You are saving something that would have been discarded and saving money too.

I was recently in our nearest shopping mall getting PE trainers for my son, I was quickly in and out but the amount of money that was being spent was crazy, people loaded down with bags.  I wonder how many of those people will be struggling with debt for the coming months but would never dream of buying used?

A Walk in the Sun and Fabric Bargains

Toady is such a lovely day that when I took the dogs out I decided to take a few pictures. It makes such a difference to my mood when the sun is shining that I have to get outside and enjoy some of it, we really do not get enough of it in England to let it go to waste!
There were lots of people in the park already at 10.00, dog walkers and people with children on bikes, I think everyone must have been waiting for this little bit of sunshine because I often don't see anyone when I'm walking in there and I find that odd.  The daffodils make me smile so I had to take a few photos of those.

Things are beginning to come alive and it reminds me that we have a new start every day, whatever happened yesterday we can be thankful for the day ahead and what we make of it. There were lots of beautiful daffodils in the park but I was struck by these here at the base of this old tree.

The sun coming through the trees was lovely but my camera didn't capture it fully, it will be nice to get out for more daylight walks. I just need to get my dogs walking nicely together, at the moment it is a constant battle for who can be out in front!

This little guy always wants to be in front.

Yesterday I had a trip into Barnsley and got some fabric for £2.99, it is supposed to be a slight second but the run in the fabric didn't come up while the assistant was cutting my piece.  I want to make a top, I really need to make more tops but I always look at the fabric and think mmm... I could get a dress out of that.  Then I wear jeans and think why haven't I got many tops?  So I need to stick to the plan this time.

I also bought a couple of concealed zips, some lining, a couple of metres of elastic in addition to the above fabric. It came to £8.08, so cheap in that shop!

I have a few other projects I need to get on with before I start on this though, that is why I bought the lining and zips. There is some fabric that has been in my sewing space since last year, I don't know why some of it gets left so long and other fabrics are used straight away it's a mystery.

A Recycled Christmas

We ventured out today despite the rubbish weather and went to Wentworth Garden Centre we didn't really need anything it's just not that far and I do love to go and look at all the Christmas decorations.  They were gorgeous and as I was looking at the silver and white selection my husband said 'oh are you finally thinking about changing the colour scheme on the tree?' Well no I'm not and I  really don't see why I would, I mean how fed up can you get with something that is only up for a couple of weeks a year?  Also if I was I certainly wouldn't be buying them on the run up to Christmas.

My current decorations have been used for  the last eight years maybe more. I remember buying them from Matalan after Christmas in the sale and they were ridiculously cheap, if not I wouldn't have bought them as I was quite happy with the red and gold I had before.

So the ones I have now are gold, orange and purple they are biggest at the bottom and gradually get smaller. I love them and complete with gold tinsel they cost about £8.00 for the lot and fill a 7 ft tree!

The ones we were looking at in the garden centre today were gorgeous but they were between £2- £4 per bauble! Let me tell you the queues were long in the Christmas  shop so many people did not find this expensive but that is ok my focus is on how I manage my money. 

  Another decoration that I love that comes out again and again is this little Christmas village that lights up, it used to go on a coffee table but  it sits in front of the fire now and it is very cosy to look at.

I think it looks better in real life, the flash on the camera spoils the effect.

I have a star on my tree that my 16 year old made in Y1 and a couple of baubles at the bottom that they painted when they were tiny. These things did not cost a lot but they are very special I don't think we need to be updating Christmas do you? It should be recycled every year.  

If I did ever need to start again with the decor I would hope that  I could make or purchase it all as frugally as possible.  Some of the best rooms I have seen online have been done with such style,  a lot of imagination and creativity but not cost.

I would recommend looking at the gorgeous Christmas decorations of  junkaholique in fact look at the whole blog, I also love her work shed.  She has lovely touches around her home that spring from recycled items, nature and handmade.  I think these are always the best sources and you get a unique feel. She has some snow scenes in jars which I may have to have a go at, I have some jars I have saved, I was thinking I might use oasis so I can preserve the greenery though, I will have to look around and see what I can find.

We don't have a lot of people to buy for as we all opted out years ago (the family members that is) we buy for the children and a couple of friends and that's it. A  lot less stressful, the wrapping I do use is usually recycled gift bags and we have a few Christmas boxes that we have used for the boys stuff for years now. We carefully fold them down and put them away for the following year. We have had the odd roll of paper but we try not to go over board, beautifully wrapping something for it to be thrown in the rubbish really bothers me. I would urge everyone to use gift bags if they can as people often keep and re-use these. 

There are plenty of ideas on eco wrapping out there and a few here on inhabitat 

Yesterday a quick look in the charity shop resulted in this CD (yes I still buy CD's )

£1 bargain! Some really good tracks on here.

