Hang on, here's a notion: Upcycled Notions Organiser

My sewing area is a mess. It doesn't help it's in the smallest room in the house which is used to store all of our "stuff". Being a small room there's not much space to store things and storage is the one thing I need for all my notions - snaps, velcro, zips, elastic and other random bits.

Whilst perusing the interweb I found this great tutorial from the Make It Love It blog for making a hanging notion organiser http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/08/hanging-jewelry-holder-space-saver.html. Being a tight arse this was right up my alley as forking out $40 for one of these at the shops is not an option.

Being a tight arse I also began thinking about what I had around me that I could reuse for this project. I found an old plastic storage bag the type that blankets/doonas/quilts are sold in. I had planned to cut this up and use it as the tutorial suggested and then decided that I could save myself some time and effort...and so I created my own hanging notions organiser.

Here's how I made it:

1. This bag had originally had a zipper at the top so that was cut off.
2. Next I took a pencil and drew a grid for the pockets. These ones are roughly 3.5inches square, but I think next time I will do as the Make It, Love It tutorial and have some small and some big. This size is the smallest that I would do, and then I'd go bigger.
3. The next step is to add the tabs. Take a couple of strips of either the plastic or material and fold them in half and attach them to the top of the bag. These will be used to hang them.
4. Now, using an overlock stitch or zig zag stitch, sew along the gridlines. These will make your pockets.
5. Once your gridlines are sewn it's time to make the pocket openings. Carefully separate the top from the back and gently cut a slit at the top of each pocket. I found it easiest making a tiny snip and then using my seam ripper to enlarge the hole.
6. That's it. Your notions organiser is ready to hang and fill.

I plan to add to this by attaching more bags to the bottom and I have an alternative method for storing long lengths of elastic and velcro...but that's for another post.

Rags to Riches - Making a Rag Quilt Part 2

With my rag quilt design completed I got to cutting out the squares. I always dread cutting. I think it's because by cutting into a piece of fabric you lose its potential. When it is a whole piece of fabric it can be whatever you want it to be but once you cut it that potential is gone - even though you have something perfectly functional that you've made out of it. I get the same feeling when cutting into a piece of clothing when upcycling (even if its no longer useable).

Three things that make the job of cutting so much easier and almost fun are a rotary cutter, quilting ruler and cutting mat. For those who do a bit of quilting this is probably a no brainer but for the uninitiated these things make life so much easier!

With all my squares cut out the next step is to put the pieces together. At first I numbered all the squares of one side of my design and then reversed the numbering on on the other side and started putting the pieces together... Big Fail. It all got rather confusing only 10 squares in. I figured the easiest way to make sure the right pieces when together was to lay them out on the floor.
Helpful Hint #1: Make sure that you lay out one side in reverse before you top it with the other ;)

Now time to start sewing. Grab two set of squares. Facing out the layers that you want the rag seam to be against (so facing together the sides where you want the seams to be neat) and sew. Keep doing this until you get to the end of the row. Rinse and repeat for all the other rows.
Helpful Hint #2: It helps to lay out the rows on the floor as you complete them so that you can ensure that 1. the seams are all on the same side and 2. that you have the squares in the right place - this is more important if you have a pattern, but if you are doing random squares it's not that big a deal.

Once all your squares have been sewn into rows, it's time to sew your rows together. Make sure that you open up the seams so that they are even and that your seams are lined up (if you're anal like me, but you won't really notice once it's done). Go slow and watch your needles. I broke 4 needles when putting this together =( but it was worth it =)

Once all the rows have been sewn together you're almost there. The next step is what I call "sit and snip". It does take a while, make sure you have sharp scissors (or rag quilt snips - I didn't have these so scissors it was) and start snipping the seams. Careful not to cut through the stitching....a couple of hours later all your seams are snipped.

The last step is to wash and dry (on hot if you have a dryer). This gets the seams nice and ruffled but produces LOTS of fluff, which I'm still finding coming out of my washing machine a few days later. Based on the advice from others I definitely recommend shaking your quilt out after washing, half way through the drying (making sure to clean your dryer filter at this point) and at the end of the drying cycle.

