Monday Message

"Today, I emphasize a most basic principle: home production and storage. Have you ever paused to realize what would happen to your community or nation if transportation were paralyzed or if we had a war or depression? How would you and your neighbors obtain food? How long would the corner grocery store—or supermarket—sustain the needs of the community?" (President Ezra Taft Benson)

We must be frugal more now than ever before. Prices continue to rise on everything so we need to get those skills up and going.

This has been a rough week but lessons were learned for sure. The scarf is off the loom. I still need to do the finishing stuff.

I was going to tie on another scarf but different fiber. I have tied on before with no problem on other things. I had my warp measured out beforehand.

This project is different. It has two warp threads going through each reed slot and then they separate and each go in their own heddle then continue to the back. I did tie onto the warp, it took three full hard days... What lesson I learned is - if I again do a project that has two going through and splitting like this in the future, I will just start from scratch - that would only take one day as this time it took three days.  It was soo hard as I had to bend over the reed and almost hang upside down to thread heddles.

Yes, it was this and worse.

Here are my supervisors.

At the end of three days it was warped. Those days were very very hard but I was worried, what if after all I went through the threads were mixed up?  I am happy to say they were all correct.

I am weaving now and waiting for it to be further along then I can put my loom catcher back on the front.

This project is different in that it is using a sock yarn and it shifts color so when I wind a bobbin, I need to wind it off the bobbin just wound onto another so the colors are in order.

The other thing despite all of the interruptions I have had over this month, I was finally able to finish my two dresses.

Then I made their belts.

Then I made a cardigan for the one out of a t-shirt.

Yes, I made a cardigan from a V-neck t-shirt. I thought I would make another and walk you through it.

This is the t-shirt before I started, just a plain V-neck t-shirt with 3/4 sleeves which is why I used these t-shirts. I like that sleeve length.

I start in the center of the V and cut straight down as shown.

I like to wear high waisted dresses so I wanted these to be cropped. Making sure hem is even with each other, I used the part I cut off the first as a guide, it is four inches I cut off the bottom.

Then I serged the bottom and both sides. You could zigzag or even leave it, the t-shirt knit does not fray.

Then I just straight stitched the folded edge like here.

If you don't zigzag or serge, you can fold it over, pin and sew. So you have options.

Going back to the dresses - the striped one cost $1.79 for the belt hardware and the fabric I got from freecycle.

The blue dress the fabric was from Salvation Army for $2.99  and the belt hardware for some reason was $1.99. 

Thread and elastic I had on hand.

The t-shirts I got free and the thread I had.

Having some sewing skills has been frugal for me. A little time and I have some new clothes.

Also, just today, I had a half of a half gallon of milk prematurely go sour, so I made rhubarb cake and a coffee cake. Still have some that I will make into pancakes for supper.

Waste not want not.

How are you coming with your storage? What frugal things did you do this week? Let us know in the comments below - we all learn from each other!

Missy says keep working on your skill building - every little bit you can do will help!

Tippy Longstockings says sometimes with all that's going on, you feel like hiding, but keep looking for joy, keep helping others and keep working on your storage and your skill building and learning frugal ways. We will get through this together! We are not alone!