Preparing for Winter

It has been awhile since I have posted. It seems like now that we are in the last part of summer we are in the mad dash to get ready for winter in addition to summer stuff. The tomatoes are coming in well despite the fight with the tomato hornworms. I really hate those things and we have had a heavy year for them. I have picked dozens each day to make sure that I actually get some tomatoes. As it is we have a late crop because the first tomatoes were hit pretty hard despite my efforts. So the tomato plants put on a second crop which is what we are now harvesting. The pole beans are about played out and I am getting ready to pull them. The second round of squash and zuchinni are just about to start flowering so we will have more just before the cold weather comes in. We are also busy filling the woodshed and getting the pastures in order. I put some finished compost on the goat's winter pasture yesterday and threw out some old wheat seed to encourage the chickens to scratch it in. I truly love it when I can get the critters to do my work for me! Now, if I can just find where they are hiding the eggs. We haven't gotten any eggs for a week and are having a time trying to find them. I am worried that something is getting the eggs. This week I re-mulched all the pathways in the garden so they are good to go until late winter/early spring. I try to mulch them twice a year to keep the weed population down. The biggest frugal thing I have done lately is to buy a bunch of potatoes that were on a really good sale and can most of them. Now, my emergency potato stores are stocked back up. My husband also replaced the brake pads on his car, saving us a good deal of money in not having to go to the mechanic. He also changed the oil in my car, saving even more money. We have spent a good deal of time this summer working in the yard. Unfortunately, we get busy with those things that are higher on the priority list and the yard gets pushed to the bottom. I have cleaned up countless piles of sticks and small branches that have fallen out of the trees and we have cut out dead branches so that we avoid so many fallen branches. We have had a couple of dead trees lose their tops and have burned off the piles of dead, rotten wood from that. We have also gotten rid of some weedy patches that made the yard look untidy. The dead fig tree was cut down and I have been able to keep the grass mowed on a regular basis. We still have some more work to do, but all in all the yard is looking much tidier. Our next goal is to clean up the old chicken coop that finally fell over this past winter. The back yard will look so much better once that is gone. Because of the heat that we have been dealing with we can only spend a couple hours outside early in the morning, so I think we have accomplished a lot with the little time that we have had. I think this fall when things get a little cooler we will be able to really make a difference and knock out some things that seem to take so long to get finished. We butchered a litter of rabbits this past month so that helped put meat in the freezer. Looking forward to deer season, even though I am not looking forward to the cold weather that comes with deer season. I remade two outdated dresses into more modern dresses last week. I love it when I get a new outfit made. It is so exciting to get to wear it. I have some oversized t-shirts that my aunt gave me that I am going to make into skirts soon. It will be nice to have a few more everyday skirts since the ones that I have have seen a lot of use. Within the next month I will be going through the children's clothes to see what they might need for this winter. I don't think Little Britches will need much, but Petunia might need a few things. Well, daylight is burning so I had better get to it before I can't stand the heat anymore. Blessings, Kat

Thermal Curtains are Working Well

Hello All,
I just wanted to give an update on the thermal curtains that I spent weeks working on. They are working better than expected. The past week has been hot even for deep south standards. We went from one week being in the 70s for highs and then jumped right into the next week being in the high 80s and low 90s. Big difference and actually quite miserable outside. However, the thermal curtains are working wonderfully. Yesterday, the high was 91 for us. We closed the windows, blinds and curtains on the south side of the house about 10 am. The eastside curtains are closed as soon as I get up in the morning and then opened about 10 am. The west side curtains are closed about 4:00. So while it was a hot 91 degrees outside yesterday, the temperature in the house never got higher than 78 degrees. The back of the house was even cooler at 74 degrees, but it has no south facing windows at all. Still no air condition running and we were quite comfortable most of the day. In the late afternoon we felt a little warm, but I attribute that to the humidity since the actual temp was not warm at all. The humidity has been quite high. And there it is, the culprit that usually forces us to finally cave and turn on the AC...humidity. Not only does it make you feel as if it is 10 degrees hotter than it really is, it will make mildew start to grow in the house. That simply cannot be tolerated as we are all highly allergic and it is no fun throwing things out that have gone completely green. I remember one summer I wasn't paying close attention and the furniture in the living room (which we don't use much) was completely green before I really noticed it. It was a bear to clean all of that upholstery and take the furniture outside into the sun to completely dry and solarized the mildew. So we will just have to see and I am much more vigilant these days. Otherwise the curtains are working wonderfully and while most in the south are already running up those power bills with their ACs we are still getting a small reprieve. Blessings, Kat

