Triple Clicks

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Getting the Most Out Of Your Fabric

I can remember both of my grandmas and my great aunt having piles and piles of fabric. PILES AND PILES of it.  

They all were little girls when the depression hit and they were taught to not waste a thing. The generation that used flour sacks for dresses.  And patched fabric until there wasn't anything left to patch.  

So what can we take from them? What can we learn?  Use that fabric until it's nothing, then use the shreds for stuffing.  

If we can't sell clothes we have outgrown or just don't wear anymore, I try and figure out a way to repurpose for somebody else in the family.  Sometimes the clothes go to thrift shop or another family that can use.  But usually the clothes aren't fit for re-wear by somebody the same size. 

I've repurposed some of my husband's old pants into skirts for me. I still love them, though I've added buttons because the ties just don't stay tight.  Honestly that's the only project I can think of that I've made clothes out clothes lol.. Or that have actually turned out well.  I've made a few jumpers, but they haven't lasted long.  

When I sew, any scraps that are too little to do anything with go in a plastic bag hanging off my sewing table. Once that bag gets full I stuff a bean bag or I make a doll pillow.  If I get a strip of fabric that's at least an inch wide, it goes in a different bag for crocheting-fabric works great for rugs or baskets. 

Most of my torn up sheets are getting cut up for quilting.  If I have a whole sheet that's still nice that we won't use, I save it for the backing of a quilt.  Another way to use that up is to make a fitted sheet out of it.   I haven't tried that yet, but I know there's tutorials on Pinterest and YouTube if you are feeling adventurous.  

I've used flannel and fleece scraps to make nursing pads and feminine pads.   Yes, using new cotton is best (I've had to put new tops on mine as the old cotton has fallen off), but if what you have is scraps, use it up.  Find a purpose.  

I'm working on a quiet book for Hannah for church.  What a great use for scraps!  And this felt I have.  Plus it's helping me learn some basic sewing things-like zipper installing. lol  

If you don't want to quilt, save up your scraps and ask around.  I'm sure there's somebody close to you who quilts and would love fabric.  I've taken some bags of fabric to the ladies who make quilts for families who need blankets. While I'm sure it didn't make one whole quilt, there was no way I was going to get to that fabric anytime so it might as well have been used.  Hopefully it's keeping somebody warm.  

Have old blankets that are falling apart?  "Repair" them by encasing them in a sheet.  Or fold it in half and top it with denim-instant rug, play mat or picnic mat.  You name it.   

Have an old flannel sheet that has gotten holes and you don't want to patch it?  Kid pajamas!!! Seriously. I made two sets of pajamas for our girls from half a king size sheet that had seen it's last days as a sheet.  Or pajama pants for you.  Just trace a pair you already have, make sure you leave room for seam allowances and elastic at the waist.. otherwise they look funny (...not that I would know from personal experience.....)

I completely understand just wanting to get rid of stuff. I'm there. Believe me, I'm PAST there (just ask my hubby).. But I also know I need to be smart about this..  I know I want to make the kids quilts.  So instead of just getting rid of all this miscellaneous fabric, I'm cutting it into squares to cut smaller later (maybe).  I kind of have an idea of the patterns I want for the quilts for at least two kids, so that gives me an idea of which ones to sort by.  Cut squares store a lot easier than miscellaneous pieces.  

So before you purge your fabric, think about it.  Are you going to be quilting? Clean out your linen closet to make room for new?  You can make a toddler dress out of a pillow case or two depending on the size of your toddler.  Barbies or baby dolls need clothes-that's an awesome use of fabric!  

Yes, there are some things I think it is better to just get new fabric for (like the backing of a quilt).. But more often than not, using your scraps can work just as well, and save you a lot of money.  
My fabric-3 1/2 boxes of flannel.  Not counting the quilting material.  The bag in the front of the pile is my crochet fabric bag.  I need to get sewing.


Have a great week! 
~Tabitha

Thursday, January 11, 2018

January Meal Plan

So here's the meal plan for this month.  Although one meal has changed, so I'm going to have to do some switching around... but it's the plans lol.  I have everything I need as we went shopping yesterday, so I just need to rearrange so we aren't having the same meal too often.  

