Frugal things this week

As Easter is nearly here I get a lovely two weeks off work, this doesn't match up with the children's holiday very well as they don't finish until Thursday but it does mean I get chance to sort a few things while I am home. I have had more frugal weeks, this weeks expense mainly due to the fact that I went out on Friday night paying for taxi's home really annoys me as they are so expensive and a big chunk of the nights funds gone right there! Still I don't do it every week so I need to let that go.
So my first frugal thing is recycle a notebook to a Diary or vice versa. This years diary is a notebook I have had for a couple of years and I got it in the sale about £1.20, I stuck print out diary inserts in last year, pulled out the pages this year and did new ones, it has so many pages  there are loads left, plus pockets to put things in.  I also stuck in a little motivational image in the corner of each page and I have decorated some of the pages also, paper clipped things in etc.  Here is an image of some future months but they are plain at the moment as not yet used...

While I was tidying out my wardrobe I found an old  diary my husband bought a couple of years ago after Christmas because it was cheap 50p I think, it is A5 and I think I put it away and forgot about it (oops!) anyway there is plenty of useful paper in it so it will become a notebook.  You can stick something over the dates if it bothers you or doodle over them. I think I will stick a picture over the year on the front.

I hate for stuff to be wasted, and it is such a pretty book I suppose you could also stick ideas in for projects and use it like a scrap book.

The next thing is I am now a convert to washing stuff on rapid ( on my machine that is a 29 minute wash) I have washed on low temperature before but always felt surely the short wash wouldn't be enough.  I did a few loads earlier and one of the items was my son's light grey jeans that had a mark on the back from the park, I only thought I should have treated the stain once they were mid cycle but it has completely gone!  All this time thinking the washer had to run for one hour thirty or whatever it is, that should save some energy.

Repairing stuff is my next money saver of the week, I tend to do this anyhow but I had a dress with a button missing, a hole in some trousers (very small) that needed sorting before it got any bigger and a small hole in a hoody seam. Now these were all very simple repairs but so many people throw out such items due to some simple to fix defect.  

Organise your stuff, now I am not the best at this but I am tackling an area at a time. It is also easier to tidy and find stuff once you have done this so that is a good reason to do this yourself and not rely on  a cleaner.  I don't know why people waste money on cleaners but that is their business but I just wonder how they ever find their own stuff? I mean you put things away and then you tend to remember where as long as it is not buried under other things. If someone else does that for you they know your environment and have a mental stock take of your belongings better than you, I find that a bit odd.

Anyway while I was doing my own  cleaning/organising today I washed the cushions in my son's room, they didn't have an inner proper cushion just  stuffing and no fastener just tacked shut (they were cheap). So I just unpicked it on one side, washed them and put the stuffing back as it was all in a cushion shape.  I will add some velcro I think but for now I will just stitch closed as he wants them back! I will also make proper inner covers out of old shirts or something another day, maybe when he is at school this week.

 These also washed well on Rapid wash. 

I also made my own salsa today for everyone to have with  wraps, it works out a bit cheaper, you get loads more and you know it is all healthy with no additives or anything.

 I know I will spend the next couple of weeks thinking of extra ways to save to make back the money spent on that taxi! However on a final note  finding ways to save doesn't bother me as you have to make it into a game, there are lots of ways to be happy without spending lots of money just make sure you do something you love every day.

Shoe Revamp Ideas

I have been looking for a pair of lace up low heeled shoes for work/everyday and as I have something very specific in mind this is proving difficult. I like anything I buy to earn its keep! So I have to love the shoes, they have to go with lots of things and they have to be comfortable enough to wear all day so not too high but sometimes very flat can be just as bad. I was going to use a bit of the money I made form the bridesmaid dress but not all of it, yet all the shoes I loved were ridiculously expensive.  Below are some of the ones I have admired but will not be buying...

These are a nice neutral colour but although I love the ribbon they would not go with everything with much with so much green in them.

Again the lilac ribbon limits their use but I do love these slightly wacky shoes as I like anything a little different.

So those shoes were by poetic license and I found that they were cheaper on ebay but still more than I want to pay. My next thought was having a browse at more neutral shoes but maybe dong the ribbon thing myself then I could change them up if I wanted to.  I am currently watching a beige pair of low heeled lace up brogues on  and my intention is to add the ribbon laces if I win them, the heel is lower than the ones above.

Now you can buy the ribbon laces here Pimp my shoes satin ribbon laces and there are lots of colours and different sellers on amazon.

