The Thrift Challenge | Sew With Heart | Beginners Sewing

Hello my lovelies! Welcome to todays post about being thrifty! As you know from previous posts I am going to be sewing more items than ever before and I want to sew my own clothes - or at least attempt to. I thought this year would be a good opportunity for me to enhance my sewing skills with you. This is beginning with sewing basics and moving on quite quickly!! My beginners information will be links to external sources and then we can get crazy with the sewing machine projects!!

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Must Have Kit for Machine Sewing!

Sewing Pattern SOS | Help Me Find Sewing Patterns Please

Hopefully you will have already read my pledge last week to create a "Forever" Wardrobe, with key items and pieces that I will hopefully keep forever as I want to stop buying new clothes. There is no call for it, the environment - landfills etc are suffering greatly from it and it is not necessary.. so I am planning to make these items, upcycle what I already have and re-dye or just give some TLC to items that need it. I will also be having a giant clear out! Anyway... I have looked and looked and looked... Now I am desperate and square eyed!

Does anyone know or has anyone seen patterns similar to the following items... (or even give me american terms to look for!)

What shape would you call this when searching? 

I Cannot find a pattern for these ANYWHERE!! They are paperbag trousers in a capri style. What do americans call these? Can anyone help or suggest what I could do? Im very new to dressmaking but determined.

I need a pattern for both the empire style button trousers - what would you call them)
And the tshirt style.

A pattern for the top and a good pencil skirt pattern that is high waisted and long


So far thats my desperate plea for patterns!! Thank you!
 

Have you anything to add to the Flickr Group? Send your creative lovelies here and i will pick a few favourites weekly!

Green Fingered | Kitchen Garden Essentials

As part of my 2011 New Years Resolution of growing my own vegetables and to a certain extent being thrifty – I wanted to share my journey with you as well as journaling it. This includes any knowledge I gain through my research and in todays post I am sharing a little information on essential kitchen herbs, what you can use them in and why they can be good for you! Like a lot of people now – I am a city dweller, I am very lucky to be able to go back to the country whenever I want to visit my parents and if I was there full time I would certainly have a vegetable patch but I LIKE living in the city. Where I live I am incredibly lucky to have access to a fabric shop, a wool shop, a green grocers and a butchers all within a 2 minute walk from my house (seriously).

    

    
My main issue with where I live is, I have a very tiny front concrete yard with enough space for my recycling bin and gas box and I have an incredibly skinny back yard which is wide enough for a bin and a person to stand beside but gets NO Natural sunlight AT ALL (Seriously) the back of my house is so dark all the time, which means growing herbs and vegetables are a task.

    

Last year, to my mothers dismay, I turned her conservatory into a mini green house and grew lettuces, onions, peppers and green beans. Because I was not there to tend to my plants full time and because my parents have the touch of death when it comes to any kind of plant life; the only real success was the lettuce, green beans and peppers until the plant developed a vascular disease and I had to let it go! In my kitchen in the concrete jungle I grew basil, quite successfully, in the upstairs bathroom I grew orchids (fabulous flowers to grow, nothing very interesting to look at but a pot of soil and a green stick but when it blooms it is stunning!) This winter one of my bathrooms has been the home to pink hyacinths, paperwhites and blue hyacinths, the pinks are beginning to open now and it is so exciting but my paperwhites haven’t quite survived as my cat started nibbling on them and I think the radiator was turned on and it got far too hot at one stage.
       
    This year the herbs are key! Last year we discovered the joys of bay leaves, but bay trees are expensive and just not possible to keep in the city but the rest we can live with. Now be ready to be educated :p

 

 Your 10 Most Versatile Herbs – Will you be growing any of these?
   
Parsley - I like parsley, it is the perfect seasoning in an Irish Stew (my favourite comfort food), you can also use it in soups, sauces, salads and dressings, it also acts as a breath freshner! Handy that!