Below is my finished quilt. I think it turned out a treat and is quite toasty warm too!

Rags to Riches - Making a Rag Quilt Part One

Rag quilts seem to be all the rage in the sewing world at the moment. The first time I heard the term "rag quilt" I had visions of a raggedy, hodge-podge looking quilt that was made using scraps of fabric you had lying about...and that is in fact how they got their name.

The rag quilts that I've seen are a far cry from that although there are a few made of left over fabric scraps. They all look great and seem to be fairly easy to make so I thought I would turn my hand to making one.

I'd like to say that I had a theme in mind before I started but it was a trip to Spotlight and 50% off clearance fabrics and flannelette that really shaped my quilt. There was some cheap nautical themed cotton and blue flannel with swallows (my name in chinese means swallow) and the seeds of a red, white and blue themed quilt was planted.

I'm a planner by nature, so I was never really going to launch headlong into cutting up fabric and sewing it together. First I had to figure out the dimensions that I wanted for the quilt and work whether I had enough material to make it out of. I ended up finding a pdf with instructions on how to calculate your fabric requirements http://www.fabricsnquilts.com/uploads/Rag_Quilt_Calculator.pdf and adapted that into an spreadsheet.

Then I had to figure out how best to put these fabrics together - even at the best of times I'm not really great with matching things up and as a result, if not kept really simple my projects tend to come out looking like a 4 year old has made them (no offence to any 4 year olds out there). Cue my spreadsheet which I used as a very basic design board by formatting cells to represent different designs.

In the end I ended up going with my son's initials on one side and a ship on the other. Cue my spreadsheet again which I used to calculate how much of each fabric I needed to make my design.

I managed to source the additional fabric from my existing stash so in the end have spent $18 on this quilt - $8 for 8m of fabric from Spotlight (thanks to a $10 voucher for registering my VIP card online) and $10 for the op shop doona.

Stay tuned for the next instalment - Putting the quilt together (eek!)

The answer is not blowing in the wind - Pram storage cover

It's been really windy here in Melbourne and a couple of times we have been out walking with the pram and had a gust of wind blow things out from the storage basket below. The last straw for me was when the hug-a-bub was ousted and lost by a gust of wind, unbeknownst to me until I arrived home =(

They say necessity is the mother of invention and I needed something that would stop the wind from getting the best of my storage and so my pram storage cover was born.

What You Need:

• 2 Pieces of material 70cm x 60cm - I used a cotton drill for the top and thick black cotton for the underside 
• 1 piece of medium weight, fusible interfacing 70cm x 60cm
• 90cm 5mm elastic
• 4 x 3cm toggle buttons  (like those on duffel jacket)

Instructions - Marking out the pattern

1.  Iron the interfacing to the material you want as the top of your cover.
2.  Fold each piece of material in half along the longest edge. You should end up with a piece that is 35cm x 60cm when it is folded.
   
3. From the top of the fabric measure 36cm down and rule a horizontal line across the fabric and another line 49cm from the top.
   
4. At the top of the fabric from the fold measure 19cm (point A).
5. Along the second line (36cm down) measure 19cm from the fold (point B) and 27cm from the fold (point C).
6. Along the third line (49cm down) measure 23cm from the fold (point D).
7. Now draw a diagonal line from point A to point C; and another line from point B to point D. This is the basic pattern.
   
8. Mark in at the base 5cm in from the fold - this is the opening you will need to turn your fabric right side out
9. Mark in 7cm up from the base along the diagonal as this is where you will place one set of elastics
10. Mark in 10cm from the fold at the top - this is where another set of elastics will be placed.
11. Mark in your 2cm seam allowance.
    
