Recycled sweater hot water bottle cover

I mentioned yesterday that I would make  a cover for my hot water bottle like the one I saw on-line, and this week if you are in the shops you will see everything has hearts on it! Now like hearts on  hand made things any way it's a good simple shape to appliqué, but you can be sure that all that valentine themed stuff will be marked down come next week!  I don't tend to fall for all the marketing ploys and if you can sew,stick, carve or draw you shouldn't either! If you must give a gift I think it says more if you put time into it instead of going out and buying some of the mass produced rubbish and this could be taking someone out for a treat it doesn't have to be a thing.
So getting back to the cover, this is not for a gift I just fancied a change and everything I used I already had to hand, so no cost. Here is the hot water bottle, an old sweater too small for my son and a heart cut from some fabric.

If you are unsure about cutting out a heart shape, fold a piece of paper in half, draw half of a heart starting at the fold curving outwards, cut it out and open up. This can be your template before you try it on fabric, use old envelopes to practice on until you get the shape and size that you require.

I just lay the hot water bottle on top of the sweater and cut around it leaving a seam allowance, because the knit is stretchy you will be able to fit the whole bottle through the neck when it's finished.  Sew all the way around except for the top of the neck of the bottle, then zig zag all the way around also to prevent the knit from unravelling.  It is also a good idea to make your stitch quite small.

Here it is finished with the bottle inside, you have to fold the empty bottle in half lengthways to get it through the opening then it just flops out flat. if you are using a non stretchy fabric just use and envelope style opening at the bottom on the wrong side like you would on a cushion.  It will look a bit plumper when full of water.

Yesterday I started reading A Country Doctor's Notebook, I watched the series A Young Doctor's Notebook when it was on Sky Arts and enjoyed it so I though I would try the original stories. I've had it on order at the library and it just came in last week. 

 If you haven't seen the series it is worth watching, it's clever, funny and dark in places.  If you don't have Sky ( which I think has become expensive) you can get the first series from the library for a £1 and lots of other stuff you may have heard about but missed. I think this is much better value, but I don't think my family would give up the Sky even though most of the time there is nothing I'd watch and the stuff I like is usually on the BBC ( apart from the sky arts stuff, ha, ha, but look I could have got it from the library)

I also found a good bargain today in Aldi 

Rose Shloer for 75p!! It's £2.25 in Asda what a difference.  I think  it may be because they are still selling off the odd bits and pieces of Christmas stuff, or has anyone one found it's always this price in there? I have only just discovered I like it as I went to a meal at a friends and I took one from Asda at £2.25  and liked it ( I no longer drink wine, and it appears I should have gone to Aldi that day too!) my friend also likes it and doesn't drink. At the time I also thought it was a bit much for fizzy pop. Any other ideas for when you fancy something nice and non alcoholic to drink? I'm finding if I go out a lot of drinks are too sweet.   Yes I know water is the best thing for you but no way am I paying for bottled water when I go out for a meal, which is not very often, but paying for water, we already do they are called water rates.

Keep warm and cosy

This post was inspired by frugal queen, who is in Cornwall and they are having some dreadful weather at the moment. I agree with many of her tips for keeping warm and I do hate to be cold, I am not an early to bed person however and we do like to watch the T.V after nine or I read in the living room.  I have found that having fleecy throws on the sofa makes a world of difference as once your room is warmed through  you can just drape the throw over your legs when you are curled up, and switch off the heating. My boys are usually in their rooms after this time and the upstairs gets very warm, I think this is mainly due the fact that we have cavity wall insulation,  done on the government scheme for free at this house but I paid to have it done at my previous home.  I told my parents to get it done but they haven't I don't understand why, we both work and it was available to us.  We also have extra thick insulation in the loft and my husband went under the floor downstairs (he had to crawl) to staple heat retaining insulation under the floor boards, which we found at a good price. I have wood floors which I prefer because I have dogs and I didn't want carpet so I wanted to make the rooms as draught free as possible.
We also found that our double glazing is a bit draughty in places so my husband has attached these draft excluding sponge pieces down the problem areas, also down the back door. This was inexpensive to do.