Coriander - I HATE Coriander, so I will not be growing this. I think it tastes like soap and if its in a dish I cant eat it. It is a real shame because mexican food is one of my absolute favourites, it just has to be made perfume and soapy free for me!

Sage - Use in salads, in cheese (i love cheese) dishes, lamb dishes and works really well in a stuffing. Not just for stuffing chicken but as stuffing balls also, adds another dimension i think.

Rosemary - I add it all the time to any italian dishes. Use it in breads, chicken or veg dishes and it apparently is very good for alleviating headaches.

Thyme - Great with meat, use with veg, salads, cheese, eggs, fish and summer drinks. Thyme is apparently very good for colds also!

Basil - Another favourite and a herb i use a lot! Use it in italian dishes, soups, gravies, stuffings, rices, pasta, salads and bread. You can use it in meat, fish and poultry dishes. It apparently has antiseptic properties! When we grew basil it thrived for a long time until it developed green fly. Its also a great herb for freezing - if you dont use it as fast as its harvested you can bunch it up and put it in a freezer bag.

Chives - I love chives. Usee it in salads, soups and stews. I think its great in scrambled eggs with feta cheese (if you like your protein!) It apparently improves appetite but I have absolutely no issues in that department. FEED ME SEYMOUR!

Oregano - again, a very popular herb! Italians love it, perfect with tomatoes, lamb, egg and cheese, salads and stir fries. Also very good for the stomach.

Mint - Im not a huge fan of mint but my other half loves it with lamb, his dad grows it and made mojitos once when we were round for a bbq. A gorgeous smelling plant to have and is very good at keeping some pests away. Its also very good for digestion - I know most of the frenchies I know have a crazy mint alcohol drink during a 15 course dinner to aid digestion (I spent christmas in france one year... the dinner went on for about 4 days with regular smoking intervals and alcoholic drinks to help the food go down!)

Lavender - I used to hate lavender but I have suffered from really bad insomnia for years and now I like lavender. Add to stews, marinades or biscuits. I even saw nigel slater cook some tomatoes with garlic flowers and one little lavender bud. His facial expression when he ate it said it all - i wanted to try it! Lavender is supposed to relieve headaches, promote sleep and smells lovely!

I think I will grow some Parsley and Basil for definite. Chives I wouldnt use a lot - so i must ask my house mate who cooks lots what he fancies!


Tell me what you love and what you are growing!

Have you anything to add to the Flickr Group? Send your creative lovelies here and i will pick a few favourites weekly!

Shop Updates | Etsy, Ebay, Folksy and DaWanda

I am shopped out! Seriously! I opened the ebay store today for supplies etc. Perfect for any sewing projects that might be coming up soon!

All these lovely items are for sale in the ebay shop! 

The folk trinket box, hair elastic and sewing kit are listed on etsy and folksy too! 

Im so glad to read all your responses to the Thrift Challenge! Ive been stocking up on supplies for making my own clothing and items :)
 

I Resolve to be more Thrifty | The 2011 Thrift Challenge

I Resolve to be more Thrifty | The 2011 Thrift Challenge

"Never have anything in your home which you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful"

- William Morris

As my lovely readers know after reading my Resolutions list for 2011, I made a pledge to be more thrifty! The reason for this being, complete education. I like to think, and I already did live quite (very) thriftily but in certain aspects of life I was not so pinchy with my pennies. I learned a valuable lesson - if its cheap and doesn't last long it isn't really benefiting anyone but the capitalists who sold it to me. After reading the book “Thrift” by India Knight I decided that 2011  I was going to do my best to help save the planets resources and waste even less.
 

I highly recommend this book for all ladies. Please note that it is directed to UK dwellers and aimed at women, there are fantastic tips galore!
From this book and my new clear out organising madness I managed to salvage some clothing – for wear, for upcycling as more clothing and upcycling as potential cuddly toys, which made me incredibly happy and I have big plans!
I also learnt a lot of tips regarding the care of clothes, which we simply appear to have lost in this new generation, eating, money and the best skin care.
You have many things to look forward to in 2011. Mostly being my Thrift Challenge.
I will keep you all up to date on my thrifty upcycling projects and tips that I learn along the way. Some will be cute and crafty, some also may be quite dull and about cleaning and tidying but this excites me.