We do have two birthdays this month.  Last year we decided we would rotate which child got a store bought (ok..ice cream cake lol) for their birthday.  Since Hannah's birthday was right after we got home from vacation last year, we bought a cake.  We decided after that it was worth the cost to splurge a bit on the cake on one birthday a year.  Dairy Queen up here charges $25 plus tax for a 10 inch round cake.. Depending on how big I cut pieces, we have dessert for at least two days.  Also, the ice cream cakes will hold up to almost any small toy we can put on top for decoration since they are frozen.  

So for the birthdays, Eva requested pizza (nobody is surprised by that).  So we have extra pizza for Saturday and we stopped and bought her a cake.  My birthday is the next.  We bought some coconut shrimp to go along with tortilla encrusted tilapia (the kids won't eat shrimp-MORE FOR US! LOL), and (inspired by my aunt) I'm making biscotti for my "cake".   Hopefully it turns out.  

The rest of the meals are pretty routine, we're kind boring when it comes to meals lol.  

Breakfast: weekdays are eggs, bacon, yogurt, and cereal.  Weekends, Saturdays we do waffles and Sundays we're doing biscuits and gravy.  

Lunches:  Dennis' work lunches are salads-he always picks different dressing to change up the flavor, we've added cucumber to the romaine and spinach mix along with croutons, bacon bits and sunflower seeds.  He also gets boiled eggs, a pickle, a fruit cup and a package of nutty bars to snack on throughout the day.  
The kids and I will do a variety of mac & cheese, PB & J, pancakes-and I usually work on leftovers throughout the week.  
The weekends and Wednesdays when Dennis is home we'll alternate between fish and fries, chicken strips and fries and corn dogs and fries. 

Dinners:  We alternate, we'll have each meal about once a week, or once every two weeks. 

Hawaiian Fajitas
Chili
Pizza 
Pork Tenderloin (Smithfield, we find it at Walmart, about $8 a loin) 
Shake N Bake
BBQ Wings
Ranch Pork Chops
Fish (I did have caramelized Onion pizza here...  but hubby requested no more lol)
Stuffed Peppers 


That's it for the month.. Really basic, really.  Sam's had a box of the coconut shrimp with the dip.. so it saved me the task of getting regular shrimp and the ingredients for the sauce.. So that's what we did.  Really unusual for us to be able to buy shrimp, but we try to splurge a bit to make birthdays special.  

Have a great week!

~Tabitha 

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Toddler Dress from a Pillow Case

I went through my sheets and pillowcases the other day and came out with an entire pile of extras (who needs 30 pillowcases?!?!).. So I kept the solid colors, enough for everybody to have one pillow case.  I also kept an extra sheet for each bed size (King, twin, crib and queen).   

We had some pretty crazy designs of hand-me-down pillow cases.  Our 18 month old had been trying to wear one since she found in the pile.. So I went online this morning and found this free pattern and tutorial.  Super easy, although the bodice was a little too small for my girl, it'll fit for a few months and that's just fine.. I'm honestly not sure how much longer this fabric will last anyway.


After Hannah figured out what I was doing, she went and found another pillow case. The bottom one is what I'm working with. 
Now she's supervising.. It took some convincing to get her to let go of the pillow case to let me cut. (On a side note.. you see behind Hannah? that big pile?... yeah..that's my quilting fabric. I also use an exercise ball for my sewing "chair".)




YAY!! All the pieces are cut out. 



The pattern calls for a rolled hem...  I think they are pretty simple to do by hand, but I have this foot specifically for rolled hems.. so I figured, hey-give it shot.  No. It didn't work. 

Like any dress, you have to gather the skirt to attach the yoke (that's the part that goes on your chest if you don't know).  While gathering itself is something I've learned to do by hand... I have this awesome foot.  Now... I know I'm supposed to weave it in there somewhere.. at least I think I'm supposed to...  But it wouldn't work like that... So.. I got most of it ruffled-at least enough to make it fit.





All done!!  Now, you are suppose to add a button at the back of the yoke to keep it closed... But after she tried it on, there wasn't anyway it was coming off.. And it fits tight enough we won't need the button.   It's a little shorter than I was planning, but it was a great practice run.   

Have a great week!! 

~Tabitha