Sewing has Evolved From a Necessity to a Luxury, Unless you Get Thrifty

It used to be cheaper to sew your own clothing and household items. But now the price of fabric has steadily risen and cheap clothing (cheaply made with cheap synthetic fabric) is everywhere. So, the motivation for home sewing has changed. Now home sewers are looking for quality, fit, durability and personality.

The price is daunting if you go to your local fabric store, or online to find fabric. I'm in sewing groups where folks are excited about cotton knit that's $10+ per yard. Depending on how many pairs of underwear they can get out of a yard, plus at least an hour of their time... the price tag could easily go above your favorite brand.

My rule was never to go to a fabric store without a good coupon in hand. Even then, the cost of materials could push the equation towards a top or skirt costing more than a comparable item from Target. For the budget conscious sewer, when sewing for ourselves we can discount the cost of our time spent sewing. But for someone looking to sell their work, the hours spent shopping, planning, cutting and sewing would need to be calculated in too.

My Budget Friendly Sewing Plan

I buy used clothing to upcycle or use for the fabric. The process is longer, when you're looking for particular fibers in the right colors and price range. But at the end, I have something that fits me or a family member, my preferences and my budget. As a mom, much of my recent sewing has been for a particular twirly girl. Repurposing fabric from used clothing particularly works for the patch work styles, which I'm rather fond of...

Related Articles

An article about how this generation is turning to sewing, where cost doesn't appear to be a consideration:

https://www.thelily.com/making-your-own-clothes-is-making-a-comeback-these-millennial-women-are-leading-the-way

70's patterns!

I did a little thrift last weekend while visiting my parents. And discovered a pattern that just made me smile. 1971 McCall's 3050 Caftan or tunic and pants...

From perusing ebay, it looks like it may have some value, although the pattern is definitely cut. But I want to frame it and put it up on my wall near my sewing machine.

My Sleeping Beauty

Last year I just about blew a gasket looking at Halloween costumes targetted for girls. Back in my day (when did I become old enough to say that??!?), we made authentically cool, extraordinary, unique costumes. Unlike the dreck (sexy/scary, polyester, "don't wash" bits of fabric barely sewn together) in your local Halloween shop or super store.
My little one was recently invited to a princess party and really wanted to be Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.
I pretty much knew from the beginning that I'd have to make the dress. First of all, I can't stand polyester. Second, the temperature tends to reach 100 in the summer here. And third, Disney doesn't appear to sell a realistic Aurora dress anymore. And Disney doesn't even pretend to offer it, now the dresses are 'inspired by' [insert movie title]. And sewing patterns to make a Sleeping Beauty dress are out of print.

Ebay to the rescue. For a higher price than I would normally pay for a pattern, I won an ebay auction for the  mini-Aurora dress pattern. Now I really hope she likes it right up until Oct 31, I have no interest in sewing an Ariel dress.

Vinegars and Oils, Oh My

Is this gorgeous or what? Hibiscus nettle vinegar... For my hair rinse. It probably doesn't stay in my hair long enough to give my hair any red... but I can hope.

Here's a blog post that covers infusing vinegar, oils, alcohol and honey.

 The pink bottle has vanilla steeping. My four year old and I paper-mached a glass jar to keep the vanilla shaded. And she painted it her favorite color. Unfortunately the little glass jar is probably a mistake... My hemp oil says to keep it refrigerated, so why did I put my prized lavender from my garden in there and promptly put it back into the fridge? Because I wanted to do *something* and I got two steps ahead of myself. Word to the wise silly - think it through before you do. Sigh.

Christmas goodies

I'm pretty proud of the Christmas gifts I've made so far. Recycled crayons. There are tutorials all over the place...

I had to do some shopping to find girly colored corduroy, I've been eyeing a pink pair of corduroy my daughter is growing out of. But since she's still wearing them, I wasn't allowed to cut them. This is your typical circle skirt. I used a button hole elastic for the first time.

