Maggie Scott

Good question, Leigh Tate,  in re: PDF sewing patterns.

Never used for sewing. Have purchased PDF for knitting and crochet.

I have been sewing for 62 years. I made my first dress when I was 8 years old. Mostly tissue paper patterns. I started designing and making my own patterns when in college. I have also made patterns from finished clothes that people want copied.

Since I do not have a home printer, if I were to use a PDF pattern, I would have to go to the nearest print shop (2 miles away) or to the local library...3 miles away in another direction. I would question how much distortion the downloaded file would carry to the copier. Also consider that copiers have gotten better over time and distortion has been reduced. Not certain I would trust it if I were a novice.

I probably would not bother with a PDF.

Thank you for the download! It worked well. Perusing the book.

Hello!

I supported the Purple Deck Kickstarter campaign that ended 19 Dec 2025.

Today, 10 Feb 2026, I received a message from the gir bot giving me access to four items:

Maple Syrup for Beginners (video works, thanks! not downloadable);
Core Site Layout Zone 1 Site Planning Online Workshop (video works, thanks! not downloadable);
Natural Small Batch Cheesemaking eBook (was able to download, thanks!)

and:

https://permies.com/t/273531/Building-Earthbag-House-Step-Step

Which seems to be an advertisement for this book to purchase for USD $24, but no link to access the actual book.  

I was under the impression from KS Campaign Update #7 that anyone supporting at the USD $100.00 and above would receive access to the Building Earthbag House eBook

I have been through the steps to access as suggested in this forum. No joy.

I only have 1 email address. The one used for the Kickstarter campaign and for the permies.com are one and the same.

Please advise: how do I access the Building Earthbag House eBook?

Thanks!
Maggie S

In the late 1980's I found a quilt frame at a local fabric store made from PVC pipe and PVC joins: elbows, straight throughs, 3-way T's, etc. The price was outrageous.

I was attending a farm auction and found left-over PVC pipe (1 inch id) for a song. The local hardware store had a good selection of PVC joins. Just needed the clips for attaching a quilt to the frame. Found them online. I had a quilt frame that could be made adjustable to work top size and working height; much less expensive than the original one I saw in the fabric store.

Fast forward to a few years to living off-grid in 2 large house trailers: one kitchen, living room, bedrooms, and bathroom areas; one for crafting room and large food prep area for canning, butchering, and preparing greenhouse food drying trays. I needed a smaller space inside the larger space for a warmer bed area. I had studied four poster beds as a possible solution. Then, I recalled the PVC quilt frame and how nice it was to quilt in bed on cold winter days. I had access to oodles of PVC pipe of 8 to 20 feet lengths. I also had a handy dandy PVC pipe cutter. I cannibalized my quilt frame for the PVC joining hardware. Made a PVC six-sided frame that fit my bed nicely. Using quilts and blankets found at yard sales and thrift stores, I covered 5 sides of the frame, stretching the blankets and quilts taut and securing them to the frame with the PVC clips used to hold greenhouse plastic to a PVC greenhouse frame. I then tossed flannel sheets, lightweight blankets, and some large pieces of felt I was experimentally making (from an article on how Yurts are traditionally made) on top that hung down the sides. Made tiny bedside tables which held a lamp each with a 60-watt lightbulb which also generated heat.

For extra insulation underneath the bed, I used corrugated cardboard boxes stuffed with Junk wool (from farmers who objected to wool being priced at five cents a pound). The boxes came from corrugated cardboard recycling bins.

Easier to assemble around the bed than a tent. Relatively inexpensive. Easy to adjust dimensions. The six-sided frame was relatively stable. The pieces pressure fit together. The joints could be more fully stabilized with screws at the joins between pipe and PVC joints.

The bedding was a full wool surround: wool mattress; wool pad on top of the mattress, wool blanket; wool duvet; wool-filled pillows. Cotton flannel sheets and pillow cases.

Since then, I have found other uses for PVC pipe: drying racks; small end table type pieces. Bed tray table. Sling back chairs. Clothing racks. Window curtain frames for blackout curtains when I was living in an apartment and was forbidden from attaching curtain hardware to the walls. And I finally have enough PVC hardware pieces to have my quilt frame(s) back.