Here is the one they sell on Amazon here

  I would like some new windows at some point but this is a project for the future.   I feel that making sure your home is as efficient as possible is the key to not wasting too much on heating. You can then add other elements like blankets, sweaters and hot water bottles where necessary.   I agree with frugal queen on keeping up with the hot drinks, have you never noticed how sometimes if you drink a cup of tea quickly you go really hot? Instant central heating.
I think hot water bottles are great and its amazing how much warmth can be obtained from something so simple. You can get loads of cute ones with covers on now, which also keeps them warm for longer.
I saw this one ..

Which would make a great gift for this week if you are into the whole gift giving on valentines day ( I'm not really) but if you are you may as well give something useful. This would be so easy to do with an old sweater or fleece so I'm going to make a new one this weekend for my hot water bottle and I will post on it tomorrow.  

I always wear layers when it's cold as I don't think just wearing a thick jumper is enough, you can get long sleeved T shirts from Primark and shops like that or charity shops, no need for thermal. Just wear them under dresses or tops, add a cardigan or sweater over the top.

Fleece is really inexpensive, you can get throws for as little as £5 new, the fabric is also cheap if you want to make your own items or recycle used fleece jackets (everyone has one).

I agree that if you are sat too long you will feel cold and this why the elderly or people with mobility problems get cold more quickly. If I do something I always feel warmer and going for a walk with the dogs makes it feel like the house is roasting when we get back. 

We all have fleecy robes which are really cosy (I say all but not my husband, not really his thing) my sons both had a new one for Christmas off grandma along with some other clothing, at my request and they are very glad of them these cold weeks.

Close doors between rooms, this is something my boys have not grasped yet and they seem to think I am just a constant nag about coming in and out of the living room leaving the door open. They don't pay bills though, so I know one day they will get it, until then I will nag.  A room which is well insulated will keep warm all evening if doors are not constantly kept open.

You can get more information about draught proofing your home at the energy saving trust

Fitting in

I thought today I would share some thoughts on a book I'm reading that has struck a chord with me.  I have not finished it yet but the central character doesn't feel like he fits in anywhere other than at home. Now I'm not saying I feel this way but we all have times I'm sure when we feel we don't belong at a place and this could be because of the actions of other people, those people not being kind, or just plain cruel.  The central character Lorenzo tries to behave like others to fit in so he will get less hassle for being different.  I would not do this. I think you should be true to yourself, express your opinions especially if asked for them but do so in an appropriate way.  You should be kind to others but not a doormat, work hard at your job without being exploited, also you should be able to express your concerns to your boss if something is happening that is wrong.  If your friends like who you are they won't only like like you because you say yes to their every word. At the same time they won't sit in a room with people who are criticising you unjustly and say nothing because they fear for their own popularity.
This is all a very cryptic rant  but I just have to say that in a couple of weeks I will leave a job I have loved for  many years  because a new person took a lead position last year, called a meeting to ask about things that might not be going smoothly and because I politely stated a situation that wasn't working this person decided I didn't fit in.  They have underhandedly made this very clear for some time now, even now as I leave they have advertised my position at a higher level, the same level I have asked for but been refused as it was not available, but hey 'I didn't fit in'.  I know I have always worked hard, done my best and not been unkind, other people express shock at this persons behaviour but never in front of them as they are afraid to do so. In front of them they make sure they act so 'they fit in' . I have never had this situation arise with a boss before but I'm sure there are people out there who have.  I have always been respected for getting on and doing my work to the best of my ability but I suppose some bosses are just not strong enough to deal  with anything other than people who stroke their egos, even when they are wrong.
I will start my new job as me, do my best and work hard, I will also pray that my new boss respects me for that.
I might also add I am not the only person to have left due to these reasons, three wonderful strong friends have gone on to pastures new, we meet up regularly as ourselves, don't edit our thoughts to fit in and most importantly share good friendship.  For these people I am eternally grateful to the job I will leave behind and the good times I have had there.
If any one would like to read the book ( which probably has nothing to do with my ramblings) there is a link

                                                                    here  Me and You .

I would also be interested to hear more thoughts on this, has anyone been treated in a similar way? How do you stay true to yourself?