12. Cut out the pattern.

Instructions - Sewing up the pattern

1. Open up your fabric.
2. Line up your pieces right sides together and pin.
3. Cut your elastic into 4 even pieces (cut in half and then each half in half again).
4. Fold over each piece of elastic, insert where marked between the top and bottom fabrics and pin.
5. Begin sewing from one end of the opening, around and finish at the other end; reinforcing at the elastics with back stitch.
6. Snip off the excess fabric at each of the corners.
   
7. Turn your sewn fabric right side out and iron.
8. Top stitch 0.5cm from the edge.
9. Mark in placement for your toggles 1cm from each of the corners (see picture) and attach your toggles.
   
10. You now have a completed cover for your storage compartment.

Tight arse Breastfeeding top

Today I made myself some breastfeeding tops - no sewing required and at a fraction of the cost.

Many before me will have been faced with this dilemma: the need for tops that you can breastfeed in but without having to invest lots of $$.

I'm a bit of a tight arse and have been looking for tops but they all seem rather pricey, added to that I have some great tops in my wardrobe that I love, but aren't really practical for breastfeeding. So, I decided I would make myself some tightarse breastfeeding tops that would allow me to wear my existing wardrobe. After looking at a few tops I figured that really all I needed was some tops with some openings to access my boobs that I could wear underneath an existing top.

Here's how I did it, it really couldn't be simpler, and only cost me $9 per top (instead of $30 and up for a breastfeeding top):
Step 1: Get yourself a top. It's cold here so I've used some long sleeved tops but you could quite easily do this with t-shirts or singlet tops.

Step 2: Work out where to position the holes. I put the top on and then with a pen marked where the middle of my boob was.

Step 3: Get something round that you can trace around. I used something that was about 6cm in diameter - as the top is stretchy you'll find when you put the top on that the hole will stretch as well. FYI I'm a DD cup. I suspect the size of hole may vary depending on how big your boobs are. If in doubt start small and work your way up.

Step 4: Mark the circles on your top. I used the marks in Step 2 as the centre, then measured 3cm either side and above and below the centre, then place my cup over the top and traced around.

Step 5: Cut out the circles.

Step 6 (optional): You shouldn't need to sew as t-shirt material won't fray but if you want a better finish you could zig-zag around, hem or use some sort of binding to finish the edges.

You can then wear this top, as pictured underneath your existing clothes. Voila - tight arse breastfeeding top.

Useful presents for a new mum and newborn

I am a new, first time mum with a 4 week old baby. The last 4 weeks have been a blur and I'm only just now getting my head above water. We've been very fortunate to have received a lot of well wishes from family and friends and along with those well wishes lots of presents. Having struggled in the past with what to get friends who have just had babies, based on my experience now these are the things I'd suggest.

Presents for a new mum:

• Food - There's so much going on the first four weeks. Having meals cooked for you just takes the load off. Meals that can be easily reheated for dinner - pasta, curries, soups, bangers and mash. It doesn't even have to be something that you've cooked specifically, when you're cooking your own dinner just do a double batch.
  Also foods that can be eaten with one hand for lunch - pre-made rolls/sandwiches, pasties, sushi.
• Grocery shopping - This is another one of those things that helps take the load off. If you're coming over for a visit perhaps just ask if there's anything that you can pick up before you head over.
• Household chores - Offers to clean the bathroom, do the vacuuming, dusting or any other household chore helps so mum can focus on sleep and/or the baby. Alternatively organise to have a cleaner come in for a couple of hours every week/fortnight for a few months (a great group gift).
• A hamper containing the foods that she gave up whilst pregnant - soft cheese, wine, sushi, deli meats and antipasti were mine.
• Offer to babysit - Yes it's early on, yes it can be hard for mum to leave her baby for the first time, but it's worth offering. And for those new mums I'd recommend, if you can, accepting those offers even if it's only for 1/2hr. If you're breastfeeding then having some expressed milk on hand helps take your mind off the "what if my baby wakes for a feed whilst I'm away".