Halloween Costume Horror

I wrote this at the beginning of October, when our family starting talking about Halloween. Since then more blogs and news sources have brought up the issue. I've added those links at the bottom. 11/28/2011

Last year I was appalled to see the Halloween costumes on toddlers at the mall on Halloween. We accidentally went there during a special trick or treat event. Little tiny barely walking girls wearing... french maid likes ladybugs, french maid eats a fairy, french maid morphing into a green witch. Perhaps the parents didn't interpret the outfits that way... but they sure as heck don't look like real costumes anymore.
Back in my day (lol when did I get so old?), the goal was to really LOOK LIKE something/someone. We dressed as a lion, not a short girly tutu with the hint of a lion added in for flair. Sexy was for the grownups when they went to their grownup parties after the kids were done scarfing their candy. We were about realistic. Kids won prizes for most realistic, most unexpected, most humorous. Now the child costumes are sexier than I *ever* dressed in public.
This gem comes in Child's small, medium and large. Complete with fishnet 'arm warmers' and leggings. Now I'm not a vampire book/movie aficionado, but I'm pretty sure female vampires don't dress like that.




I found the 2T Dorothy costume picture on Target's website. The changes are subtle... but someone decided it would be cute to put Dorothy in a very short corset dress with poofy fabric where an older child would have breasts. Compared to the more innocent grownup Dorothy costume I found elsewhere, that only had the skirt shortened.

The following are all "Child costumes" (from spirithalloween.com). The fourth is for "tween" which I understand is now considered to 8 to 12 year olds. The other three I'm guessing are for girls up to about 8 or 9 years olds. The pink witch is available in 2T to child Medium.

I'm not alone in my horror... More parents and child advocates are up in arms:

• Peggy Orenstein: Here's my 8 year olds halloween costume
• Pigtail Pals: Here's why little girls sexy halloween costumes are terrifying
• Responsible Men: I've a feeling we're not in kansas anymore
• Don't let your angel fall in the gutter on Halloween
• CNN article
• An Eleven Year Old's Perspective

Suggestions for avoiding the consumerism that is now Halloween costumes:

• Common Sense Media: How to carve consumerism out of your Halloween

Article and resources for grownup ladies who aren't interested in dressing as sexy kittens:

• Great Historical Costume Suggestions
• Jezebel: If you're going to wear a sexy Halloween costume at least be creative about it

Gluten free, Dairy free, Egg free - Have I lost you?

Yep, my 2 1/2 year old has food intolerences (we 'can't' call them allergies because she doesn't have an IgE response to these foods). Instead she likely has an IgA or IgG response, which isn't as testable. The 'golden standard' for food sensitivities is trial and error. Basically, remove offending foods from your diet, until you are symptom-free then add them back in, rinse and repeat. If you have a negative reaction then you have a food allergy/sensitivity/intolerance. Luckily I found foodlab, a Yahoo group of people figuring out their or their child(ren)'s food issues.

First as a hypothyroid patient, then as an infertility patient, then dealing with dyshidrotic eczema, and now with a daughter with food issues, I have discovered that doctors don't know everything. Big heavy sigh. But they think they do.
In all of these health issues I have lucked upon very knowledgeable groups of people who through trial, error, research and collective experience know more than our GPs, gynecologists, endocrinologists and dermatologists about our particular issue and how to treat them. Basically, it boils down to a bunch of people becoming experts in one field, their own condition. When you're dealing with issues the doctor doesn't give a good answer for, you dig and dig and talk, and dig some more, while the doc meets other patients dealing with a different issue. So, it really isn't all that surprising that the patients would eventually know more about their 'pet problem' while the doc only has a superficial understanding of the issue.
Unfortunately, the medical community goes to college to learn everything. They pay big bucks to soak up whatever the pharmaceutically funded college spits out.
And medical schools teach the accepted practices and knowledge that has been voted on by medical people after prolonged *funded* research.
Obviously, as one's own advocate you have to be careful and shrewd. Don't take one person's word for it. Don't pay for anything without thoroughly researching first.
Resources I have found in my web travels:

• thyroid/autoimmune - Mary Shomon
• infertility/getting pregnant - fertilityfriend forums, book: Taking Charge of Your Fertility
• dyshydrotic eczema - Yahoo group
• food allergies/sensitivities - Foodlab Yahoo group

I'm not saying to skip the doctor. Just be an informed patient.