But I also found that you can just make the ribbon laces yourself by just using ribbon and heat shrink tubing, you just pop it on the ends with a bit of glue and shrink with a hair dryer. That might be more cost effective once you have the tubing but I suppose it depends how many laces you intend on making.

I have found the tubing on ebay for £1.35 so it is cheaper to make them! There is also a tutorial explaining what to do here . So you could buy cheap ribbon and change them to match your outfit (occasionally, it may get tiresome re-lacing the shoes too often.)

Another thing I've seen is someone using decoupage on an old pair of shoes to hide scuffs and give them a new lease of life, here is the image for that...

Now these are not really my style and I'm not sure how the effect would look close up but it may be something that would work just to liven up a scuffed heel or maybe just around the toes but you would have to get it very symmetrical I think. find out how here

Now I also like to take care of what I already own and I have a pair of much loved ballet pumps in nude which are getting a little scuffed near the toe and the sole is thin (it was to begin with but now it really is). These shoes are very comfy so I intend on finding out how much it will cost for a new sole and to have the scuff touched up, they weren't expensive to begin with maybe £14 but if I can have them repaired for £10 I would rather do that and have something I know fits well and not be adding more to landfill! It is also unlikely I would find a similar pair for that price. 

There are lots of ideas out there for re-styling your existing shoes including dyeing them a darker colour to hide marks and someone had even used clip on earrings on them for detail. It would be good to hear from anyone who has done something similar.  I will post an update on what happens with mine, I might also add the ones I am bidding on are gently used. 

Easter Plans

We have had to change our plans a little for Easter, we did intend on taking the caravan out for its first adventure of the year but thanks to Network Rail that wont be happening. About a month ago we got a letter saying that our fence was in the wrong place along with a plan. By the look of the plan a lot of other properties along the line had also got to move fences back so it wasn't just us.  What's more it said if we didn't move it within fourteen days there would be legal action! Well we moved the lovely fence, seating area, deck, stone walls and all the lovely work my husband had done because they refused any offers of purchase or rent of the extra dead space that would be left.  After all the work was completed my husband took photos and emailed several times to check they were happy before we spend any further time and money finishing it all off in the new position (e.g making the bottom of the fence secure for the dogs as the railway is at the other side and it has to be solid at the bottom for safety.)
We have heard nothing! First they threaten you, then when you are being decent people and saying is this ok? Let us know so we can secure our property safely, they don't want to know.  So we have had to go ahead and finish the bottom of the fence not knowing if they will complain again. What is worse is that they will just let the bramble grow up again and weeds but never maintain the land.
Here is what the top of the garden looked like last year...

Where the little blue plant pot is now where the fence is! The seat has been moved to the left of the picture and we have lost about five foot all the way down the right hand side of the garden. The shrub to the right  has been moved and stone walls dismantled. We also had a deck at the bottom that has been there for seven years that is now in bits leaving a small deck with a gap that needs fixing. 

This has left an awful lot of tidying up work so aside from the usual church visits our Easter will consist of making this good and putting it right.  It will be beautiful again just a bit smaller.  We have also saved all emails to network rail in case  they come and want to spoil it again. They only noticed the boundaries of properties because they were chopping down hundred year old trees in the middle of the night!! If you live beside the tracks you will be familiar with the fact that they think it is ok to use industrial machinery at two a.m in the morning at weekends for hours at a time. They also leave all the mess beside the tracks! Surely loose logs are more dangerous!  Anyone else had unexpected change of plans? Never mind it will all be good.

Bridesmaid jacket

Last week when I had finished the Bridesmaid dress and the it was due to be collected the lady came and asked me if I would also make a jacket to match with the left over material if there was enough. I agreed so she left the dress with me to be collected this evening, she also wanted me to use the right side of the fabric this time ( the dress was made using the reverse).  It was a good decision to use the reverse side of the fabric for the dress I feel as it has a better  quality look to it, I made up the jacket with no pattern and a few measurements but the child has yet to try it so fingers crossed as I want to say goodbye to this item now!!
Here it is...

The idea is that the jacket is just to keep the chill off if it is too cool, the days are getting warmer but the wedding is in a few weeks and we are still having some really cold days occasionally. 

My own sewing has taken a back seat again so hopefully soon I can get stuck in with some of my projects, my husband said I could try saying no occasionally, especially when I'm red in the face unpicking things!

I would definitely not want to make bridal items on regular basis, slippery fabrics and fear of stitch holes, no thank you.

I'm going to make something in a lovely cotton next that behaves itself. 