Presents for a newborn:

My baby is a bit of a spitter/vomiter and I'm finding I can never had enough of the following:

• Wraps (flannel, fleece, cotton) - I thought we had stacks of these but am finding that you can never have enough. Great for putting on a cold change table, using on top of the cot sheet for easy cleaning of vomit, wrapping baby in.
• Burp cloths
• Cloth wipes (especially if you're doing cloth nappies - you can never have enough!)
• Onesies - despite all the lovely little outfits that we've been given, our baby has lived in onesies. They're just so easy to put on and take off, not need to get things over heads or legs in holes. Lots of the onesies have fold over cuffs so you don't need gloves which is great. Fleecy onesies (polar fleece type material) are great for keeping bub dry if they out wee their nappies.
• Gloves - we don't really go through these but they're handy for those outfits that don't have fold over cuffs babies' nails are really hard to cut and/or file.
• Books - especially board books, they are the ones with cardboard pages as they are great for little ones because they don't tear and can withstand a fair amount of drool and chewing.

My first upcycle.

Every one's heard the sustainability motto: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

When it comes to reusing my reuse has been limited to glass bottles and jars and wrapping paper. This week though I tried my hand at upcycling. Upcycling is the process of taking something that's unwanted and making into something more useful or of greater value.

My upcycling involved some old t-shirts and an old quilt cover. With the old t-shirst I made cloth wipes and burp cloths and with the quilt cover I made some wet bags and a nappy stacker.

It was with great trepidation that I started cutting up the first t-shirt. For me there's something about cutting up a perfectly good t-shirt even if I have no use for it any more. But once that first cut was made and the first cloth wipe and burp cloth were sewn I had a great sense of accomplishment - I had saved myself some money, given a new life to some old t-shirts and made something useful.

Once I had the hang of it making the nappy stacker and wetbags from the quilt was a piece of cake. The nappy stacker I made was completed upcycled - from the fabric to the cardboard base (an old cardboard box) and the "dowelling" rod for the top which was made from a load of disposable chopsticks that we'd never used from takeaway.

To cloth or not to cloth...

Nappies. There's no getting around that we're going to need them and one one of the questions that we have grappled with whether to use disposable nappies for the convenience or cloth nappies as a more environmentally friendly alternative.

So far we've found that people generally sit firmly in one camp or another and there are definitely pros and cons of both. The most controversial seems to be the environmental argument and cost. Whether, with the additional electricity and water required to wash cloth nappies, are they just as bad for the environment as disposable nappies and is the cost just the same. Choice.com have an article on modern cloth nappies: Modern cloth nappies and there are many more out there.

Even if the disposable nappies are biodegradable - they still end up in landfill, and really how long do they take to biodegrade. Even Huggies admit that when packed in landfill, biodegradable nappies really don't biodegrade (http://www.huggies.com.au/nappies/the-environment), but they justify it with the statistic that only 1% waste that goes to landfill is nappy waste.

So, whilst we will use more electricity (some of it green) and more water, for me the idea of these nappies adding to landfill is enough for me to choose cloth. For the majority of the time, for now.

How do I save thee, let me count the ways...

There's no denying that when you have a baby you need to buy stuff. Even if you're a minimalist chances are you're still going to have to buy some basics - cot, pram, clothes, bibs. Having said that it's easy to get caught up in the rest of the paraphernalia - play mats, toys, wall decals, change tables, burp cloths, bassinets, pram accessories, mobiles and the list goes on.

If you bought it all new the costs can run into the '000s and that's before you start on the "added extras". So is it even possible to save money when you're expecting a baby? Perhaps not, but you don't have to spend a fortune - especially if you're willing to use hand-me-downs - and you're being sustainable to boot.
So here are some of the ways that we managed to save:


1. Friends, Family & Work Colleagues
It's amazing what people are willing to give you if you just ask. Most people we found were happy just to have someone take things off their hands. Sure, you may have to spend some time sorting through what's worth keeping but it's definitely worth it. And it's a bit like Christmas as you never know what you'll get.
If you're too shy to ask directly, try putting a comment up on your Facebook page - which is what hubby did.

