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?

Soup on Friday, Pepper and Lentil Soup (Vegan/Gluten free)

Making a soup for lunch on a Friday is becoming a bit of a habit now.  Today I used what I had in again, no need to buy anything extra as all kinds of leftover veg can go in.
So I roasted two peppers one red, one yellow and  a red onion, boiled 150g of split red lentils then put them all in the blender with one veg stock cube, one tbsp. tomato puree, one tsp basil and topped it up with a little water.

Roast the veg on medium so they don't burn.

I had mine with a GF sweet potato wrap, I wouldn't recommend putting it in the oven as it turns like cardboard! I have had some success before popping them in a lightly oiled pan for a  few minutes though.

My oldest son ate a large bowl full so I always take that as a good sign as he is so fussy.  I do have to remind myself now when I almost pick up the tins in the supermarket as it is so easy to do, but such a waste when soup is so easy to make and you know it is not full of nasties if you make it yourself.

Books, Cookies and This week

There have been a couple of books finished off this week, one of them being Madam Bovary which I bought the other weekend when we went away.  I cannot make up my mind on this, yes of course it is good writing but the very idea that women were arguing at the time because they believed this character was based on them makes me so sad.  That such a dreadful, pitiful woman should spark such familiarity.  As you can tell I had no sympathy for the character at all, in such times there were many women and girls who had despicable lives. The day to day life of Emma to many would have been one of comfort, if lacking in opportunity and yet from beginning to end she simpered and complained.

I'm sure there will be many that disagree but for me while I had to read on to the end, it was more for the resolution of the story rather  than for Emma.

The next book I finished was no regrets on Sunday.  This was an improving book, some good tips some overdeveloped ones also.  I didn't do the activities as there were so many of them and they are so in depth! I only picked it up in passing and read it quickly,  in all it was a bit gimmicky, with the odd bit of wisdom but then I suppose these kinds of books all have a different voice and feel so as to appeal to us all.  So we are probably going to clash with some of them.

I am Malala is the one I just started, I have been wanting to read this one but felt it would be hard and upsetting while inspirational.  As an educational campaigner Malala was targeted and shot by the Taliban and later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  What an amazing young lady.

Whatever the awful germs are that are circling  at the moment I steel feel a bit like a zombie, tight in the chest, wiped out at the end of the working day and it seems so do lots of other people. Bring back the sunshine.   This evening I needed a bit of energy so I made these almond and dark chocolate cookies with Gf Flour and ground almonds.  I will post the recipe another day as all I did today was throw it all in the blender, shape and bake for 12 minutes.

They taste good enough, I may add a little soya milk next time to the mix.

Now that it is cold and dark I like to be home and to shut the cold outside, there doesn't seem to be a great deal on the T.V at the moment.  It seems a lot of the  dramas I was following have now ended. although I have been enjoying 'The Missing' harrowing though it is at times.  Even the BBC 4 subtitled dramas I like appear to have dried up as well.  Feel free to let me know if there are any good dramas I have missed, I will get them on catch up.

Grey Winter Skirt Finished and Sewing a Zip Pocket

Today I got on with the job of finishing my skirt and while I was doing so I thought I would include  few photographs of how I do a zip pocket.  They are not as difficult as you might think and as  with anything just practice on some scraps first if you have not done one before.
Here is the finished skirt, then I will go through what I did.

First of all in assembling the skirt I sewed the little pleat on the front and back pieces.

  I had pins in to keep it even and I repeated the process front and back.

I sewed it to a little v, then removed the pins.

Next I sewed the darts into the yoke panels, I had marked with a notch where I wanted them to go and then deciding how far down was easy as I used the lines in the fabric to keep the end points even.

I have also started adding a pin to the right sides of fabric especially now that it is darker as it can be sometimes difficult to tell the right side from the wrong side.

Next I notched the centre yoke, put right sides together with the bottom piece, stitched them together then top stitched.

For the pocket I decided on the angle and pinned a rectangle of fabric in place, I marked where the top and bottom of the zip would go and then sewed a thin rectangle just wider than the zipper teeth.

Next I cut along it making a little snip into each corner.

Fold it through the hole then straighten it all up, I used pins to keep it all straight.  You don't always need to do that but this wool will not hold the fold, a cotton fabric would.

Next sew your pocket fabric to the zip, I used the wool on one side and lining on the other to save on bulk.

Place it behind your pocket opening again you can pin it if it helps. Don't worry about the shape you will be trimming it neat once it is in place.

Sew on the inside close to the original stitch line.

The wool is pointing upwards when laid flat and the lining downwards.  Now fold the wool downwards so it lays behind the lining piece.

Then stitch around it, now trim away any excess and neaten.

Now I stich front and back together and add the waistband lining and zip.

I hand stitch the waistband on the inside catching in the lining as I go.

I also hand stitch the hem.