Five frugal things this week

This week has felt like a success spending wise with very little waste (always a good thing) and a bargain found at the start of it.  Last Sunday was of course mothers day here in the UK and we had both mums and dad around here for lunch. We had a great afternoon with meal, desert and wine for eight of us and I'm sure it would have cost a small fortune had we all gone out. Also I would have struggled to find something to eat (vegetarian, lactose and gluten free!) so here we got exactly what we wanted without having to worry about the cost or limited choice. So that was my first frugal success.
 The second thing was I have been wanting some black skinny jeans, I did buy some from Next before Christmas  for £30, I got them home  and decided they were not worth it because of style, fit and general rip off of a price for what they were. So I  have been on the look out for some more but in no great rush. I popped into the charity shop to drop some things off and saw these...

Now the picture is a bit bright so they are blacker than they appear here but to be honest I would say they are the same shade as the ones I returned to Next.  Also as black jeans fade they can be revived with a dye. At the moment though they do not need that and I am wearing them today, washed and ironed on the reverse to preserve their colour. What's more they were only £2.49!! See I knew I did the right thing taking the others back.

Saving number three was getting a book from the library instead of buying one from Amazon, now I am still tempted by this one as the book I want is not in the library system and is currently not cheap enough on amazon or ebay from independent sellers. But I will just have to wait as I am sure it will come down in price in time so for now I have this...

I have only just started it so it is a little early to tell what it's like but it started ok if a little dark. The good thing here is if it is rubbish it didn't cost me a penny.

Frugal thing number four was I had no food waste this week which is great because I hate it when you get to the end of the week and go shopping only to come back and remove old wasted stuff from the fridge. This happens less frequently these days anyhow but this week there wasn't any, I am making a concious effort to check the fridge and ensure things are getting used, being frozen etc.

Finally I have been doing another course on Future learn it has lots of free courses you can do which is brilliant for just getting a taster for if you are interested in something, I have been doing beginners Dutch. There is the option to buy a participation certificate but I don't need that,  it is good that it is there for people who want it.

Back soon.  

Frugal Lunch Bag

My priority sewing job for this weekend is going to be to make myself a reusable lunch bag so that I don't have to keep taking it in a plastic bag.  I put my lunch in containers but then I tend to wrap it in a plastic bag before putting it in my actual bag just in case of leaks. plastic bags are not good are they, but we do tend to still have some for lining the bin and stuff like that.  All my shopping bags are reusable ones  but we do still tend to accept a few of the nasty ones for lining bins and stuff.
So I will eliminate a bit more  waste and make sure I use a cloth one for my lunch that can be washed.  I saw this idea in one of my favourite craft books...

I probably wont make it that big but I will use whatever leftover fabric bits I have even if it has to be a bit of a patchwork design.

I will not be buying any of the specialist materials it tells you to use just whatever I have to hand.  Although the book is sewing green it is not very green to buy new materials for every project is it?

I may use a bag for life between two layers of cotton to make it waterproof as these bags don't break down quickly do they and I have lots of them in the cupboard.  I will experiment and see what comes of it.

This is the book the idea is from...

It is a good book I have had quite a while and while the ideas are green you can make them greener still by always trying to recycle the little bits too, like don't throw a ruined item out without first removing zips and buttons etc, really cheap 50p bags from charity shops may have good zips or handles you can use (craft shops charge a ridiculous amount for handbag straps so don't ever buy these new if you can help it.

Handmade Bridesmaid Dress

I have been a little absent on here recently but so busy the time has flown. I have been busy this week making a bridesmaid dress and altering an evening dress. I have been getting up for work, leaving at 7.30 coming home, cooking, eating, sewing then a bit of T.V, bed and repeat all week. In fact yesterday I got up and altered the evening dress at 6.30 a.m because it was needed for picking up that evening. So I feel like I have been on a bit of a hamster wheel this week.
The good news is that after Easter I will be working four days but finishing Thursday lunch time, that should give me some space. There are things I like to learn and do and the reduced income is worth the time I will gain, because you can't buy time.  I think that by not being wasteful with what I earn has given me the possibility to be able to do this. If you like designer clothes, hiring a cleaning lady and eating out every night then this option may not be for you.
I prefer to wear my own label, be my own cook and take care of my own  house. But that's just me, I respect other peoples choices.
After that ramble here is the bridesmaid dress I have been working on...

I

It is a satin but the lady wanted me to use the reverse side which is textured, it has an over skirt of net and the satin flowers are hand stitched between the two layers.

It has an invisible zip and a petticoat stitched in to make it stand out a bit more but if this feels too much for the little girl I will unpick that part of it, it is still very full without it. 

