Frugal Sewer

It's starting to get chilly. I've started scrouging the thrift stores in an effort to appease my shopaholic tendency and to find some warmer clothes.

I would like to report that I have not gone into Walmart since I can't remember when, and also have not bought any clothes from the mall. That doesn't mean I don't miss it. Believe me, small town thrift stores leave much to be desired in the way of selection.

I think I've identified my favorite piece of winter wear this season. I found a nice rib-knit turtle kneck sweater that's a slightly worn black. I like how it fits, and surprisingly, I enjoy the extra fabric around my kneck to keep drafts at bay. Normally I'm a "nothing around my neck" kinda gal.

I'm wondering what will happen when my jeans wear out. (I have NO luck finding pants at the thrift store.) Right now I have one pair that fits, one pair that kinda fits, and another twill pair. Unless I lose some weight to fit back in my Lucky's, I'm out of luck!

And what about unnies? Little Brown Dress talked about making her own from teeshirts, but I wasn't inspired or impressed. I love my Gap body too much. (But now I can't shop at Gap anymore either for unstated reasons...heh.) So I recently came across this link that explains things a little better, should I become that desperate. (Lord, can you make panties last forever?)

These are actually cute, and look like they could fit. Guess I'll keep my eye out for cute tees when I find a grab bag day.

Another cool something on this site mentions felting old sweaters. You can shrink one too large down to size (very carefully). Use felted material for potholders and such, cut it out and the edges won't fray...sounds pretty cool! I found 2 sweaters that were already shrunken and partially felted, so I just have to decide what to do with them. I'll keep you posted. (Makes me sad that I parted with a nice wool/angora sweater before I knew how useful it could be!)

I did pick out a cute green cable sweater to make a warm something for the pooches. Our new dog, Mango, is a tiny chihuahua/terrier mix or something, and she sits there and shivers. So I cut the sleeve off and zig-zagged the edges, and it works pretty well. Fortunately I have another sleeve to experiment on, because the leg holes are a little weird and she walks out of them. I'll try to take pics today and post them soon.

I also couldn't resist stuffing a few vintage pices of children's clothes in my bag. There were 3 pairs of cute worn cordoroy pants I thought I could make a cute hippie skirt or something out of. And there were 2 little "coverall" outfits I had to get, mostly for the pocket details. One is yellow with a turtle patch. So I need to brainstorm or find a skirt to embellish.

Tell me about your frugal sewing! Anybody out there make cloth napkins? That's my next project...I'm thinking cut 'em out, overcast the edges and go. (Just for everyday use.)

Proud

I know I haven't updated very much lately. Id like to say that's because I've been very productive and busy lately, but that's not neccesarily so. *grin*

However, I did want to brag on some canning a friend and I did.

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There's my half of 10 quarts stewed tomatoes and 13 pints of salsa that we processed. Whew! I've read about all the work canning is, but now I have experienced it first hand.

Anybody have any tips about canning stewed tomatoes for next year? Do you cook them down first? Mine have a funny flavor that is kind of weird. We didn't cold pack, but we didn't cook them down too much either. Just curious if cooking gives a more mellow flavor, besides condensing things more.

I'm thinking about making some chili tonight, so need to look up recipes and see how many tomatoes I need. Will pinto beans be alright you think? Surprisingly, I have never made chili before, but am looking for thick, stew-like recipes that my soup-disliking hubby will approve. So this seems like a good option.

Toodles!

Attention!

There is a very important issue coming up in Congress, that has already passed in the Senate. Have you heard about food labeling?

Apparently the food industry has decided that California has set a very bad precedent, and due to so many "abuses" of the labeling laws, have decided to whine and complain and get a national standard implemented to save them some huge denero.

People, this is not good. The FDA is not watching out for us. They can irradiate meat and spray it with viruses, add GMO corn, wheat and soybeans to any food product they want, and we aren't allowed to know about it or choose to be a willing guinea pig. (Did you know...that even the corn syrup in your coke is from GMO corn?)

And apparently it's not good enough to vote and change something in your state. Nope. Twenty years ago...yep, I said twenty years ago California voters changed the labeling laws to make food safer and give them the right to choose. I say not only are we behind the times, but also shame on us, on me, for not caring enough to change things where I live. And fie on those who want to slap CA voters in the face for daring to one-up the FDA and USDA and whoever else gets involved in these things.

It's hard enough to get something changed on a state level...imagine how difficult it will be dealing with issues on a national level! The time to act is now.

Join the fight...get educated, and let your congressperson know what you think!

(Ok...where are those addresses....?)