Grab a Button!









Who is with me? Obviously I want to see your projects and links – either here in the comments section or over at the flickr group. 

In the challenge we will be:

Upcycling Clothes, pillowcases and bedsheets into wonderful items
Choosing a Lifetime Wardrobe 
Organizing
Recycling
Educating on Shopping Habbits
Educating on Clothing - Sewing Our Own and Customizing
Growing Our Own Kitchen Garden 
Homemade Skin Care

I may be adding many more items to this list as I go along but for now we are off to a good start. 

For those of you who are doubters - I will tell you I am an eco warrior and i am as Green as I can be. My dream is to live as self sufficiently as i possibly can and leave the world a better place than when i entered it. I am these things, i get angry at politics, i get angry at peoples use of oil and fuel, i get angry at capitalists, starbucks and any with unethical business practices but i try not to preach as it achieves nothing. Now that being Thrifty is fashionable again I want to get as many people as possible to realise what is happening to the planet and to make a change, no matter how small. Even if it means switching from Plastic Bottles to Metal drinking bottles to save on the ridiculous amount of oil used in production!


I hope you guys will save lots of money, realise your dreams and have FUN! Please link up to all of your friends who might enjoy certain aspects of this challenge :)


Links will be updated as soon as projects are live!







Lots of love :)

Have you anything to add to the Flickr Group? Send your creative lovelies here and i will pick a few favourites weekly!

Dream Interiors | Flea Market Style

 

kristenaderrick

Who doesnt love the flea market style? I really want one of those lamps for beside my bed and maybe one in my spare room where the new craft room will be/guest room!

 

paulamills

 

Three Red Apples

 

blondiebluvintage

 

FollyandGlee

 

sweetcase

Solveig Flittiglisene
Mina1801
folk city
Maya: Flying with balloons
i l'aria
Poppelolli
suzettesuzette

It is impossible not to be inspired with these shots!! L'airas flickr is also great inspiration for crochet goods. She is fabulous! 

Have you anything to add to the Flickr Group? Send your creative lovelies here and i will pick a few favourites weekly!

Heart Handmade On Folksy

I have decided to do a little experiment.. as I live in the UK ive found that etsy isnt the greatest platform for the people I want to sell too.. so im attempting opening my shops on ebay and folksy.. whoever gets the most sales first.. wins. Obviously :p

Tell me what you think!

Have you anything to add to the Flickr Group? Send your creative lovelies here and i will pick a few favourites weekly!

I Resolve | To Grow My Own Veg | Planning my Kitchen Garden

I resolve to grow my own veg| Getting ready for Planting my Kitchen Garden

Are any of you preparing for this years kitchen garden? I cant do anything at the moment obviously because of the weather but I can dream and I can plan!

First things first, getting myself a kick ass inspiration wall like above! Have any of you you guys got gardening inspiration? I have a file (ring binder) full of things ive ripped out of magainzes but I rarely would go and look at it – that mail holder idea is fantastic for having the items right there! I also adore those spoons so much!

Have you anything to add to the Flickr Group? Send your creative lovelies here and i will pick a few favourites weekly!

Etsy Love | New Handmade Updates from Hearthandmade UK!

Hey everyone!! Im sticking to my resolutions :p so far! Ive updated the Etsy shop with a few more items and now and I still have lots more to shoot and update!

 View listings here!

View the valentine Pom Pom Garland here

View the Sparkly Red Wool Crochet Hat here

And my lovely cat ear leopard print polar fleece hat!! I had a snow leopard version but i listed it on ebay and it sold within an hour! I was so pleased :D 


View the leopard version here!

There are lots more items than what is shown here!! 

 

Have you anything to add to the Flickr Group? Send your creative lovelies here and i will pick a few favourites weekly!