 I think it has turned out well I just hope they like it. At one point this week I was very annoyed with it as the zip had to come out as the fabric had stretched a little. You will know what I mean if you have ever had to unpick tiny stitches on fabric that leaves pin holes!

I am hoping for a less hectic week then I will do some sewing for me. 

Frugal Small Living

Just recently  I have started watching the US programme Tiny House Nation. I find it really interesting and I admire the people on there who are willing to par down their lives in order to do other things with their finances. Some are living this way so they can travel for their jobs, a couple on last night were doing so to be mortgage free. Also so they could move for the husbands schooling, then residency and so take the property with them.
The properties are really well designed and look good in the landscaping which usually accompanies the build. The thing is the American owners usually have a gorgeous plot to put the tiny home on, this of course makes all the difference. Some of them are placing them on land owned by parents or siblings, farms etc. I would imagine it would be very difficult to get a gorgeous site for such a home here in the UK and if it was available it would be probably quite costly so you might as well be paying full rent or mortgage on a regular property.
All of this however does not stop me from being incredibly fascinated by how people manage to live in this way. I like all the space saving ideas and a lot are similar to the way we live when we go away in the caravan. That is just a week at a time though and I do like to sew and have space to myself. I would imagine living on top of each other can be incredibly difficult.
There is a blog I have followed for some time called Rowdy Kittens Tammy and her partner had a tiny home built and lived in it for three years full time also moving locations a number of times for work. You can see it on her blog, they have decided to winter in a rental house due to the cold and the pressures of small living.  I really enjoy her blog and she has always been very honest about the reality of living in such a way.
One thing that strikes me is that US homes are generally so much larger than ours here in the UK yet they are the ones choosing to opt for these micro homes sometimes, this can only make it so much harder to do.

The above picture is the kind of thing featured in the show, sometimes with a loft bed/pull out bed.

They do look really cute and I would imagine are great for keeping clean but perhaps suited more to a single person or a couple, a family in one would be a real challenge.

Having read that lots of you are downsizing your belongings for a more simple life the show is certainly worth a look for all the space saving ideas and de-cluttering advice. I tend to look on in horror thinking where would all my clothes and sewing stuff go? If anyone is living in a tiny apartment or home it would good to hear from you. 

Also just found one more that I love Here

Skirt with Pleats

Just finished up my tartan skirt yesterday in time to wear it out last night, I was worried that the pleats wouldn't stay in as they are just pressed but not starched (as I don't have any). They stayed in fine but didn't remain as crisp on the back where I had been sat down.  I wore it unlined with tights but having worn it now I am going to line it so it doesn't grab when I wear tights.  I may also invest in some spray starch as I have another skirt in mind that will have just one big pleat at the front.
Here is the fabric with the skirt I copied from beside it...

I made the area between the pleats in the middle a bit bigger as that is how it is on the red skirt. I just pinned them in place then top stitched them down.

I cut the waistband so it just sits on the hips and do you know  what, I did not pattern match the waistband. Those people on the sewing bee would not like that would they? However I'm wearing it and I'm not bothered, I would match a pattern on the seams as best I could or in obvious places like a seam down the front or back, but honestly you could drive yourself crazy with it. 

There it is finished and my top covers the mismatched waistband so not to worry. 

I have fabric left for bag making, I haven't made a bag for ages.

I do have a flower girl dress to make for someone so that will keep me busy just waiting for her to get the fabric.

The other night I made the mushroom casserole from Jack Monroe's book and everyone loved it, except younger son who hates mushrooms, he had an alternative. Pancakes were had yesterday, they seem to be the most successful GF recipe so far.  I had a go at samosas the other day, oh no what a disaster, the pastry was hard. What did I do wrong? 

More Books and Cooking

I feel like I have done the right thing in cutting out wheat but it has increased cooking time and amount of pots to wash! I had a go at wheat free pizza last week from an Isabelle packet mix. It looked ok when the toppings went on (if a bit strange around the edges) and the boys were polite and said it was ok. I thought it was dreadful! It was chewy in a very odd way, I'm sure I cooked it long enough but it had the weirdest texture ever, I would rather go without!

One with ham on half for younger son.

One with olives and veg.

I will not be using that packet again but I will experiment myself with the dough I make myself. I ended up scraping the topping off my pieces and just eating that. Anybody got any tips I'd love to hear them.

I am having more success with lunches and saving, less food is being wasted I feel as I always take stuff the next day for lunch now. I made a curry last night big enough to portion off five other portions into containers into the freezer as the squash was massive. So with a load of veg and butter beans it made a lot, half a bag of cashew nuts battered to crumbs with the rolling pin and a jar of Tesco Royal Korma. 