Sewing for Less

Recently, I had someone ask me why I bothered sewing clothes when I could buy them at the thrift store cheaper than I could buy fabric. I explained to her that sewing isn't a skill that warrants expensive trips to the fabric store. Many times I have someone give me clothes that are a bit out of date or too large or whatever. Usually, my sewing adventures involved re-making things into other things. Here are some things that I have done that keep clothing, household goods, and other sewing costs even cheaper than buying clothing at the thrift store.

1. Re-making what I already have. I had some boho/hippy style skirts that were given to me by my mother in law. They were cute and I love hippy style clothing. However, it doesn't really love me. I am short and a little wider than I would like to be and these skirts made me look shorter and wider than I already am. But I didn't want to get rid of them. So I made them into summer sundresses for me and my oldest daughter by simply replacing the elastic waistband with another piece of elastic that fit around our busts and then adding nice wide shoulder straps. We can wear them loose or with belts to give our waist more definition. They fit great and even left loose are more flattering because they fall in a more even way than they did when they were skirts. They come to just a hint above our knees so don't make us look even shorter than we are. The cost of 5 dresses was maybe 1.00 that I had in thread and elastic. That is about 20 cents a piece. Thrift store cost would have been at least 2.00 a skirt if not more.

2. When I am at yard sales or flea markets I pick up sewing supplies. I am always looking out for sewing supplies. I once bought a quart size Ziploc bag full of black thread for 1.00. That was years ago and I am still using that black thread. There were probably 15 to 20 spools in that bag. Another time I bought 4 large spools of serger thread even though I don't have a serger. I paid about 2.00 for all 4 spools. I use it for handsewing items and I am still using off those spools.

3.Along the lines of remaking, many times yard sales with have nice quality clothing for almost nothing. If the material of the clothing is good quality I try to consider if I can re-make it or re-size it. I have made many skirts out of shirts that were way too large or dresses for my daughters out of shirts that were too large.

4. Clothing that has stains can often be cut apart, the fabric flipped over if the stain doesn't go through and remade into something else. Or it can be cut up and the stained portion discarded, then the rest can be used for some type of home goods craft such as patchwork placemats for the table, or everyday dinner napkins that don't really need to match perfectly.

5. Fabric is fabric, so I am prone to picking up decent quality sheets anytime I can. I had built up my stash of sheets so well that recently when I made thermal curtains for the house I had plenty of sheets for the project. I made curtains for 14 very large sets of windows (4 required an entire kind size sheet to cover) out of maybe 3.00 worth of yard/thrift store sheets. I also made 3 shade cloths for the garden out of some cheaper stained sheets that were actually given to me.

These are just a few of the ways that I can save money sewing. Sewing for our house saves a lot of money and doesn't mean any trips to the fabric store. Recently I was in the fabric store getting my scissors sharpened and while I was waiting looked at the price of fabric. The lady that prompted this post was right. For the cost of fabric, I could buy a whole lot of clothing from the thrift store. But I can do it much cheaper. Blessings, Kat

I Hate Pants!

