Happiest when scrappiest

 This is my new project -for our expected grandson. I thought I had better get started on it as the year is slipping away fast.

 The disappearing pinwheels quilt has been sidelined even though the braid border is coming along fine.

 The Dark Nightz quilt I am calling "Dancing through the night" is ready for the next stage of quilt-as-you-go, but it is taking a back seat.

 Paddington is now the star of the cutting table.

 I couldn't resist the opportunity to make scrappy stars.

 The first block -another 5 to go

It has been a very scrappy month and I am not over it yet!

So many pretty things

It has been quite a week for pretty things around here!

We had a lovely Sunday high tea, using my lovely china -some bequeathed to me by my mother in law, some found in op shops over the years.  On  the menu were cucumber sandwiches, asparagus rolls, savoury pumpkin muffins, and  iced sponge squares. All washed down with a good Earl Grey.   My DD helped create the spread!

(yes, we did also serve Gin and Tonics, darlings!)

I have settled on this fabric for a new baby quilt, featuring the culinary skills of that famous TV chef: Paddington! 

I am thinking of a simple medallion layout with the words "please look after this bear" in orange on blue fabric, and that vibrant orange in the border or binding. This is of course for our new baby due mid-year so I better get on with this as soon as my queen size scrappy gets to a point where I can leave it for a month or two.

This lovely old lady needed a new home. I gladly will take care of her. I will take her to my local sewing repair shop for a bit of TLC. She should sew fine. According to her number plate she is over 100 years old! She is in find condition, and I would have thought she was more likely be be from the 1940s or 1950s but until I have more information, this is what I know about her. 

She will have to wait though, because there was also an overlocker which also needed a new home. This is only 20 years old. I have always wanted an overlocker. She was very dusty but she works so I took her to the repair shop straight away for a good service. Hopefully I will have her back in a couple of weeks. Then the fun really will start! I hope to make even more pretty things with her special skills too. 

It's the little things which grow-quilts and vegetables!

At the beginning of the year I had a goal of becoming self sufficient in salad vegetables. There have been some successes and some failures, but we persevere.

This week I planted spinach and mizuna seeds. I also planted another 2 punnets of lettuce seedlings. We had a brief shower of rain, which cheered us all up -it has been over 100 days since we had more than 0.2mm of rain.

The quilt that I am making is using up a lot of scraps, though I am not nearly at the end of my scrap collection.

I thought I needed 156 blocks, but when I tried the quilt on the bed I thought it was skimpy. The number has now grown by another 39.

As I do this,  I find myself revisiting all the other quilts I have made so far!

This stack of blocks was the 'leader/ender" project for my Disappearing 9 patch which now is getting a braid border.
But this is now on hold, because the 'leader/ender' project is demanding some priority!

Here are the blocks sewn into strips-look how bright they are!

I guess it will be another week or so before I have enough blocks made to consider that part of the quilt done. I will be using a quilt as you go method to quilt them at home. 

Cruisin' along

There comes a moment when every "Leader/Ender project" demands top spot. A leader/ender project is of course a way quilters have of getting two quilts done at once -working on one project, but sneakily feeding a block from another project at the beginning or end of every chain piecing row.  You hardly notice a huge number of quilt blocks being sewn, that way.  That is how I got this collection of 156 blocks done for a "Dark Nightz" queen size bed quilt. 

This is the block collection spread out on the floor. It will be queen size and go on my bed. 

I love this Jan Mullen's pattern -it is such fun to make and uses quite a lot of scraps! I made a lap size version which I gave to my lovely niece recently. This one is for ME (DH can share it!).

I like the way the blue wave spreads across the quilt.

While I am sewing I love to listen to the Daily Planet on my computer, from the Radio National website. 

That is mostly what I have been doing this weekend- cruising along, making blocks when I wasn't gardening, cleaning or cooking! But I did go op shopping and found this gorgeous textured jug from Portugal for a measly $6. 

 Of course I am still loving the gorgeous quilty view of my console table.

Wisdom, peace, trust, hope......all will be needed as I sew the blocks together and then hand it over to the Long Arm Quilter. There is no way my DSM is going to manage this baby!

Frugal February the final week!

This is the final week of Frugal February

Tuesday

We have a lovely chesterfield leather sofa which we bought about 10 years ago when there was more money coming into the house than now. It was something I wanted for years, and it made me happy. Lately however we have been concerned that it just isn't so comfortable. The cover is still fine, but we didn't quite know what was wrong -did the cushions need more stuffing or was there a problem with the springs?

Of course we wanted to repair it if we could. I don't want this lovely thing on the landfill, and I couldn't in all conscience give an uncomfortable sofa to any charity shop.

My DH sent some photos to an upholsterer who thought he needed to adjust or replace some springs and webbing, and who will add extra stuff to the cushions.  We did check to see prices for new leather sofas just in case this was not a cost effective option, but we are sure that we are making the right choice here.