Cutting things out of your diet means less junk to eat so this saves money too, it also means I don't get any cake after lunch on Sunday! Today I threw some things in a mixing bowl ( I really did throw them in no measuring) sugar, bertolli, an egg, gluten free flour, coconut and a drop of vanilla essence, I mixed it all up, put it in a tin and cooked for 15 minutes while the dinner was doing. It came out good, that was the fastest cake ever. I cut it in half, spread with raspberry jam and sandwiched them together, I had a slice after lunch, so there you go maybe you just have to wing it.

I called at the library yesterday, some books had arrived (not the Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall ones) A girl called Jack's book is very good. No expensive ingredients that only get used once, I can see I will do lots from this one.  It has a section just on beans ans pulses, also one for veg, so ideal for me.

I actually sat with this for ages last night and looked at it like a traditional book from cover to cover, it has little suggestions for changing things and tips for storing and not wasting food at the end. Well done Jack Monroe!

The days have felt a bit brighter this last week and I am definitely ready for spring, I have had enough of the cold now and I am ready for a trip in the caravan. Now that won't happen until Easter but warmer days would be nice. Is anyone else fed up of the cold? If Winter is your favourite season I really don't get it, I'm ready for sun, flowers and bright mornings. Coming out of work in the daylight was a huge bonus this week. 

Free Books and Free Time

This morning I awoke to look out of the window and groan 'snow', then I was wondering how will I get the car up the hill, is it worth taking it or should I leave it here? We knew it was coming but it is so disruptive and the roads are never gritted despite the forecasts. So I felt a bit grumpy as I was getting dressed then the phone rang, school is closed. I have to say I was pleased, we got there last week and stayed open but many children didn't and when not all buses are running it can be a real pain.  Sorry to all of you who still had to get in today but I am enjoying the unexpected day off.  There is something magical about a day off you weren't expecting, a little gift of time, which we rarely have enough of.

Only a light covering here at this point but it has continued to come down heavy and managed to disrupt transport. 

So I have my skirt planned and I will be making that this afternoon, it's a bit different and I don't know if it will hang ok but I will share when it is complete.
I also plan to have a go at making wheat free chapati to go with curry, this will be a first so I don't know what that will turn out like, it looks basic enough.
On the subject of food someone recommended Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's books to me yesterday at work. It appears he has done a book solely on veg and one on light food which also has vegetarian food in. I had a quick glance after having a search online then found all his books in the library catalogue, so I ordered two and now just need to wait for them to arrive at the library.

I am considering this a good saving accomplishment as in the run up to Christmas I bought myself a couple of books and to be fair one of them could not be found in the library. However it is too easy to go on amazon and click buy, even if I do get it cheap. Free is always going to be cheaper! I always use the library but I have started to buy more books again and this drip, drip effect is something I must stop.  I think it is ok if it is reference material that you will return to again and again but most books are not and just sit on the shelves taking up space.
At Christmas I took two full bags of cookery books to the charity shop that have not been looked at in years so I do not want to start hoarding them again.  When my books arrive at the library I will look through them, note down anything that looks good that I will try and then they can go back for someone else to enjoy.

I thought what Mr money moustache said was perfect, 'Imagine you had hundreds of thousands of books on every subject to read whenever you wanted, you have, it's called the library and they even store them for you'. The thing is on one occasion when I was in the library looking for something I spoke to the librarian who said lets look on the catalogue, I said I had checked but they didn't have what I wanted but did they have anything similar?  She said oh we can just buy it in, she ordered a new copy right there!
  Now this was about two years ago and since then 15 libraries across the city have closed and the ones that are left have had their hours drastically cut.  It is such a shame and I really do hope that in the future we won't be losing them altogether. Reading form a screen is not the same as reading from a book, plus they offer social interactions for some, book groups, coffee mornings and a free safe  place to learn for others.
I have a book out at the moment on pattern cutting, I have had it out before but it is quite in depth and I never got all I wanted form it due to time, so I have borrowed it again. The thing is as long as no one has a hold on your books you can renew them a couple of times.
I'm off now to enjoy the rest of my unexpected day off.

Garlic Mushroom Wheat Free Panckes

Yesterday involved a trip to the big Tesco in the city because Aldi my usual place to shop does not have any of the gluten free flours. I decided for now to just buy the plain gluten free blend and the white gluten free bread flour. I also bought xanthan gum ( thank you Cornish chickpea ) as apparently you need this to make the flours bind properly. This is all new to me. They did have all sorts of goodies that I would be able to eat but I resisted temptation as I have been eating more variety since I stopped eating bread and cakes and buying the processed stuff would ruin that.
Today for our Sunday lunch my  husband and son had roast chicken but for my older son and myself I decided to make mushroom pancakes using my new flour.
They take a few pans but are easy to make ( husband doesn't like me using loads of pans he's on washing up duty!)