I admit it, I wear skirts most of the time. I own very few pairs of pants and rarely wear them. However, yesterday I was going to town and have a really cute pair of khaki pants that I thought would look nice with a sweater that I was going to wear. It was something different to change things up a bit. I was miserable all day and I am always miserable when I wear pants/jeans. In fact, last year when I did a major cleaning out of my clothes I got rid of all but 2 pairs of jeans that I kept for cold weather work on the farm. That wind can be brutal whipping up under skirts in 20 degree weather! I see women wear pants all the time and they don't look miserable, or are they? Do they just hide their misery in the name of beauty? Or are they truly comfortable wearing those jeans/pants? And then I feel really sorry for those poor souls who wear jeans that are about 3 sizes too small for them...truly they cannot be comfortable. I am not comfortable in pants that fit appropriately. And no pants ever seem to be flattering on me...no matter how appropriately fitted they are. I think I just need to make some more skirts and make some pantaloons for cold weather and ditch the pants thing altogether. No since in being miserable. Am I the only weirdo out there who can't stand wearing pants?! Just my little rant for the day! Blessings, Kat

A Homemade Christmas

As usual, money is tight for Christmas. We have never been those kind of people who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on Christmas anyway. This year I am making most of the children's presents, so I thought I would post the list of what I am planning on making in case it gives any of you ideas. I will also try to post tutorials as I make these things or at least pictures of what has been made.

Petunia (age 15)
2 pairs of earrings
2 necklaces
ring
ankle bracelet
1 pair of pajamas
hanging jewelry organizer
Photo/scrap book of our trip to Maine

Katie (age 6)
1 pair of pajamas
2 necklaces
ring
2 bracelets
purse
dress
1 pair of legwarmers
Photo/Scrap book of our trip to Maine

So far this is the list. I might come up with some other things while I am working. I will update this as I go. Blessings, Kat

New Rabbit Colony

We have had loads of success with our rabbit colony and so we have decided to start a new one, dubbed colony 2. We used the old chicken coop which was recently vacated by the pigs. We had to do some work to make it bunny proof, but I think it will work out just fine. We want to add an extra half door on the inside that opens inward which will give us more security when entering and leaving the colony. So far though we don't really have to worry about the buns escaping while we are entering and leaving. As soon as I start to open the door they all run to the back corner to hide. This colony will enable us to feed more rabbit to the dogs thus increasing our pet food production. Today I am going to try and gather up some more "toys" for the buns to have in there like tunnels for them to hide in and places for them to nest. They have one nesting spot now, but with 5 does they will need more. Hopefully, they will settle down and settle into routine over the next week. Fortunately, they all seem to be getting along and no one seems to be fighting. I will try to get pictures posted sometime today or tomorrow. Meanwhile, tonight is my sewing night and I am looking forward to it. It will be good to have some time to spend sewing. I have several dress patterns to cut out for my little one. We realized that she has a good amount of play dresses for the summer but not many town dresses for the summer. I also have a couple of work dresses that I am hemming simply to make them more practical to work in around the farm. I absolutely love wearing dresses in the summer especially. Well, it is about time to get to work before the rain moves in today. Blessings, Kat

Freshen Home Decor the Cheap and Easy Way

So as many of you know I have been de-cluttering the house and trying to freshen things up. My house has become a very stale environment as far as being pleasing to the eye. For most of my life I have leaned toward earthy tones...sage greens, blues and browns(lots of dark antique furniture). I am bored and my house is boring. I have decided I seriously need color in my life. Even my throw pillows in the den were greens and browns. Notice I said were. Well let me tell you what I did. First I raided my collection of fabric and found three prints with some wonderful reds and yellows. I took some bed pillows that were old and we had already changed out ( I was going to make seat cushion for the porch chairs with these, but didn't). I cut the pillows to throw pillow size and made slip covers from the fabric. Why did I make slip covers instead of permanent covers? So I can change them out to suit my mood of course! In an hour I had made from scratch three large throw pillows with covers and made two more covers for smaller pillows. I have several more covers cut out but ran out of time to stitch them. Wow! What a difference a little splash of color makes. Now, I know what I am going to do with those old quilts that can no longer be used as quilts. I am going to make more slip covers so that I can change out some more. This should keep some variety in my life. I have a painting that I started 6 years ago. It really never got past the sketch on canvas stage and I am kind of glad. While I am going to keep the hard elements the same I am changing up the style so to speak and can't wait to get started on it. First to finish de-cluttering the house. Really it takes a while to do this. I really didn't realize how much I had accumulated over the years, it is an astonishing amount. I am working on the studio also so that it doesn't become just storage and unuseable for anything else, but I only devote about 30 minutes to doing so out there when I am out there. However, it is nice to finally have a place to do the things that make me tick. Know what I mean? I still don't know if I will make curtains or not...would love to have some...curtains usually make our allergies pretty bad because of the dust that they collect unless I wash them regularly and then well you have to iron them afterwards and that is time consuming. Been there done that and not sure if I want to go back although they do make a room look more finished than bare windows. I will post a tutorial on how to make the pillow slip covers so that anyone interested can see how I made them. Have a great day! Kat

