Spring Fashion Ideas

I had a little look on the desigual website today and found this little dress that I think would lend itself  very well to using up fabric.  You could choose three of your fabrics that are not quite enough to make anything with on their own, or you could look in the charity shop.

 I think I would make it longer as I want to be bare legged in the summer and that is too short as it is without tights or leggings I think.  I also think I would make the top panel a little bit shorter so that when you add darts to the top of the shift dress you don't have an interruption where the two panels meet.  I can't see any darts on the one in the photo but I would want it fitted with a central back zip.
I also think the colours of fabric you  use do not have to be similar you could use contrasting ones.  I think there are lots of possibilities here and I am going to have a look at what I can do.  If you use jersey fabrics there would be no need for fasteners you could just pull it on over your head.
So that dress is item number one I'm going to make for little or no cost ( a small cost for zip maybe).  I did say I had enough clothes for my holiday but that means I won't get to sew anything so scratch that! As long as it is very little or no cost it's ok.
The other item I would like to make is a black jacket casual but ok if I was dresses up, I don't want a formal jacket and I already own a black leather jacket so something more suited to spring.  I saw this but I don't like the shiny parts on it...

My mother in law works in a charity shop and said they are having a sale  around now everything 50p or £1 so if I can just get a larger black jacket in a cotton maybe I could come up with something I like.  ( The jacket above is £48 and the dress £78)  I will put these two images in my ideas book so that I don't forget.

I'm going to go and have a look now if there is anything I can come up with for idea number one.

Spring project ideas

This week has felt more like spring is here despite the strange smog/Sahara sand that has been hanging in the air.  The lighter evenings and less need for heating has had us thinking about holidays and doing the garden.  We have removed the children's trampoline as they did not use it at all last year even though they said they would so we replaced the net.  The net has just perished and left it looking like an eye sore, so my husband took it all down.  They did not even mention it was gone!  We have decided a pergola and seating area will look nice in that corner of the garden but we do not want to pay too much for this.
My husband is very good at building and repairing stuff so he has been weighing up whether or not it is worth making the pergola and bench or buying a second hand one from eBay.  Sometimes the price of wood means it is not worth starting from scratch but you can pick up some good pieces if people are moving or bored with them that might just need retreating and a bit of attention.
I found this gorgeous idea on instructables ....

Follow the link above to see the original and full instructions

How fabulous is that bench!  It is made from ordinary dining chairs that have had their padded seats removed,  secured with batons at the back, arms added and panels across the seat tops.  This is what the chairs looked like before..

I'm sure a lot of people have old furniture in their family that gets thrown out or donated as it is not the current fashion.  If you have something similar it could be something you  could use in your own garden rather buying expensive garden furniture.  If you are not skilled enough to tackle the arms I'm sure it would be fine without and the straight bits of wood you could have cut for you at the DIY shop.  ( Make sure you measure correctly first) It would also need to be treated with appropriate outdoor protection.

I also think this piece of furniture would look good inside the house, you could have thick foam cut  (Dunhelm Mill do this, I've had it for seating before) and make a cover for it.

If you have not looked on the instuctables site have a look now there are ideas for all kind of things.

Alice dress finished

I went shopping for the fabric for my fancy dress costume yesterday and I didn't find any cheap sheets like I thought I might.  In fact the fabric ended up costing me £10 altogether (not very frugal at all!) but I had made my mind up on what I wanted to make and decided I didn't want to be trying to rush something on Thursday evening and then feel stressed about it.
I bought 2 metre of poly cotton and just under a metre of white poly cotton, plus 1 and a half metre of dress net.  I started it last I just measured my chest and from shoulder to waist and marked it out on the fabric then it was just a case of trying it on and adjusting using pins...

I try on inside out then mark with pins if its a bit big, I also mark front darts with pins while I am wearing it and the back ones when it is laid flat.  I left it a bit big around the waist as I want it to pull on over my head without the need for zips and fastenings.  It won't matter when it is finished as it will pull in at the waist with the apron I will make.

The skirt was just two long rectangles at the right length, I pinned the dress net all along it ready for stitching with a few gathers ( it will get gathered further when attached to the bodice). The sleeves I just cut out too big for the arm holes so I could put pleats at the shoulder so they were full and made a band for them to fit into at the bottom of the sleeve.  The apron is just rectangles made up once the dress was finished and I could see how big they needed to be.  Then a band long enough to go across the front with enough to tie at the back. 

I also made a band for my head.  My children think I look ridiculous! Well I'm not intending on going shopping like it so they needn't worry!  I better make sure I don't need anything from the shops on Friday  after work as I want to get out of the car and straight into the house at home time.

Dress up inspiration

I need an outfit for dressing up next Friday, it has to be book themed.  I didn't want anything too outrageous as I have to work in it all day so I have been having a look and thought maybe something like this...