Hi, Leigh,

I have raised sheep: Coopworth, Icelandic, Romney, and East Friesian (milking)

The Coopworth were my favorite; a New Zealand breed, imported, I think, in the late 1800's. I had a coal black ram, a white ram, and an absolutely gorgeous chocolate brown ram who was too stupid for his own good: stuck his nose in a rattlesnake's face and got bit before I could breed him to the ewes. Died rapidly. Most of the ewes were white. The ewes are easy birthers, mostly twins; great mamas. They all browsed, especially liked the blackberry leaves and blackberries. They also ate freely of the large patch of Spearmint on the farm. Could not keep them out of the sweetgrass patch. Meat is good. The fleeces are fine with a high luster; I enjoyed hand spinning with a drop spindle, and felting. I had a strain of ewes who would kill coyotes; and frequently butted the dog when he got too obnoxious. Sadly, lost that strain when a cougar showed up on the property and the ewes went out to challenge the cat. Not a good idea from the sheep's point of view. The cougar was happy.

The Icelandic were easy milkers; beautiful double-coated fleeces; different colors. All had horns and knew how to use them in very imaginative ways. Good meat. Easy birthers. Browsers.

The Romneys had fine fleeces, spinning and felting. They were bigger than the Coopworths.

The East Friesian sheep gave good milk and were, more or less, easy to milk. (Not easy birthers; I had to pull all the lambs.) I was at the start of recovery from traumatic brain injury (not from the sheep) while we were milking. I would smell the fresh milk and start craving it. I ended up drinking half of each milking while the milk was still warm. It made fabulous cheese. The ram was very protective of his flock. We ate him after he attacked us one too many times. I used the wool as mulch to choke out blackberry canes; wasn't good for much else. Cut the canes down to ground level; layer on the wool. A heavy enough layer and the canes cannot grow through. I would leave the wool on the patch for about a year. When I pulled the wool off the ground, the chickens would come running and dig for bugs and other tasty tidbits. The chickens liked to rest in the wool while it was being used as mulch.

Hope this provides useful information.

Hi, all. New to permies.com  Found the Kickstarter campaign for the purple cards a few days ago and pledged.

Reading this thread was very interesting.

At age 10, we were doing one of those stupid things children do. I slammed head-first into a large oak tree. Left Frontal Lobe Traumatic Brain Injury #1. I had headaches whenever the barometer changed. Sensitivity to storms and tornados (grew up on an Indiana farm). Also a need to "feed the beast" with salty, protein, and carbohydrate rich foods. Sweets made symptoms worse.

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at 16.  My hips, spine and hands are sensitive to weather changes: symptoms: pain and irritability.

For the last 29 years, I have been in recovery for two additional left-frontal lobe traumatic brain injuries, 9 years apart (basically considered back-to-back TBIs). Think of an earthquake scale (logarithmic): the third TBI was a logarithmic step worse than the second. Whenever the weather changes for the worse, I get: headaches, optical migraines, sinus issues, lymph node swelling, pain in the "healed" 4 broken ribs I have sustained, pain in my hands, hips and spine, vertigo (typical with TBI), balance issues worsen, excessively tired (sleep much during stormy days), teary eyes, itchy eyes, pain in the depressed skull fracture area, irritable, itchy skin, brain fog, speech difficulties, right earache, increased tinnitus, an increased need for shrub-enhanced water.

Because of the TBI recovery, I eat exceptionally well: mostly organic; lots of vegetables; little fruit; high quality meats: mostly bison, lamb, turkey, wild-caught salmon; animal fats. I cook from scratch because my nutritional needs vary wildly day-to-day. Any type of restaurant foods upset my digestion. I do believe my diet plays a major role in my health and helps reduce the symptoms.

Since I am retired, I have the luxury of hibernating during the worst of the symptoms. I have adverse reactions to most drugs (discovered when I was a child) so do not take man-made modern medicines. No alcohol (allergy). I find the best grade organic dark chocolate (88% cacao or higher; I used to eat my mother's Bakers Chocolate when I was a child) will sooth most of the symptoms. Many mushrooms help as well. Salty, protein, and carbohydrate rich foods also help. Toss in some ACV to balance blood chemistry. Again, sweets aggravate the symptoms.

For years, I have searched for confirmation of this weather sensitivity. Mostly, I have been told "it is all in your head". Not quite.

Except for the Rheumatoid Arthritis, I test exceptionally healthy.  

Thanks for this thread!