Fabric Scraps to Keep the House Warm

I save all my fabric scraps and clothes that are too worn out and too stained to give to someone else. So that often means that I have a large stash of fabric that is useable for something. One thing that I have discovered to keeping this old house slightly warm in the winter is to cover the windows. But drapes are expensive and I want something a little prettier than just an old blanket over the window. Although I have plenty of windows covered by old blankets, I still want something that looks nicer. If I have to suffer the dark of having the windows covered it might as well be by something nice. So, back to all those scraps and old clothes...use them to make window coverings for the winter. Just cut them into squares and in the same general idea of making a quilt sew them together and then sew them to a backing. The backing can be the old blanket that you used to use or you can use all those worn out blue jeans and make your own backing. The stitching doesn't have to be as nice as it would with a normal quilt, but these window blankets will look infinitely more charming than the old thrift store blanket. You can place grommets in the top and then use rope, twine, or shower curtain rings to hang them. Add to the rustic charm by hanging them from a "rod" made from a thin sturdy branch. They can then be opened during the day on the south side of the house and closed at night to keep in the warmth and block the chill coming through the windows. If you have some really bad leaky windows then you can put bubble wrap on the windows themselves to add an extra layer of insulation. Of course, don't forget to go around and caulk around those windows. We have to do this every single winter because this house moves so much. We even have to sometimes re-caulk what was caulked the year before because the movement of the house has widened the crack that was filled. If you have a house that moves don't forget to check and caulk around baseboards as well. With ours being on a crawlspace, the cold air loves to blow under those baseboards that are no longer tight because the floor has moved. I will do a picture tutorial sometime later about the window quilts, but really it isn't all that hard. If I can manage it then so can you. Blessings, Kat

What to Do with My Winter "Break"

I have been really getting excited about my winter break from milking. It will cut down morning chores considerably. So I have been thinking about what I will do with my time and here is the list of things that I am excited to have more time to do:

Sewing
Maybe I will actually be able to sew some new clothes for myself this year. It is always a goal, but never really gets achieved. I will also be able (hopefully) to get the children's spring and summer clothes done well before spring and summer get here!

Writing
I have a huge list of article ideas that I simply keep adding to. I just have not been able to find the energy to sit down and write them out. Now, maybe I can find that energy and have a little extra time to spend.

Painting
Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could actually finish those paintings that have been sitting in various stages of completion! Or imagine how wonderful it would be to start new ones.

Anyway, those are the plans. Blessings, Kat

Tightwad Tip- Coffee Filters

Coffee filters can be expensive, so I made my own. No it isn't a huge expense, but still an expense that I would rather keep in my pocket. So I took a store bought coffee filter and used it as a template. You can use either muslin or linen. I had some linen pieces that were just right for this. You don't want dyed fabric, just plain white or unbleached. Fold the fabric in half and trace the coffee filter onto the fabric leaving about a 1/4 inch extra fabric around the template. Then simple sew around the edges. I used a zig zag stitch. There you have a fabric coffee filter. I made 7 of them in about 15 minutes. After use, just dump the grounds in the compost bucket and rinse the filter with hot water until clean then hang to dry. Simple, easy, no fuss and you have saved a couple dollars each month. You also used up some of those fabric scraps that you have. Blessings, Kat