A little press and it's finished, sadly dark by the time we had finished our meal and I had chance to photograph it.

A side zip and a small button.

I am very happy with it, all in with the remnant, lining and side zip it cost me £4.50,  the chunky zip in the side pocket I already had in my sewing box.

Pattern Books, Pattern Cutting and the Value of Waiting

We have been out and about today so I have not really done any work on my skirt, that will be my finishing off job for tomorrow.  We had a look around the charity shops but nothing jumped out at me but I did overhear a young woman beside me talking to the lady serving in St Luke's shop.  She was telling her she had wanted to buy the Handa's Surprise book for her daughter from the schoolbook fair catalogue, it was £5.99 she said but she left it too late so there was going to be a late order charge on top so she told them no, leave it then.  She had the book in her hand in the charity shop for £1.50 and was really pleased then the lady said all those books are half price!  She went over and picked out a couple more.  Good for you I thought, how often do we rush into buying things and then have second thoughts later or wish we had hunted down a better bargain?

I think the reason for these choices a lot of the time is that everything is so instant now, we have accounts and passwords for everything and anytime we have a need or whim we only have to turn on the computer, click a button and items are there  within hours sometimes.  So that is not always a good thing.

This whole incident got me thinking about my own list on Amazon, now I have a list but it is very changeable and the reason for that is that I use it as  a holding place for wants.  I only occasionally buy things from this list but throughout the year many items make their way onto it and then later get deleted.    The latest being  this book...

Now I have looked at this book on there before and wondered about buying it,  it is supposed to be the book that tells you all you need to know about pattern cutting, professionally. The thing is, it is £28 and that is a lot of money for a book that yes I am sure I will learn from but I am not ready to commit that amount to it at this time.  So it left my list after a few days, the reason being that I don't want my husband to rush in and buy it for me for Christmas when I am not sure if it will be worth the investment. 

There was another book on there a few weeks ago with patterns to trace, a Burda one and that has also been removed.  You see on further inspection on a new day I had a better look at the 'look inside tab' and found that the items I liked I could already make and have already done so in the past.  The trousers I didn't like but would have been able to figure out anyway had I wanted to.  Maybe I just like the idea of the books because I enjoy sewing and browsing the ideas, but I have the internet for that. 

One book that I have mentioned before and that is inexpensive and very useful is Sew What! Skirts, I have recommended this to a friend who has bought it and used it.  There are no complicated illustrations just some common sense calculations and ideas for variations on what is a basic shape.

I will continue to use my list as it gives me thinking time, for me that is a valuable tool to store things that interest me without committing just yet.  I will keep my eyes open on ebay, in charity shops and look on the library catalogue to see if there is something similar to the book above but I'm in no rush.

If I have been making clothes all these years without knowing the technical aspects of pattern making I'm sure I can wait a bit longer.

Grey Winter Skirt, Making a Start

I cut out my grey skirt today from the remnant I bought for £2, it was a bit of a decision what to do as there was only a small amount of fabric but I think I can still incorporate some of my ideas from my little plan the other day.  I have opted for just one large pleat in the centre front and back, a dropped yoke so that the pleat doesn't fall from the waistband and a placket pocket but I am undecided on the placement of this as yet.

Here I cut it out as wide as I needed judging by a skirt I have previously made. Then I folded it in  half and did an equal pleat in to the centre (which I notched).

I cut the yoke also based on my own skirt measurements, the waistband and a small piece for a pocket placket.

Now I placed them on the table as they should go but I'm not sure if that is where I want the pocket I may put it at an angle.  I then cut a straight lining, no messing about with pleats on this although I have done on linings in the past I don't know why.   I had to stop there as my friend was visiting shortly so I will continue tomorrow. I am finding I much prefer working in the natural light at this time of year, it is such a pain it getting dark so early and my eyes don't thank me for squinting in artificial light. 

I have also just found another fabulous idea for a dress in a tweed style fabric which I would like to make but I will share another day.  All that is needed is an event to wear it to.

Quick Vegan Dinner

Well I arrived home from work with a sore throat which is a bit rubbish as I've had an awful cough for two weeks that is just going. While there are lots of things I could be getting done the only practical thing I felt up to was making the dinner then crashing on the sofa with a book.
So the meat eaters of the house had a stew, chop it all and pop it in the oven style.  I had a look in the fridge and came up with this...

It hasn't really got a name but tasted lovely and very soothing.

I put baked potatoes in the microwave for  five minutes each, then rolled them in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and put them in the oven. Then in a pan with a little more oil I added about eight mushrooms, half a pack of marinated tofu and some garlic salt then fried for a few minutes. Next I added about a quarter of a carton of chopped tomatoes with garlic and a handful of chopped spinach, finally a good sprinkle of Italian seasoning.  This was allowed to cook for about ten minutes then poured over the cooked potato. 

It was really just a case of grabbing what was available in the fridge and making something warming and quick, and it was.