Local Art

I recently got a taste of the local skill here in what I consider nowhere, California... (If you love California, this valley probably doesn't even register, you may have heard of Fresno, or Bakersfield, but neither are one's destination. Unless you're crazy enough to move here. Sigh.) Anyway, eventually you can find the riches in the midst of the ugh.
Two Visalia artisans with serious skills delivered some gems. Below is a portrait of my daughter by Fulgere Photography wearing a gorgeous dragon fly hair clip by Swanky Baby Gear.
Melissa of Swanky Baby Gear made a solar veil ring sling for me back when the munchkin was tiny, so I'd known about her sewing and accessories for awhile. But Arielle of Fulgere Photography just recently started showing off her photography skills and we were lucky to get a photo shoot while she was building her portfolio.

Sugar!

My co-sleeping munchkin used the sidecar bed last night for the first time. The crib has been attached to the bed  for a long time, mostly collecting toys.  But for the first time she moved over there on her own and stayed for at least 8 hours. Sigh, talk about bitter sweet.
Perhaps that's why I went on a sugar frenzy this weekend... I whipped up:

• chocolate chip and date cookies based on the Gluten-Free Gourmand's Scone recipe
• experimented with orange coconut milk ice cream
• attempted candy orange peels - not a success, I guess next time I'll have to actually pay attention to the sugar temps
• chocolate coconut milk ice cream with double the maple syrup and 2 T arrowroot - super yum!
• and to add something really good for me, started my first batch of fermented carrots.

Note the still solidifying homemade chocolate candy shell over the ice cream. Clearly I have a sugar issue. But oh my, that ice cream is wonderful. The munchkin can't have eggs (or wheat or a few other things) and the spouse can't have pasteurized dairy, so I've had to alter my ice creamaholicism to special brands that are rather pricey and don't help our budget... So, I am thrilled to find a handmade ice cream that is actually edible with little 'ole me as the ice cream maker. Coconut milk seems to be a natural ingredient in 'ice cream', since it is full of healthy fat and hardens creamily when put in the freezer.

In progress

Aren't these cute? I'll attach these pockets to my skirt... as soon as I find it. I've been wearing the skirt - love it! - so it is somewhere between the closet and the laundry room.

I've never made external pockets like this, so I'm making it up as I go along. I'm a little concerned about the pockets being too heavy for the unlined skirt fabric... so I'll probably add extra fabric inside the skirt... which means there will be a secret pocket inside.

Accidental beauty

Is it just me, or is this just gorgeous? I've been rather unimpressed with regular potatoes that have grow eyes, but this sweet potato has so much character.

I wonder if I can cut it up and put it in the ground like a regular potato.

Farmer's Market Finds

What they say about Farmer's Markets is all true. Great fresh options with a good chance of being organic. And more variety than in your average grocery store. I saw at least 4 kinds of cherry tomatos yesterday. And purslane! I haven't found purslane in the yard this year, so I was excited to see a big bunch for a dollar.

The local farmers are bringing a lot of Asian veggies I don't yet know. I love buying something new, and with a few tips from the farmer, experimenting in the kitchen. Last year I discovered rutabaga - love them! And sometimes you get a surprise... The honeydew I bought appears to be an orange fleshed honeydew. I love honeydew, but not a big fan of cantalope, but I think I like this hybrid.

Then there's the olive guy... during part of the year he has olives cured with just salt. Right now his selections have vinegar, but we try not to hold it against him. The little one loves olives, so we buy a lot. The lemon peel stuffed olives were interesting. This time I bought Greek dried Kalamata olives. Very salty, but yum! I'm not too sure what to do with them yet, but they were nice chopped up and steeped in olive oil for an easy salad dressing.