Thanksgiving Update

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my darling little sis here from Maine. It is always so nice to have her home since she doesn't get home very often. The girls' have really had fun with their aunt. Yesterday they went to Chuck E'Cheese and then to the mall for some shopping. My little one came home with Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer from Build a Bear Workshop and the great thing is.....it sings. At 5:30 this morning, Rudolph started singing and a little hand patted me on the shoulder all accompanied with a little voice that said, "Don't you love this song?!" My reply was that yes I loved the Rudolph song, but she and Rudolph needed to go back to bed. She said ok and pitter pattered off to her bed. I on the other hand was wide awake so off to the coffee pot I went. The only bad thing is that my computer has now totally and completely crashed, so I will have to update the blog from my mom's house. I will update at least once a week until my computer is fixed. So this is this week's update and I will try to cover all briefly.

Sewing and Scrap Challenge
I have finished another Sunday dress and just about finished the pinafore that goes with it. I will put some embroidery on the sleeves and the peter pan collar and then it will be done. On the scrap challenge, I had some linen pieces which I made coffee filters from. I like the linen because it is unbleached and natural. It is also a loose enough weave that the water flows through easily. I took small squares, folded them across into a big triangle. Then I cut the tip to make it more flat and then sewed the seam. Easy as pie and I have new coffee filters. I have a bunch of this linen from my art days (it is used for canvases), so I was thinking of making some of these to sell at the store blog. Do you think anyone might be interested in them? They last a long time and wouldn't cost much at all. Anyway, just an idea. I am now working on a needlework piece that I picked up several years ago, started, put down and never got back to. It is a small piece and I am not really sure what I will do with it, but it is a nice change from cutting and sewing types of things. I will have it finished in a day or two and then need to work on a couple of shirts for my little one to go under her jumpers. The jumpers still fit but the shirts are too small, so I will just make a couple new ones and then we will be set. I think that is about it in the sewing area for this week.

Montessori Preschool
I completed the counting cards and ladybugs that will be a Christmas gift for my little one. The ladybugs were shells that I painted to look like ladybugs. I also got the sandpaper numbers finished so that she can trace and feel the symbols for her numbers. I painted the red rods which is beginning math concept teaching longest, shortest and everything in between. It also teaches that several can equal one. These will later become counting rods which will help her learn addition and subtraction concepts. I have the sandpapers letters written on the sandpaper, but not yet cut out and put on the cardstock. I will get that started this week. She can sing the ABC song, but this will be her first formal introduction to the symbols and have the ability to feel their shape. I am right proud of myself that I free handed the cursive so that they can be cut out and put on cardstock leaving enough of the letter to be traced. We also this week will continue with our geography by painting the flags of our state and the United States. We also plan on doing leaf rubbings of trees and then talking about the parts of the leaves, then continue with tree drawings and talking about the parts of trees. Anyway, I am sure there will be more and of course we will continue with what we have already introduced.

Food
We are getting ready to start our Christmas baking and will get the breads done and in the freezer since the candies need to be done relatively fresh. This will free us up a bit to do some other things. I have a great rabbit recipe that I tried out on everyone last week and they liked it. I thought it was really good and it is a crockpot recipe. So here it is:

Creamy Rabbit and Rice
1 rabbit cut into pieces
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package of onion soup mix
Salt and pepper to taste

Places salt and peppered rabbit pieces in crockpot. Then mix the other ingredients in a bowl and dump on top of the rabbit making sure that all of the rabbit is covered. Cook on low for about 6 hours or on high for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. When the rabbit is tender it is done. I served this over brown rice with a side of asparagus and sliced tomatoes. I also served with garlic bread. Super yummy and oh so easy.

