Have a peek at the life of a farmer's visually impaired wife and learn a little about self-sufficiency and saving a few bucks in the process. Let's face it, the economy is challenging all of us to be frugal, so we need to help one another as much as we can.
Image of my hands in front of a sewing machine holding a finished quilt square made with 3 strips of fabric sewn together. Color combinations are: #1 white background with small red flowers/designs, #2 solid red, #3 white background with prominent red flower designs
I DID IT - I DID IT - I DID IT!!! I finally put together my first quilt square! Only 120-something more to go...or something like that. I haven't actually counted how many I need. At the rate I'm going, I'm hoping I'll have it finished by the time next winter rolls around.
I have decided to cut all my fabric strips first because that seems to be the hardest part for me. I'm also positive I need to get more fabric since I want to make a queen size quilt. At least it should go a little faster now that I've decided to go with 9" squares rather than the smaller 6".
I'll post more updates in the future as I make progress.
Image of a cutting board with several broken pieces of french bread and a food processor loaded with more chunks of bread.
Here's an incredibly easy way to save a few bucks while stocking your pantry. Just save up your stale bread in the freezer until you're ready to load up your food processor with it. You can also add other items to the mix such as non-sugared breakfast cereal, tortillas and/or dehydrated tomatoes & veggies. Add your favorite seasonings/spices while making the crumbs or wait until you're ready to use them in your recipes. It's all up to you.
You can store your bread crumbs in a zipper storage bag, vacuum sealer bag or even in a mason jar and use your vacuum jar sealer attachment if you're looking for a long term storage solution.
Closeup image of my hand holding a red kitchen scrubbie preparing to scrub the bottom of my clothes iron.
If you watched my previous video on the Quilting Gadget Haul, you might
remember the cutesie little iron I bought that was just the right size
for a small child...but NOT MEANT FOR A SMALL CHILD mind you. That little iron
will come in handy later on when I'm pressing quilt block seams, but
since I needed to de-wrinkle fat quarters and larger pieces of fabric, I
decided to bring out Big Bertha. When I looked at the bottom of Bertha (yeah, I know that doesn't sound right) I knew there wasn't going to be any ironing just yet. The fact of the matter is the years have taken their toll on Big B and
she needed a cleaning. There was a light sprinkling of rust, water
marks and a sticky something that all had to go before I could use her. It's always something isn't it?
First I must confess that I am not, nor have I ever been a regular ironer. I always made sure to not buy clothing that would require me to iron it before wearing and as long as I had a clothes dryer, tossing an item in for a touch up was so much easier. I'm afraid most of the ironing I have done in the past, oh say 28 years, was done in the line of sewing projects - and not that many of those either.
Here's how I cleaned Big Bertha. Hopefully she'll last me another 28 years.
Close up image of purple, pink & blue fat quarter fabrics and unopened packs of sewing machine needles and bobbins.
Before I could really start getting busy on my 1st quilt project, I needed and/or wanted a few tools of the trade. I made poor hubby take me to JoAnn Fabrics since they were having a pretty good sale at the time. He wasn't the only hubby that got dragged along either. Thank you hubbies everywhere! :-D
Once there, I was really surprised at the number of customers in the store. I don't know if it was JoAnn's best sale of the year or if it was the height of "sewing season" or both, but the weak economy doesn't seem to be having an affect on their business. An unstable economy might even be beneficial for them since a lot of folks find it more frugal to repair or make their own clothing.
There are a few stores that have an affect on me like a kid in a candy store and a sewing shop is one of them. (Computer & hobby stores are also on this list.) Since I had a budget I needed to stick to, I had a mental shopping list of necessities and pretty much stuck to it. If I ever hit the lottery, look out!
Image of my sewing work station which includes a bright blue cutting mat, several fabric swatches and a rotary cutter tool.
I'm FINALLY going to do it. I've been promising myself for years that I was going to make a quilt before I kick the bucket and I'm finally going to fulfill that promise.
A Little Background: About 8 or 9 years ago, my bestest buddy Natalie and I paid for a beginners sewing machine class. If memory serves, the class was 1 day per week for six weeks and there was about 6 of us participating. We all figured we'd learn how various functions were performed on a sewing machine and possibly come away each week with a nifty craft item such as buttons sewn on a dish towel or a pillow case made from two bandanas. We couldn't have been more wrong! After making sure each student knew how to thread their machine and needle, our instructor announced that we would be making an outfit from a pattern we had to buy from the local Jo-Ann Fabrics store. WHAT?!?
To make a long story short, by the end of the class I had a so-so sleeveless blouse that I would never wear in public and a sorry pair of shorts that didn't come anywhere near fitting me. I did learn how to make button holes and sew buttons on with the machine, but that's about it. I did attempt making a nightgown on my own and to this day, that nightgown, sans sleeves, is still tucked away in my sewing paraphernalia.
Fast forward to November, 2012: Just before Thanksgiving I decided I wanted to get back into sewing. Past experience has taught me the dining room table just wasn't going to cut it for a work area. Sure as God made little green apples, as soon as I really got into a sewing project I'd have to clear it all away for a family meal. (Do they really have to eat EVERY day?) The drudgery of setting up and tearing down a temporary sewing area is enough to discourage anyone. Since I couldn't find a sewing "roadie" I had my son help me re-arrange my bedroom and I started planning my sewing nook.
Turns out I had picked a great time of year to get back into sewing. Since Christmas was approaching, I made a wish list of items I absolutely and desperately had to have, (ok, wanted) and presented it to Santa Hubby and Santa Son. I'm happy to say, I had a very merry Christmas!
I'm planning on making a hand-tied quilt using 6 inch blocks that are made up of three 2" x 6" strips (plus seam allowance). I only have a few fat quarters that I bought over the years just because I thought they were "pretty". I figured I'd use them for something someday. If you're wondering what a fat quarter is, it's a piece of fabric 18" x 22" typically for making quilt squares. They also make good liners for gift baskets, but that's a whole different topic isn't it? ;-)
Image of cast iron skillet with beef & broccoli stir fry, a stainless steel pot with white rice and a serving bowl with the two ingredients combined ready to eat.
I'm a lover of Chinese cuisine; the hubby - not so much. After re-reading that intro, I think I better clarify that I AM a fan of the hubby, he's just not a fan of Chinese food. Whew! lol If I want an oriental dish more often than DH is willing to endure at a restaurant, I have to make it myself. For some reason (probably love) he doesn't mind eating Asian dishes when I make them at home.
I didn't quite have every ingredient I would have liked in my stir fry, however I made do with everyday ingredients we all should have in our pantry's.
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