Looks like buying the best quality you can afford does pay off in the end.  It will offer us another 10 years of service for the price of the repair which was $540.

Wednesday

My DH put the last coat of stain on the console table. By buying this item unfinished  we can make sure it matches our other lounge room furniture -and save into the bargain.

I found a container of soup in the freezer to take for lunch and it was yummo. Making soup for lunches saves me at least $14 a day when I am at work -given the highly inflated Perth prices for simple lunches and coffees. I have my own plunger and coffee supply at work.

I made a loaf of pumpkin bread using the left over roasted pumpkin from Monday.  My daughter loves the different varieties of bread we can make -and has a favourite thing with each of them. By making use of the small left overs we can reduce waste and make tasty food.

DH made a big slow cooker full of beef casserole and veg -which was enough for three meals. One meal was the night it was made, served with salad. A small container was kept in the fridge and I served it in ramekins with mashed potato on top. One container is in the freezer for next week.

Thursday

I had a long day at work, but DH was busy getting my lounge room set up with the newly renovated sofa and the newly stained console.

The sofa is SO FIRM now -and like new. I am really happy about this!

Friday

I wanted to set my lounge room up for Lent which starts next Wednesday. I changed some of the icons and pictures to make it appropriate.

 I found a purple candle in my stash and put it in my thrifted silver candle stick on the coffee table, but needed some purple for my angels on the mantle. DD and I enjoyed a trip to a local store where I got two nice purple candles for $5 and a bag of little purple beads for $3.

Then I made this purple runner for the console table.  I browsed several quilt books for inspiration, and checked my stash and especially my scraps.   The table topper in the picture above was made using the scraps from the runner.

Here is how it ended up:

Saturday Sunday and Monday

Saturday and Monday -we enjoyed lovely walks along our local beach, and on Monday even went swimming briefly, before the lifesavers warned us of a shark in the area, so we quickly got out of the water.

On Sunday I rejuvenated a vegetable bed with compost we made, along with some fertiliser. I treated it with wetta soil and put the mulch back ready for the next crop. I think I want the garlic to go in here.

So -the result of Frugal February? 

*saved $200 in the grocery bill
* have a lovely lounge room for $$$ less than buying things because we repaired and made our own stuff, or modified cheap purchases (the curtains, the console)  for our own use.

I have enjoyed keeping track of my efforts.

Thanks for dropping by.

Frugal February -Week 3

Sunday

I added some braid to the curtain tie backs. This was an op shop find some years ago -I nearly threw it out recently as I hadn't found a use for it, but it worked well here. They help to give the cheap curtains a more polished formal look.

As I had been a bit preoccupied with the work on the curtains, I had not made bread yesterday and we were all out. Now, sandwiches are often a lunch staple around here, but instead of going to the shop to buy bread, I made a simple stir fry -cashews and lentils -and rice for lunch.
The bread was made later, and I also made pesto from basil leaves from the garden. I used some of it with pasta and left over roast chicken for dinner.

Monday

I cleaned out one tray of the worm farm and used the castings in my liquid feed bin. This feed, when diluted in a watering can, is the best thing for my plants. It is also free!

DH was in the shed making the braces for the cantilever shelves in the sewing room.

Frugal furniture purchase
I have been looking for a console table for my lounge room for about 8 months. No, that is not true - I found a great console table but the price scared me so I have been looking for a cheaper version. I always think it is worth waiting for a bargain, and that as this table was largely decorative I could wait for the one I could both like and afford.

Even so, when I found a table at less than a quarter of the price of the first one I had seen, I still waited 48 hours to rethink it. I find this 'cooling off' process very important -it gives me the time to think through why I want it. Is it the 'thrill of finding a bargain?". Do I have some emotional unhappiness or stress which I want to try to cure by the thrill of a purchase? Of course there is very little we can buy that can actually do that in any sustained way.
Then -will it be good quality? Is it environmentally friendly? etc etc

I can honestly say one of the best habits I have ever tried to master in living frugally, is to make myself wait and think first.
Do any of you do that? How long is long enough to wait?

The console is solid but was bought unfinished -that is good, we can stain it to match our other loungeroom furniture. The picture here is showing it with a first coat of stain -it will be darker as we add more coats. There is a shelf on the bottom which we re now staining too.

There will be a stack of quilts on the bottom shelf. That makes me happy!

Tuesday

We wanted to go to choir after our volunteer committee meeting but there would be very little time between the two engagements so DH packed a salad and some left over pizza -and we had good food and no need for takeaway.

Wednesday
Our daughter graduated with a BA and of course it was a lovely, happy time. We ate in the Guild food hall before hand -there are times when convenience is important. Frugal people are not stingy they just know the value of the money they spend!

Thursday

DH finally bought some new PJs. He told me that he was waiting for this month's clothing allowance to come in, so he didn't spoil the budget by buying them too soon. Good man!

Friday
I did some minimal grocery shopping -just the basics like milk and bread.