Well, that is about all I can think of right now. Like I said I will update once a week at least until I get the computer fixed and then I will be back to normal. Hope you all have a blessed week. Kat

Use the Scrap Challenge-Washcloths

Yesterday, I decided that I needed some new washcloths. I don't know where all my washcloths have run off too (probably the same place as the socks), but I can never seem to find one. Instead of running off to the store to buy any, I pulled out my huge scrap fabric box. I had some great pieces of flannel and cotton just the right size to make good washcloths. So I used the flannel as an inner layer between two pieces of cotton. Like this:


Then I simply used an overlock stitch to sew the edges. I could have made a nice hem or border, but these are washcloths and I wasn't real concerned with them being pretty.


I used what fabric I had and used some thread on bobbins that are kind of odd. I also have all sorts of thread that is in colors that I rarely use so instead of white or another color that I commonly use, I used hot pink something used rarely. This was a good opportunity to use supplies that don't get used much and save what I do use a lot of. I also used up some more of my scrap material. It took me about an hour to make 8 washcloths. Less time that going to town to buy any and look at all the money I saved in gas and cost. Blessings, Kat

Fabric Dollhouse or Barn

This is an awesome gift to make and doesn't look too hard. I am soooo making one of these for my little girl. We also have little girl cousins and I think we might make these for them also. Yippeee! Another handmade gift under the tree. I think we will be making the little barn or maybe both. They would be great toys to take to grandma's house! So check it out...handmade dollhouse. She has some other great things and ideas on her blog as well. Blessings from the farm, Kat

The Great Scrap Challenge Update

Well, so far I have done pretty good in finding uses for my bags of fabric scraps and actually gotten rid of one whole bag (ok it was a small one, but still). Here is what I have made from nothing but scraps and leftovers:
3 potholders, 1 pretty one and two functional ones
2 hair scrunchies
several pockets to be sewn on other things
a kitchen towel
two bags to hold a game for the little one's Christmas
3 hair bows for the little one

and I have a pair of mittens cut out of some fleece scrap for the little one. All of the above items were made with the scraps from one bag. For the potholders I sewed the outer shell, or use blue jean legs and then stuffed them with bits and pieces of fleece that I had left over from last winter's fleece projects. To keep the bits and pieces of fleece from moving around too much I then sewed a + in the middle of the potholder. Like I said two are functional and not very pretty, but one of them is pretty and I even trimmed it out with a bit of white leftover corduroy. So I got some useful items with minimal effort and absolutely no cost. Blessings, Kat

It's That Time of Year Again.....Christmas

This Christmas for us is going to be really tight on money. I imagine with the state of the economy that it will be that way for many folks across America. So, I thought I would do some blogs about great Christmas gifts that can be made fairly cheaply and will still brighten someone's Christmas day. I have always hated the commercialization of the holiday anyway and always thought that gifts should be more personal. Well, the first thing that our family did several years ago that has saved a bundle is that all of the adults agreed that we would not exchange adult gifts. Meaning, the holiday is for the children. That right there saves a bundle. Of course, the children still give gifts to the adults and I of course help them make their gifts. Usually for the adults in the family we give homemade goodies. My oldest helps me can during the year so any canned jellies, pickles and other goodies are her hard work also. We usually make up a box with some canned goodies, homemade fudge, homemade bread and such. This year my oldest has decided to add some homemade goat cheese (thank goodness my girls are still milking well) and some homemade soap. The littlest one supervises and occasionally stirs and always tastes, so she is a big contributor in the handiwork. So talk to the adults in your family especially extended family and maybe everyone will agree that it is a good time to stop giving adult gifts. I mean really....how many meaningless gifts can someone shove into the guest room closet anyway! Keep an eye out for Holiday on the Cheap posts for all your holiday non-shopping needs. Blessings, Kat