So I made two of these and they went down really well, they are full of mushrooms the ones on the plate at the side are a few that came out. Recipe is below and if you leave out the cheese and bertolli spread and use vegan substitutes  ( also for the egg, not sure what you use there) instead these would also be vegan.

Garlic Mushroom Pancakes 

Pancakes

2 eggs

4 desert spoons of dove farm gluten free plain flour

125ml soya milk (or just milk)

Olive oil

filling

1 pack of large mushrooms

2 handfuls of spinach

1/2 a red onion

2 garlic cloves

tsp basil

125 soya milk (milk)

small amount of mozzarella or cheddar

tsp of margarine ( I use bertolli spread or shops on olive spread)

Method

To make pancakes beat eggs, add milk then whisk in flour a bit at a time. Heat a little oil in the frying pan cook pancakes a few minutes each side then set aside on a plate.

Chop all ingredients, fry mushrooms in the garlic (crushed) add onions, after a few minutes add spinach, sprinkle in the basil.

Heat the spread in a saucepan then add milk as it gets hot add a little flour at a time and whisk quickly it will start to thicken (don't add too much it goes thick all of a sudden) take off heat and add a little cheese).

Place a pancake in an oven proof dish, coat one side with the mushroom mixture add a little sauce over the top. Fold over add more sauce and a little more cheese on top. Repeat with the other pancake.  Cook in a hot oven for about 10 - 15 minutes until golden on top.

I sometimes add a little chilli to the mixture to make it a bit spicy but that is up to you.

So one wheat free recipe down I will have a go at pastry later in the week ( I think that is where I will need the xanthan gum).

Also this week I am going to make a skirt with the check fabric I have had ages but I am still stuck what to do, I love the fabric and I usually just jump straight in  and cut out but I have seen lots of styles I like and I am undecided. Below is what I found on pinterest.

Right this bottom one is actually similar colours and I have some lace left, a bit longer but only problem is if I embellish it with lace I probably wont wear it for work and I like to be able to wear my clothes whenever.I may do a combination of these I will see what develops.

Here is my fabric sitting there on the sewing table waiting for me to make up my mind.

A Couple of Creative Goals

Its good to have something to aim for as we go along I think and at the start of every year I always think about what I would like to achieve in the coming months. By this I don't mean financially and unfortunately I have noticed with many goal setting articles it seems to be all about money and work!
If we look at life that way we will be forever chasing money and missing a lot along the way, I have decided not to focus on that.  While I do like to be aware of what I spend and save I don't want to be a person who thinks life will only be good with a fixed sum of money.
So that said what I do like to look at is what I can learn, make or find out more about while being happy at the same time.
 One of the things on my list for this year is to find out more about pattern making and design and maybe do something with one of my designs.
Another possibility I'm looking at is to design my own fabric and we can do this now! Yes, anybody can just design their own fabric and have it printed, now this is something that will cost about £20.00 a metre as I have found this site...

It called Woven Monkey and it is UK so the postage is free.  I think the design would have to be spot on before I would pay so much for it but it would be great for a special project and if home made clothes are not unique enough this takes it to another level.

This is something I will play around with and if I come up with a design I really love I will save it and maybe have it printed up at  a later date.

Something I didn't plan last year was to buy my guitar in August and I have to say it has been one of my best buys, I have been learning using justinguitar.com and the books that I have bought by him and it is so relaxing. I have about four basic songs in memory and can play more from the beginner book ( play as a beginner that is) but the main thing is I really love it! 

On the theme of learning new things I went on a course this morning to do with my job, I really enjoyed it and always like to go on courses to learn more.  One of the ladies on my table had said she hoped it would be cancelled so she wouldn't have to come.   It just goes to show how some people enjoy things that others don't but also how we have a different way of looking at things. I have decided I am going to try and always frame things in a positive way because if we start out with a cloud over our heads in the morning it can be very hard to shift.

No Wheat!