Saturday
I picked up my sewing machine from the repairers- it pays to get important tools maintained regularly. I resisted the urge to buy a wonderful old Singer featherweight which was on display -and I am proud of that resistance, even if I didn't resist the urge to buy a very expensive 1 metre piece of fabric!

This fabric is full of Welsh symbols -corgis, castles, miners, choristers, dragons. As I had three Welsh born Welsh speaking grandparents, and I am the only member of the family who got the Welsh name, I feel quite nostalgic about Wales. This $18 piece of material is going to become a treasure.

I spent a happy day whilst everyone else was working, doing some sewing on my 'leader'/ender project. This is being made from scraps of everything. Imagine my delight when I realised that I have 120 out of the 160 blocks I need to make this into a queen size bed quilt!

Sunday

Yet ANOTHER concert this afternoon -part of the Christmas/Birthday presents I got last year. It was absolutely lovely. I like the way this gift of tickets spreads the joy through the year -we have something to look forward to nearly every month.

Monday

We have picked a 3.5 kg pumpkin, which I am going to cut up. Some of it will be roasted and turned into pumpkin and couscous salad -which I can take to work for lunches this week.

Frugal February- Week Two-Bally Ann Week

My mother would sometimes announce it was "Bally Ann Day". In other words, the day before pay day -usually Thursday-when there was not much cash about and therefore we had to make do with what we had. I understand it is a common saying in Lancashire.

DH and I are paid monthly and this is the week before pay day, so it is Bally Ann Week. Now we are lucky enough to have bank balances which we could dip into if necessity intervenes, but I like to make the money last as long as possible, so Frugalista February continues apace.

Sunday

• Went to the local hardware store to see if I could find a cheap solution to the problem of cantilever shelves in my sewing room which are dipping down to the front. I wanted some kind of brace but could find nothing ready made and suitable. I told DH about the issue and said: I guess we are just going to have to replace the shelf supports with new brackets, and they are at least $10 each which would be $60 for the lot. DH thought about it and said he liked the idea of the brace, and thought he could make them out of wood. Watch this space! 
• Took some home made soup and bread from the freezer and had it for lunch. We are still eating our way through the freezer supplies. I hope soon to be able to clean one of the freezer shelves where a poorly sealing lid let wine leak out. 
• Went to the local sewing shop and was pleased to come out with three things which together cost me $3.50! I needed some sewing needles with bigger eyes and a new set of thread snips. I bought a fat quarter on special for $0.99c. The first two items were half price! LOL. 

Monday

• Have cleaned the shelf in the freezer and redistributed the stuff there. Still quite a lot left in there, but it is good to see some things being used up. 

• Took cheese, ham, bacon from the freezer for use this week.
• Started some lentils sprouting for later this week. 
• Sent DH off to the shop with a list and a budget. He came back with more than $25 left for this week! Bought fruit, vegetables and milk, eggs . 
• Made a quiche for dinner using some bits of ham I stuck in the freezer -they were little bits left over from the Christmas ham. Added some broccoli that needed cooking, some frozen corn and a few bits of spring onion from the garden. 
• making Tzikiki with home grown cucumber and home made yogurt for the Choir supper tomorrow night. Making double choc cookies for them too. (They loved it) 
• Did some work on the quilt I am making. Need to make the pieced border next. All of this quilt has come from my stash -and in fact from my collection of scraps left over from other quilts. 
• Concert tonight. The tickets were my Christmas present from DH. I love getting tickets as presents! There is not much I actually need in the way of gifts, but I love to go to concerts. 

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

•  My work days, as usual going to use public transport and take my own lunch. 
• On Wednesday someone my DH knows, rang to say she had cooked too much silverside (corned beef) and did he want some? He thought it was a bit odd, but happy to help, he went to see her and came home with a big plate of free food!  
• I downloaded some free Kindle books to read. 

Friday 

    We gave each other heartfelt, personal cards and greetings for Valentine's Day. I cut some roses and smokebush, put them in a vase and added some ribbon I already had, along with a little Love sign and there it was - a little romance for the day! 

On Friday I did my monthly bulk shopping for groceries.

In the evening we went to the community screening of a film -which asked only that we donate enough to cover the costs of the hall.

Saturday 

I needed new curtains, and had researched what was available. The biggest problem with the current ones was that they could not be washed, but desperately needed cleaning. I have a black and white cat, and the synthetic curtains along with the rubber backing, really attracted cat fur and would not give it up.

I eventually bought some ready made dark cotton ones from Ikea with instructions which said that they could be washed in hot water and tumble dried! They were really inexpensive -at least one quarter of ready-mades I had seen elsewhere -but I had to do some hemming to them. 

Whilst we were there we were excited to see a console table which would fit a space in our lounge room. I had been looking for one of these for about 6 months but was unwilling to spend the $1000 I had seen them for in the furniture shops.

This one will be easy to stain to match other pieces in our lounge room. I will use it to showcase piles of finished quilts! 

So there it is -how we spent our frugal week 2. How is your week going?