I'm thinking Alice not the other strange characters

(love those stripy tights)

So I'm off on a little trip to the fabric shop tomorrow to see how cheap I can get some pale blue and white cotton.  I may also try Primark because if they have inexpensive sheets it will be a cheaper option.  I have bought sheets from there before when I had to make a large banner it works out better value.  I may come back having not found a thing so then I will have to rethink but I have all week if the plan changes.  I had not planned on buying any more fabric just yet but I need a costume and I figure it will probably come out every year if I make it (around book weeks that is, I don't just randomly dress up as odd characters)

Alice in Wonderland was first published in 1865.

Floral dress revamp finished

I have finished altering the floral dress I showed the other day but I still think it needs something maybe a belt.  I will also probably wear a little navy t-shirt under it as our weather is rarely that warm.  I will see what else comes to mind but my husband likes it as it is now and it is less like a dress for a wedding which is what it felt like before.

I didn't like these little buttons, so they came off.

I added these two odd buttons from my stash, one is brownish grey the other blue.

I carefully cut off the sleeves and made two little bands from the chopped off bottom ( which I shortened quite a bit) I edged around the sleeves then used the bands to pull in the fabric at the sides of the chest.

After

This picture was taken in the evening with lights so colours are not that good.

I do think it needs a thin blue belt I will keep a look out in the charity shop. 

It will get some wear now in whatever combination I decide.  I know some people will probably have preferred it before but it was too dressy for day and too formal for anything other than a summer wedding I thought.  The main thing is to make things work for us I think, if you can't do anything with your clothes then pass them on to charity or friends/eBay, but if you can then why not try something.   I will try and remember to show it worn in different ways.  Total cost = free . Always the best deal.

Before

Floral dress revamp ideas

I got a little catalogue through from next, just a little spring one that they just post out for free so I thought I would flick through it.  I didn't have the intention of buying anything but it is useful to look at ideas sometimes for putting things together or items you might want to make.  I have had this floral dress in my fabric bag for a while that was given to me for the fabric.  It is a nice dress it's just a little dated so i have been wondering what to do with it.

The length is a bit long and the sleeves a bit flouncy so they will definitely have to be changed but the next book also gave me this idea...

This little skirt is £38 on the website! I would not pay that for that little bit of fabric but its a possibility out of the above dress only two layers I think though as there is not enough for three and maybe three is a bit much?  So that was one thought, another thought is leave it as a dress but change the style..

Little thin straps?  (£28  this dress)

Or halter neck ?  (£25 this dress)

I'm not sure which I will try but that is my project for this evening and it is a much better option I think than paying those prices (but then I wouldn't) I will show the results tomorrow.  I also don't understand why the dresses are less expensive than the skirts, surely there is more fabric in a dress and you have the full outfit. 

Hot porridge better than cold cereal, cheap and healthy

More on food today, as I have been getting up earlier I have  been trying to make sure I eat breakfast everyday so that I don't get that mid morning feeling when my energy lags.  There are not many quick cold cereals I like as many are way too sugary and what they charge for a box that lasts a couple of days for a family is just ridiculous. I do like porridge though and it is easy, plus you can add whatever you like to make it more interesting.   A while ago my husband came back from the supermarket thinking he had a good offer because the Quaker Oatso Simple were on offer, well even on offer they are a rip off!  I buy these...
.

A box of this is £1 from the Aldi and you get 1kg of oats, a box of Oatso Simple is £2 and you only get 324g.  Why is anybody buying that? The Aldi version works out to 3p a serving without the milk. The Oatso Simple version is 18p per serving without milk. That is a massive difference and you can't really argue that the pre-packed ones are easier to use because they are not, unless you are incapable of putting a spoon in a box then emptying that spoon into a bowl!   I use 4 desert spoons (level) into a bowl, pour over a little soya milk and stir then put it in the microwave for 2 minutes, done.  It probably would take you longer to unfasten the pre-packed bags than to spoon it straight from the box.  I like to add just a little golden syrup ( just a tiny squirt) or sometimes some raisins. I usually feel full until lunch now, I think anybody trying to feed the children on less money should try and get them to eat porridge.  It is healthier and you may just have to experiment with different toppings to get them to eat it at first. A little bit of jam, grate just a little chocolate if that is what they are used to ( only a bit though) dried cranberries ( you only need a few).  This could save you loads on the cold cereal.   

I'm trying to be more vigilant about not wasting any food and I know I'm improving at this because we used to go to the supermarket and come back and be throwing stuff out from the previous week like vegetables or things that had gone off.  I know that is a back to front way to do things as we now check first.  Also if I've got a big bag of carrots and I don't think they will last I blanch them and freeze them in portions so they don't get wasted.  I also did this with cauliflower and broccoli last week that I knew I needed later in the week but wasn't sure it would be ok in the fridge for many more days.

My shopping bill is much more stable because of this and as food continues to rise I keep looking for ways that I can do things more cheaply so that the bill does stay more or less the same.  I appreciate hearing any tips anyone has about how you do things, you may have found a super cheap healthy recipe or a value brand that is amazing value.