Sewing Day Update #2

Well, another sewing day has come and gone. I don't think I accomplished as much as I wanted because I got a late start due to having rabbit butchering to get done in the morning. However, I did get one winter dress made for my little one, finished a pair of bloomers for her, and used up some scraps making some new potholders which I desperately needed. So all in all I think it was a good day. The dress took a little longer than I anticipated due to some hand sewing that was need to give a finished look to the sleeves. I made the dress out of a turtleneck that my oldest had outgrown. It was too big to be used as a shirt, but by some careful folding along the sleeves to create a cuff and adding a skirt to the bottom it became a great winter dress. When the dress is too small to be worn as a dress some careful stitching removal simply converts it back into a shirt. So I have an outfit for now and part of an outfit for later. One thing I started thinking about while working on this is that I need to have some sewing to do by hand ready to work on in case I want to watch a movie with the kids or my husband and not feel like I am wasting time. It could also be handy to take with me when I know I am going to be sitting and waiting for awhile. It is also a skill that is great to have. Good quality handstitching is so beautiful all in and of itself and is definitely a skill that I would like to be better at. Ladies used to handstitch everything and the quality of the work is simply amazing. I love my sewing machine in that I can get more done in the same amount of time, but I would like to be able to work away from the sewing machine. So I think my goal this week is to gather something to work on by hand and keep it ready to take or move where I am at the time. Maybe by having this ready to go sewing bag, I can accomplish even more than just having the one day a week set for sewing. All in all I think this has been a good week for accomplishing some of the never ending tasks around here. Blessings from the farm, Kat

Use the Scrap Challenge!

In the interest of de-cluttering, I have decided to issue a challenging to all my sewing buddies (and any of you who want to sew). My scrap cloth bags are full and I have several from sewing projects over the years. So I have decided that I am going to find a use for all of those scraps and use up as many as possible. Therefore I have come up with this challenge to use up as many of my scraps as I can in the next month. I have already decided that this Friday I will make some potholders out of those scraps. They make great Christmas gifts to go with homemade goodies and I know I never seem to have enough of them. I will keep you updated as to the progress of the challenge. Blessings, Kat

Sewing Plan Update

Well, yesterday was sewing day. It went well, I actually made a small dent in the pile of things to repair and projects to finish. I half finished an outfit for my little one, made several buttonhole repairs to a couple of her pjs, repaired a ripped seam in a dress, took in a skirt, and got a pair of pantaloons cut out for my little one. I also finished a tote bag for my little ones toys that she likes to take in the car and repaired the straps on two dresses. I still have a pile, but progress was made. There were a few interruptions like when my neighbor called and asked me to come get her pears. I won't turn down free food and she will get some pear sauce, pear butter and a pear pie for the call. Needless to say today I will be putting up pears. I think this Friday thing might work out and now that the pile is smaller and there is more room on my sewing table I might be able to find an hour or so a day to work on some things here and there. I really love plans that work out well! Blessings from the farm, Kat

I have a plan.......

So, I have really been thinking about this sewing thing. I really need to get back to sewing on a regular basis. Now that things are slowing down a bit with the garden and outdoor chores maybe I can do this. So my plan is to sew on Fridays. I usually have all the laundry for the week done on Thursday and don't start again until Monday. Friday my husband is home and in the afternoon he takes our oldest to Piano and Guitar lessons....good quality father/daughter time without the little one fighting for Daddy's attention. I can work on the cleaning out clutter during the rest of the days of the week and just focus my attention on the little one (who takes a nap in the afternoon) and getting all of this sewing done. I really need to do this since I am going to have an almost naked 3 year old this winter if I don't get busy. I hope this works. Not all of my plans do as I get distracted easily. I already have the pile of repairs for tomorrow and the laundry is done. Yippeee! Oh, and Fridays will be crockpot suppers to make my day even more efficient for sewing. Blessings, Kat

Sewing Always Gets Put Off

I really don't know how this happens! It seems like despite all my best intentions my sewing gets put off...and put off....and then put off some more. I think what I really need to do is start designating one day a week to sewing. Then I can have one big sewing day and work on little things in the evenings. I have a pile of sewing repairs to make and another pile of projects that have never been finished. Then there are the projects that will be gifts during the holidays. Ok, I won't panic.....but I really need to figure out a solution to the sewing situation. Any ideas ladies? Blessings from the farm, Kat