2. Freecycle http://www.freecycle.org/group/AU/
Freecycle is all about re-using and saving stuff from landfill and membership is free and works off the principle one man's trash is another man's treasure. Rather than putting it out for hard waste or throwing it away people offer up their unwanted on a forum and if you're interested in it you let them know (generally stating when you can pick it up) and if you're successful they'll get back to you. No money exchanges hands, you just need to work out between the giver and givee when it a good time to pick up the goods.

I've found that baby stuff goes pretty quickly but we've managed to get baby's clothes, a portacot, disposable nappies

3. eBay/Gumtree
It goes without saying that you can get a bargain on eBay but you definitely have to do your research and don't get too carried away. Keep an eye out for items that are "local pickup" as they're likely to go for less than those that are willing to post.

We found that prams (depending on the brand) were still quite pricey but you can still save a couple of hundred dollars buying second hand on eBay. And from the advice that we've gotten from friends, you can sometimes go through quite a few before finding one that's right for you.

4. Buy, Swap and Sell
Whether it's a traditional Buy, Swap and Sell market or an on-line forum these are another great way to pick up items on the cheap. Remember if it's an online forum to take into account postage costs.

Some groups that I have found useful are:

• Buy & Sell Used Baby Items: https://www.facebook.com/groups/105562106145337/
• Buy & Sell Your MCNs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/buysellmcn/
• MCN (Modern Cloth Nappies) Buy, Swap, Sell 2: https://www.facebook.com/groups/164454720284471/

I wish I'd found the MCN forums sooner than I did - as I would have saved myself quite a few dollars on nappies, but more on that later ;)

5. Make your own
If you're a bit crafty then making your own is a great way to save some money (provided you don't get too carried away with all the lovely fabrics out there) and get a real sense of achievement too. If you're willing to to re-use things that you have around you (like old towels, blankets, sheets etc) then you'll save even more.

I have to admit that I find it difficult re-using items even if I don't need them anymore. I'd rather give it away than cut into something...don't ask me why. But the urge to save some money is slowly taking over (more to come on that - see my Mountain Buggy liner post).

Other options for sourcing fabric are:

• Op Shops
• Freecycle
• Buying co-operatives (The Fluffy Place https://www.facebook.com/groups/261282983922631/)
• Purchasing remnants

If you're only just starting out then here are some things that are relatively easy to make, if you have a sewing machine:

• Burp cloths
• Bibs
• Baby blankets
• Flat nappies or pre-fold nappies
• Cloth wipes
• Breast pads

For those that are a bit more adventurous and/or skilled you can try your hand at:

• Modern cloth nappy
• Pram liner

There are probably quite a few more ways to save yourself some money, but these are some that I've tried. I'd be interested in hearing about your ideas and experiences.

In the beginning...

Hubby and I live in an apartment in the inner city and we're expecting our first baby in April.
We've alway been interested in sustainability, self-sufficiency and diy but we also like the convenience of living in the city. The two don't always go hand-in-hand but we're willing to try and give most things a go.

Some of the things we've tried so far are:

• worm farm - still going strong after 5 years
• compost bin - still going strong for after 3 years
  
• bokashi bin - lasted 6 months, but in the end it's easier to compost
• growing our own veges - herbs are going relatively well, but no luck with veges due to lack of sunlight
• make your own sour dough starter - from scratch using wild yeast (lasted 1 year) and then from starter using yoghurt (still going after 2 years)
• bin box (for storing our rubbish and recycling) made from pallets

We don't own a car and haven't for the last 11 years. We mostly walk, ride or public transport (one of the benefits of living in the inner city) - although on the occassion we do hire a car when we need to. Don't get me wrong - we're definitely not environmental extremists (at least we don't think we are) but we try to take the more sustainable path where we can.

With our little man due to arrive in mid-April we're trying to stick to these principles as much as possible. Some of our friends think we're crazy, and we may be a little delusional, but we're willing to give it a try.

So the aim of this blog is to document our experience as we try out various things...after all, how hard can it be?