Garden salad

I'm not getting as much produce out of my garden as I hoped. But the cucumbers are still growing and I'm getting enough cherry tomatos for a small salad each evening.

I had a run-in with red ants yesterday. They appear to be living under the stepping stones next to my raised garden bed... I'm still trying to figure out how to get rid of them, I'd like an organic solution. Limestone, which is supposed to work like diatomaceous earth doesn't seem to have an effect.

Cucumber!

This is my first cucumber plant. Next year I'll plant at least two. I love how the little tendrils grab onto things so it can climb. And it seems to grow about an inch a day, which is just amazing to watch...

Isn't it cute?

And I haven't really had any trouble with pests. I picked a few caterpillars off one day, but that's it.

Genealogy

This is a little off topic... but my editor is letting this slide.

Findmypast (the British version of Scotlandspeople, the Scottish version of ancestry.com) is allowing free access to their documents on days England plays in the World Cup. For a poor genealogy buff like myself this is fabulous. Especially since the 1911 English census was relatively recently released and findmypast appears to be the only one of two place to get images.

Back to the photo. I've done a little research on my grandmother's cousin's father who was from England. His family remained in Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England when he moved to the US after 1901. The photo is said to contain Florence Eliza Higgins (his sister), Lady Bingham and Fred Topsfield, on May 28, 1924. (I thought "Lady Bingham" and "Fred Topsfield" would be uncommon enough names to help me find more information... but apparently this Yankee doens't know the English.) The 1911 census image I acquired last night confirms that Florence married a Mr Clamp - which brings up another interesting British research issue - the marriage indexes are, um, annoying. The Higgins household includes the Higgins family members I'd seen in other censuses (censusii?) plus a young daughter Bessie Ingram Higgins (which confirms the mother's maiden name - Yahoo!). Mr Clamp is not there, but Florence Eliza Clamp is listed as married (not widowed), which is interesting. Altogether a productive 90 minutes of research.

Low Maintenance Plants

The camera and cord have alternated being MIA, but we got a new computer connection and the camera has been available enough for me to finally post something...

I'm all about low maintenance... so I've been very happy with the Dusty Miller and Mexican Lavender in the front yard. I was expecting the lavender to smell good, but was sorry it learn it doesn't. This year I got some English Lavender to fill that role.
The dusty miller is so happy that I had to pull about 15 little Millers out of the lawn this year.
And our 'lavender' rosebush:

and the rather pretty rose from the rootstock.

I'm not a huge rosebush fan, but I love that they keep coming back despite our less than stellar care for them.

Kitchen Garden: Growing Avocado Seeds

Many years ago, when I was a college student dreaming of my future garden, I found a book that described growing food from seeds and leftovers from purchased food. The idea stuck with me and I have successfully grown potatoes and garlic from sprouted food in my kitchen.
Now I'm trying out avocados. We eat about one avocado per day when they are in season, so growing our own would definitely be a bonus. I never liked the idea of impaling an avocado seed with toothpicks and after some googling I learned that A) avocadoes can grow in my area, B) you can grow avocados by putting the seeds directly in dirt, and C) you can grow avocados in water without impaling them.
My first attempt was a seed in a Medela freezeable breastmilk container (imagine a tall plastic beaker). Oops, the seed expanded and got stuck halfway in the beaker, no way to add water, no way to remove the seed without harming it.
Then I spotted all these wonderful small shotglasses and medicine cups sitting around the kitchen. The ideal situation appears to be a cup with V shaped depression, so the seed sits halfway down the glass, supported by the sides. Keep water approximately halfway up the seed. Add water, when air appears below the seed. Some sources say to plant in dirt when leaves sprout. But to avoid seriously messing up the roots, I'll try to plant before the roots look as scrunched as the far right has.