A little update on the new year so far, and I have to say I am feeling good about it. Tired from work at the end of the day but the normal kind of tired that comes from having been up early and done a days work.  I have not had any energy crashes  at 2 in the afternoon which was quite normal for me, sometimes I had to fight to keep my eyes open until it passed.  I have also banished my daily stomach cramps which usually start late afternoon.
I  haven't been able to tolerate milk since my younger son was about 3 and I have been using soya instead ever since, for years that sorted me and I was fine but maybe for the last year or so the cramps have been back.  I have heard about the evils of bread and laughed it off (after all we have been eating the stuff for ever) but Christmas saw me in pain for days but just getting on with stuff so I decided I would just give it a try. No bread, pasta, cake biscuits or anything with wheat, I went out and bought from the gluten free section.  I have to say it is very expensive and not much choice in the supermarket but it has made me think about what I'm eating.
There has been no test I must stress but that was on my list, if this didn't work I was going to go to the doctors and insist on a test to see which food was affecting me but so far this seems to have done the trick.
No pain,  no bloat and surprisingly I have stopped feeling like I need a nap mid afternoon (which I can't have anyway because I'm at work!) I also think my skin seems to have improved and it's only been a few weeks!
Now my lunch did used to be a very lazy and boring affair with pretty much a white bread cake with either humous or quorn on it every day.  Thinking about what I can have means I have taken left over curry, soup, rice cakes, baked potato (cook day before) and salads so the energy could also be due to better food going in.  I have just found this blog Gluten free Girl which is full of information and the author is actually Celiac so she has to watch every label or suffer terribly. However she has turned it into a positive and writes books with her chef husband, she also treats food as something to be enjoyed and to focus on what she can eat.
I think cutting out the wheat actually means you do have to say no to an awful lot of the crap that we normally eat, stodge and confectionery most of it.  I do love dark chocolate though.
So so far it has not been hard and I thought it would be, I suppose it is just a case of getting out of the habit of reaching for the biscuits or toast when you are feeling pekish.
I have not had a go at baking yet as I was confused by the range of flours and that you need specific ones for different things. I will try this out at some point though for now I am managing without baked goods.
I would be interested to hear how anyone else is getting along who is living wheat free.

This past week I have been reading How to fall in Love by Cecelia Ahern and I am enjoying it.

 It is an easy read which is good after I re-read 1984 just after Christmas which was thoroughly depressing! It is well written and a classic but honestly so miserable.
There has also been guitar practise and catching up on Grand Hotel series three so not much sewing going on but I thought I would have a little rest after my Christmas sewing frenzy. Back soon.

Sewing saves you money

First week back at work of the new year out of the way and I have to say I was shattered by the end of it.  You have a couple of weeks off and suddenly you get tired quickly, it just goes to show how soon your body adapts to a different routine be it good or bad. Rushing around getting things done at the end of the day has meant my sewing has slowed down but this will improve as I get back into my working routine.

I like to practise my guitar, read and swim as well as sewing so I want to make sure everything is balanced and sometimes it feels like there are not enough hours (you know that feeling).

Today was intended to be my sewing day but I have had a headache all day which is only just lifting I may get a little done later but for now I thought I would give a run down on the cost of my Christmas sewing.

The fabric for all of the garments I made over Christmas and the the Christmas party dress I made a few weeks before came out of money I received for my birthday.  I ordered it from Minerva Crafts and it cost me £27 for 3 metres of chiffon (various patterns) 1 metre of sweatshirt fabric and 2 metres of Jersey.

Below is a round up of what I made for  that amount...

A party dress.  This would easily have cost at least £30 in a shop, more depending on where. 

This dress which can be worn day or night I think, it is very comfy and a really good weight fabric.

This dress which can be worn  any season as you just add layers under it. ( Which is what I did when I wore it last week)

Same style as the one above but without the sleeves.

This loose long sleeved blouse, needs a top underneath though!

Another top in need of a long sleeved T shirt underneath but that would still have been required had I bought it from a shop.






Finally this sweatshirt, I just made the pattern by laying out a top I already owned to give me an idea of size and measure my arms to get the sleeve length right.




So five garments for £27, I know some of you may be thinking that you managed that in the sale. However these garments fit me perfectly which is what you get when you sew for yourself, also you are aware of the labour that went into these items and also the enjoyment from creating them yourself.  Given those factors I would say that you not only save but also learn and find a bit of peace in the process.

Weekend Sewing

I thought I had better get on here and update quickly as soon as I came home as now I am back at work time is tight.  Saturday afternoon I made up another dress along the same idea as the blue one but this time without sleeves.  This material was not as heavy as the blue and with quite a bit of bounce which always makes for awkward stitching but it was still pretty quick to put together.

It was green in the picture when I ordered it (the lines in the check) but after staring at it it looks brown to me, then at work today I looked down and it did in fact look a bit olive green. So maybe I am colour blind, or I have bought some weird chameleon type fabric. It was worn today with very thick brown tights and a long sleeved brown T  shirt underneath.