Charity Shop Finds and the Value of a Pound

Today my husband had the day off work so that we would have the day together, after lunch we had a look around the charity shops as I had yet another large bag of clothes to donate. The organising is still ongoing but I am seeing clearer cupboards bit by bit. So quite a bit out of the house again this week but a couple more crept in today because I could not resist! The first is two brand new looking books for my son, they were 75p each and he will be able to pop them in his school bag as they are not too big.  I am sticking to my vow of getting my books from the library but he doesn't always finish them in time and I worry if a drink bottle will leak on them in his bag and then we would have to replace at full cost.

The next item that made it home is a playmobil camper van, it was my husband who spotted this and thought it was such a buy at £1.50, we have a caravan ourselves but like camper vans, the children are too old for this now but it seemed too good to pass up. He gave £2.00 for it.

I  did say they were too old but we have all had it out of the box to look at all the different bits, before I took the photo I had to shout my son to ask where the deck chairs had gone, 'they are in the roof box!' of course they were silly me!

The bikes fit in the side door, I love it!

So yes I am de-cluttering but then I go and bring home wants not needs, but at least they are easily affordable wants so I won't beat myself up too much. 

Some of this got me thinking about an article I read the other day about the value of a pound being so low compared to what it was in the past, that the situation had speeded up and that you can get very little with it.

Well over time this happens anyway and I certainly see this in terms of food and energy prices but there are still ways we can make the most of a pound the best we can.

The books I bought above could be put away for Christmas gifts if not used now and there were many other used toys in the charity shops we visited for a pound or less. I think the trick is to visit smaller charities as the bigger ones like Oxfam are no-longer inexpensive. Plus the smaller charities need your money and often they are working in your local area.

The next thing is food, while base ingredients are more expensive now, stick to economy supermarkets, buy ingredients rather than ready meals, and get in and out quickly with a list or plan.  We had Veg Korma for tea last night with a bit of Quorn in it, I made five large portions and worked it out to 62p per portion with rice. Much bigger, healthier and tastier than those runny, ready meal curry's from the supermarket.

Another thought on this was meeting with friends and having a drink. If you can't fund a night out invite people round, I do this anyway as it's good to meet up but you could all bring a dish, or you cook they bring a drink or whatever you decide it's still cheaper than going out and you don't have to pay for taxi's (yes I'm still banging on about that!). On that note a bottle of wine from Aldi is about £3.49  for 750ml bottle, a pub small glass is 125ml so you would get 6 at 58p each. I know you would likely have more than one but  still, that pound coin is looking better all the time

A few bargains for March

I have been a bit absent this last week or so. I did intend to do all sorts of sewing half term week but I didn't just a few alterations for people, then this last week I started my new job on Monday which is just a little further away and an earlier start.  So earlier morning wake ups, and then trapped nerve Tuesday morning in my back (great!) I've got through my first week and everyone has been so welcoming (although they may all think I walk funny with the bad back thing!) it was strange to leave my last job but definitely the right thing to do.  It just goes to show if something is not right change it, there will be something else if you keep looking or if it is something about yourself you need to change just keep at it.  Anyway again this week the only sewing I have done is  a few dress alterations for other people but it brought in a little extra then today we went to Matalan for essential underwear only with a trip around garden centre on the way back but while I was there they had a sale.  Now it was a winter sale but the items I picked up are easily spring items so that is a bit confusing but still here they are...

cute  skirt £7

cute  skirt number 2 £7

Both of these skirts are unlined and will see me through the spring /summer but also with thick tights or leggings Autumn /Winter too.I also got...

Thick long sleeved top £5

Same top different colour £5

Now I don't shop for  recreation I get bored and most of the time I just find that I feel the items are just not worth the asking price, I went in for underwear and saw these items that were good value and I knew they would get a lot of wear so I bought them.  I like to be frugal but sometimes you are better off getting things you know you will need when you see them at a good price.  It is also good to stay out of the shops most of the time as some people always use 'it was a bargain' as an excuse for overspending.  I know I don't do that and this is my first clothing purchase this year and probably my last for a while so it is not a problem.

I went yesterday to get my photograph taken with the children for our passports and was shocked to see it was £5 for each of us in the booth! That just shows how long it has been for me since I stepped in one of those.  I now also have the expense of the passport applications but we did decide to go to Italy this year so I can't complain, we have organised the holiday ourselves no tour operator as school holiday times are costly enough.  At the end of May we will be going here..

So some of the frugal things I do add up so we can do things we really want to  do and know that we have saved for it.  We will only be staying for 4 nights but we are really looking forward to it seeing the sights and experiencing another country with the children. We are not going to lay on the beach but that is good also if that's what you like to do, I want to see as much as I can of the surrounding area in the few days we have so if we snooze we might miss it!   No more clothes spending for me between now and then I have enough summer clothes to take and my bargains of today will pad out my spring wardrobe.