Unfortunately, I don't know which varieties I have growing... but it will be fun to see how many little trees I can start. We've found at least four varieties at our local farmer's market, including a tiny version (they are called "Mexican" something) with edible skins. Somehow I managed not to save a seed from those. I will definitely do that this year. Those tiny ones are so darn yummy. The far left and far right seeds look the same to me, but they are sprouting in reverse of each other. The left one barely has any roots at all, while the right clearly had more roots before sprouting up.
Unfortunately, avocados don't bear fruit until their 4th or even 10th year, so we may have left this home by that time, but I can hope to see fruit before we go.
Have you had success growing food from your kitchen?

Water Kefir - again

It is like a wacky science experiment. I appear to have found the secret to water kefir... relax and follow the kefirlady's directions, lol. These things grow like crazy. This picture is 5 days after the previous kefir post's picture. The difference in liquid color is because one batch (the jar on the right) is a day ahead of the other.
So far, I use organic sugar, sucanat, slices of ginger, a pinch of baking soda in unfiltered tap water (we have very hard water here) or spring water. I've been watching to see if the water source makes a difference. The kefir in both jars seem happy, but it seems like the spring water kefir is growing a tad bit faster than the tap water.
Growing
In 9 days I went from having 1/3 cup kefir grains to 2 1/2 cups. I need to find recipes that call for the grains. They taste and feel a little like hominy. Which is fine for a bite or two, but eating a cup of plain squishy hominy isn't too appealing.

Why Kefir?
For probiotics ... all those good guys also found in yogurt (in theory) that keeps your gut healthy.

Why Water Kefir instead of regular Milk Kefir?
1. cheaper - to put the grains in sugar and water everyday than goat or cow milk
2. lactose intolerance - enough said
3. convenient - having diary on hand everyday isn't convenient
4. reality - finding a raw (and organic) milk source can be difficult to impossible, depending on your area.

Water Kefir

My water kefir grains arrived in the mail from the kefirlady, yesterday, Yay! And following the directions, I got them into sugar water as quickly as I could. Now the quandry... spring water, filtered tap water, boiled tap water, boiled filtered tap water, boiled tap water plus minerals...
Almost everything I've read says hard water = good, okay I'll use tap water, chlorine = bad, so I use filtered tap water. But if my filter removes chlorine - which I sure hope it does - is the water then too soft? Some people report their water kefir thrives on their city water, without any changes required, cool maybe I can use filtered tap water. Bah! this living healthy thing is giving me a migraine.
Chlorine can be removed by boiling 15 minutes OR run in a blender for 15 minutes. If I run my blender for 15 minutes, I will likely be deaf and have a burnt out blender. If I boil water for 15 minutes, I'm not sure there'd be any water left.
I ended up splitting the grains in half just to see which kind of water worked better. So two tablespoons of grains went in bottled spring water plus 1/6 cup sugar 1/2 tablespoon organic sucanat. The rest of the grains went in cooled boiled filtered tap water with the same sugar and grain combo. 20ish hours later there's a significant difference between the grains.
The spring water grains are round and fluffy looking with more floaty type activity going on. The grains in the left jar just look sad. So I dumped the grains into my nylony coffee filter and since I'm out of bottled water, put plain ole tap water in with more sugar. I'm afraid the chlorine and possible floride in the water may not be good for the grains, but hopefully it isn't worse than the boiled filtered water I tried first.
I think kefir lady's directions said we can put minerals etc back into filtered water... that sounds a little more economic than buying bottled water for the rest of my grains' lives.

In the Garden

Technically this is the backyard... but "In the Garden" just sounds so much prettier.
Anyway, some good news and some bad...
Good:
My irises have come up. I love the color lavender, and since lavender/purple is a darn difficult color to find in plants and flowers, I have expanded my love to blue. Note the lovely blue rosemary in the background. Ignore the date on the photo (the camera doesn't seem to know what "no date/time" means, ugh).
I love perennials that have the audacity to naturalize and thrive in my 'garden'.

Bad:
The mole/vole/gopher/stinking varmint fight continues. I suppose if we had a smaller yard, this wouldn't be a problem. But when you have 1/3 of an acre, the dratted animal can just move to another part of the yard. These seven piles showed up two days after we thoroughly watered the holes about 15 feet from this spot...