I had to face around the sleeves on this one and I have not done belt loops as I have different size belts which I may wear depending on what top I wear underneath this.

Yesterday I made up a sweatshirt , I just used used a top I already had and made it loose, a piece for front and back, sleeves and a bottom extra hem piece.  Again very quick to make up so I really need to source  some more good heavy sweatshirt fabric (preferably with a bit of detail in it so it doesn't look too much like a hoody.)

This fabric had a bit of a fleck in it, a bit more interesting than plain, but quite a lot of fray.

So that was all of the fabric I bought a month ago with birthday money, it certainly gave me more value and entertainment than buying the items.  I have a few fabrics left bought at other times still to be made up so I haven't ran out just yet.  I will break down the cost of these items in a few days and hopefully inspire you to sew, or at least give it a go.

First dress of the Year

More sewing and this time it's a dress, not from the new book this time as I already had in mind what I wanted to do with this fabric when I bought it.  I have other dresses that I have made in the same style and they get lots of wear so I wanted to make something I knew would get worn often.
Here are the pieces all cut out...

Photos are so much better in the daylight.  I will learn how to take better photos in all conditions one day. I did not add it as a goal this year though as I have wrote down so many I do actually want to achieve some if not all of them! Adding another would have been too much but it may have helped with the rest.

Here I added the darts once it was on the mannequin, it works for me to do it this way or sometimes with me wearing it first.  It depends what I am  making and how confident I am with it, like if I have made it before I will just try it on the mannequin.

This fabric was just so lovely to work with I may have to get more. I would normally face or bind around the neck but as this was quite thick it would make it bulky, also there was no fray at all.  I just did a small zig zag around the neck then turned it under and hemmed it.  It lay completely flat, after all the faffing of the last few days with the chiffon fabrics this one was just a joy to sew.

Here it is finished, now I think this is such an easy dress to make and if you choose a fabric like this one (heavy jersey) with no fray you don't even have to finish off seams on the inside. It is also really comfortable.  I don't use a pattern I make it up as I go but I could do one for this in size 8 or 10.  So I am  thinking about learning how to size this up and then maybe having some printed to sell?

  This is all just an idea at the moment as I don't know where to begin really with the whole printing, marketing etc.  I do know though that I would give very detailed photo instructions for every step  so this would be perfect for someone just learning to sew.  I would really appreciate any thoughts from anyone out there on if you think this would be something you would be interested in.  Also any tips on moving forward with this sort of venture.

One last photo with the dress on...

  

New Year Sewing

Well I feel like I got off to a good start as I made the blouse I had planned for yesterday, the only problem being that I did not have a set of matching buttons to finish the front. I knew I had many black buttons lurking around in various sewing boxes but when I came to find a set it turned out they were all just a little bit different in some way.
Some projects look good with mismatched buttons I didn't think it would work on this however.  I will have to go and source some but for now here are the pictures on the dummy. (Night time photos again unfortunately)

Here is the back view, obviously it will have to be worn with strappy top underneath again like the last one I made. (Note to self I have enough sheer items now!)  I used black lining in place of interfacing as I didn't have any black interfacing.  Glad I did though as it gives a bit of detail on the inside as I have made it a little different to the instruction pictures. 

I will probably wear it with the collar open as I feel it doesn't really suit me fastened all the way up to the neck, and I feel a bit bothered by it. This is why I faced it with the lining this way so it would look okay when open.

This is the collar up but no pin in here so obviously it will close over the left side when it has buttons on.

Here it is from the front and although the picture is a little blurry I have to say the fit is perfect! I tried it on for the first time once I had done everything. I wanted to see how these patterns work without me modifying as I go and I was surprised how well it fitted.  I used the actual seam allowance stated this time no cheating by adding a bit on to be on the safe side as I usually do.  I did hang it on the dummy in between but I stuck to the pattern, for once. The only change was the facing but that had nothing to do with the fit.

It say in the book though the pattern pieces for this pattern were on side A, I stared at it for ages and they were not on A but side B.  It also states why not make it a size smaller as it is meant to be a tight fit.  This would not be a good idea as my actual size fit perfect so a smaller size would be too small.

I will post more on this with buttons and actual wear taking place later.

Next up is a dress I cut out last night, this is going to be one of my own pattern free dresses and will be much quicker to make.  This is the fabric...

It is a bright royal blue and black, quite a good weight jersey.

I need to go and start this now to keep the pace going back soon.