Kathy Gray

jacque greenleaf wrote:I've also sewn on and off for years. Here's my thoughts -

You will not save money, even if you don't count your time. You can buy cheaper at WalMart or KMart or at thrift stores.

What you can do is get better quality and fit, especially for women's clothes. Because of fashion, most women's clothes are intended to be worn for about 6 months or so, and you can see that in how they're made.

It is getting harder to find good clothing fabric at the chain fabric stores, like JoAnn or Hancock. Quilting has taken over the world. Independent stores can be better, and don't forget online sources. My current favorite store is a warehouse style store crammed with bolt ends from clothing manufacturers. It's a real treasure house, most fabric runs under $5/yard, and some of it is very good quality.

When I am shopping at thrift stores, I keep an eye out for top quality clothing that can be altered to fit without a lot of angst - sweaters, for example. Don't bother remaking acrylic or polyester clothes, but finely woven or knitted rayon, cotton, wool, silk, linen, including some blends with polyester, are worth the trouble. Old wool or cotton looks much better than old polyester. In some thrift stores, you can also find yardage. And I also glance over the draperies, curtains, and bedding - sometimes you can find good fabric in those pieces.

Rather than buying piles of patterns, develop some basic patterns for yourself and the other people you sew for, and learn how to move the darts and change the sleeves and collars to blend with current fashion, if that's important to you.

I think sewing, like knitting and crocheting, does fit into a permie lifestyle. You won't necessarily save money, but you will gain a lot of satisfaction. It's another way to opt out of consumerism, and you can remake existing items and discards, getting more use out of their embodied energy and materials.

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I think you can save money if you want your clothes to be made of natural fabrics.
For example Linen fabric will last a lifetime, and I have found 100% linen table cloths and curtains for super cheap… and walla you have yards of what would be expensive fabric for under $10.00
You could make some nice pieces!
That will last you for years.
A way better investment than buying some artificial clothes from Walmart.

Can anyone donate the needed buttons?

Linen hankies are the way to go, they last a lifetime. They do a muah  better job than cotton hankies.
I have some that belonged to my  husband’s great grandparents!
I also have found linen hankies at antique shops.
Love them/ my husband thinks I’m gross! Plus they don’t produce dust like paper tissues.

I use a variety of cast iron option’s,
lidded petromax loaf pans,
round lidded antique Dutch oven
and an oval Le creuset cast enameled Dutch oven (I found on eBay).
These naturally create a steamy environment.
And on other types of bread, I don’t use the lid at all.
I always line the pans with parchment paper, it never sticks.
They are all great options!

Is it possible to “soften it by sanding it”?
You could use a foot callus remover with a longish handle.
Or an electric Dremel with a sandpaper tip.

Have you thought about using empty food cans? Small empty tuna or cat food cans? Then you could use a reusable lid, like for pet food. Or fill your separated herbs in a can and put it inside a ziplock bag that you could use over and over.

rose macaskie wrote:      I have a path running form top right to bottom left of the slope and it was very thin, and every so often i have dug a out a bit more of the slope to widen the path and it was not too hard, less hard than digging a hole that means you have to pull up the earth. i usually dig with a mattock which is much easier for some things.
      If i lived there and was doing a bit every day it would not be too hard. The hardest bit might be to get going and mark out the contour. i hate doing things i don't know how to do.  Digging is quite nice it is a bit of exercise and in these age of knowing more about whats good for your health it is great to do a bit of exercise, it makes you feel happier about your health. In madrid I can only think, "lor, i don't do hardly anything for my poor body except fattening it, sadly. agri rose macaskie.

I see that you are not digging, but what do you put on top of your mound of logs?

I am trying it this year. I’m going to use bales of “straw as my towers” hoping that this will keep the potatoes from drying out.
Going to layer a mixture of hay and soil for the planting .🤞

My Bone broth always comes out delicious, I’ve been at it for years now.
And I even pressure can my broth, we always have it on hand. It turns out gelatinous even after canning.
If I have a small amount of chicken bones I use a large crock pot, if I have lots of bones i use my large electric roaster oven.
I use lots of Chicken Feet ,all the other chicken bones, plus i add a small piece of a pigs foot.
I roast all of it in the oven.
Then put it in the pot and add
a large Onion and any onion scraps
2 carrots
4 celery, stalks
1TBSP of sea salt
1 TBSP black peppercorns
A small chunk of ginger
2 tsp turmeric
Some bay leaves
A few garlic cloves
Some sage and rosemary
And a few dried hot peppers
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
Cover all with fresh water from a spring if possible
Cook on low and slow for 2 days then separate the broth from the bones and such.
Delicious

I’m giving up on composting, after my experience. Last fall I was in the process of emptying my bin to transfer to my garden. However, much to my dismay I discovered that I had been feeding a big rat! He ate all the food scraps and all my worms! The only thing that was left was pits of brown paper and cardboard.
I was so mad at myself for feeding a rat!