Making crafty and useful stuff with fabric.

Making crafty and useful stuff with fabric.

crafty stuff recycle reuse

Hello. It's a lovely morning and I want to get on the bus and go to Hull, so here is a quickie. The notebook cover I started on Monday is finished. They are so easy to make, sew strips of fabric together with the machine. Add cross stitch and sequins, make a lining for it, and blanket stitch the top and bottom together, making inside pockets to slide the front and back cover in.  

Front. 

Back.

Inside front.

Inside back.

My next project. Unpicking the stitching on a duvet to separate the layers, which will then be cut up and made into cushions and pet beds.



Phew, I'm busy. Don't forget, walkers unite, it's the last day of the month. Tomorrow is check in day for the Walking Group, we want to know your mileage, whatever it is. I know some of you are forging ahead and doing splendidly, but it isn't a race, it's all about taking part. It's about doing some walking, it doesn't have to be marathons, you just need to get up off your bums and walk.
Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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Motorcycle gear for sale.

Motorcycle gear for sale.

happy recycle reuse

I haven't owned a motor cycle for many years, the last one was a Honda CX500 custom, which I sold more than 20 years ago before I moved house. But I kept the gear thinking I might buy another one, one day. Well that day has never arrived and I have moved on, no point in hanging onto my leathers, so they have to go. As well as the gear I am modelling here, I also have a good quality, padded waterproof oversuit. 

I've had a card in the local shop window for a month, no enquiries. I asked a friend who is a biker if he knows someone who might be interested, he goes on rallies and belongs to a club. He said he could ask at the club next time he goes. He might get there tonight after work, but if he doesn't he offered to photograph and put it on Facebook for me. I suppose I could do that myself but I don't want the faff that goes with it, people enquiring, coming to have a look, haggling over the price, etc.

This morning I had a brainwave. I don't need the few quid it would fetch, why not give it away, easy peasy. I don't want to put it on Freecycle or Freegle or whatever, you don't know who is coming to your house for it. I rang the guy who does the motorcycle training and he said he could find new owners for it. So, I have just delivered it to him, and hopefully some young trainee who perhaps can't afford to buy new, will get some benefit from it. Makes me feel better, gets it out of my house, sending it off to a new life with a new owner.

What goes round comes round. Janet gave me a lovely jacket, and a lady has dropped off an unwanted duvet with me this morning and I will turn it into cushions for the church. Recycling, reusing, repurposing, keeps stuff out of landfill, got to be good for the planet.

Second post today, that's ya lot. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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Keeping busy indoors

Keeping busy indoors

crafty stuff food reuse sewing vegetarian

Hello. That got you going. Did you like my colourful words, ha ha. The weather is still unpredictable, I've been in most of the day, apart from when I went to the Post Office, then did my three mile walk. I got caught in a shower of hail and wind, just managed to stop the brolly from blowing inside out. 

A couple of recent lunches, one from yesterday and one today. I don't have much veg left so it's root in the cupboard and the freezer time. Two slices of toast, half a tin of spaghetti hoops, and two Value Tesco veggie grills. A cheap meal. 

Today I made a sandwich with two slices of toast, cheese spread, Danish Blue cheese, and the last of the salad leaves. I plonked the rest of the tin of hoops on top.

This pile of 14 cleaning cloths used to be a toweling bath robe. It was looking a bit grubby, and a lot of threads were pulled due to Mayze cat pummeling me with her paws. She thinks I am her mummy. These will come in handy for dish cloths, floor cloths, polishing cloths, (not that I do much of that), and any other type of cleaning job.

I've started another project. These small circles of fabric, 2 inches across,  are Suffolk Puffs, ironed flat and decorative stitching added. I need lots of these.

I came to a halt with the wooden garden sculpture because I ran out of small pieces of wood. I found a big box of scrap wood yesterday at the back door of Wicks the DIY store, they said I could take what I wanted. I will be able to get on with that when the weather is a bit warmer.

I need to make a phone call now, so I'll leave you to it. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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No instructions, make it up

No instructions, make it up

garden imagination reuse

Hello. It's been a nice day here today, mostly sunshine with a little bit of cloud. The light mornings are getting earlier so I am getting up earlier. I love the mornings. I'm changing my routine a bit as well, instead of having a coffee then putting on the computer, I am now doing my three miles after the coffee and bun. The morning air is really fresh. 

I decided to stay around the house and do a bit in the garden today. I have an idea for a garden sculpture, I can picture it in my mind, but not really sure how to put it together. This new table is very handy for outdoor projects. 

I have gathered a few pieces of wood together. The whole thing will be painted, but not sure if I should paint first and screw together after. That pink looks nice. 

Maybe I should screw together first because some of the paint could get damaged if I screwed after painting. Not sure if this is going to work. It will take a while, I need to think of a plan.

Two walks done today, I did a second one this afternoon. I am making a new page for the blog, it will have pictures of my arts and crafts. Another job that will take a while, I have lots of pictures. My picture filing system is not great. I will get there eventually.

That's the holidays over, I hope you had a good one. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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Home made super deluxe garden table.

Home made super deluxe garden table.

free garden home made recycle reuse

Hello. I thought I would give you an extra day to check in with your miles, and I'm pleased to see that the Walking Group are doing really well. It's good to read your comments, I can sense the determination in your writings, to do the best you can. It's nice to know that you are not finding it a chore, and now look forward to increasing your fitness levels. Stick with it everyone, do as much as you can, any walking is better than no walking. 

It was a good turnout at Crafty Club this morning, a full table again. It's been a lovely sunny day and I had a project I wanted to get on with this afternoon. Out with the tools, hammer, screwdrivers, saw, screws and nails. A bit of DIY is needed. 

My garden table is getting a bit wonky, it has been repaired once and now the wood is rotting further. Musn't grumble, I made it a few years ago and it cost me nothing, I have had good use out of it. It has been mainly used for potting plants and seeds, and any other DIY job which needed to be done outdoors. I've sawn many a piece of wood on this table. But now it's at the end of it's useful life, I need another one.

And here it is. The new all singing and dancing deluxe model. Heidi likes it. 

The two ends used to be a bed, out of a skip of course, I've had them ages. I've still got the base but it didn't fit in with this project. Some of the wood was from the four divan beds I had from my friend when they moved. I didn't have a pallet to cover the whole top, so I used a narrow pallet on the right where Heidi is lying. On the left I used two side pieces from a divan bed with some blocks nailed at each end to bring it up to the same height as the pallet. The top is one piece but I haven#'t screwed it to the frame, in case I want to move it.

I'm mighty pleased with that, my home made garden table/work bench. It's very sturdy, the cross bars hold it all together. Old screws used so it was all free.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
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Walking Group call out. Log your miles here.

Walking Group call out. Log your miles here.

crafty stuff recycle reuse walking

Hello. I dropped lucky yesterday. I stopped off at the Cash and Carry on my way to town and there is also a junk warehouse which is not open very often. The man was there, with second hand furniture spread about on the yard, so I had a nosy inside. I found a brown table lamp with a green shade, the perfect colour. He wanted £1 for it. I have scrubbed the shade with soapy water, it has come up a treat, and added some pink trim to the top and bottom. There was already some white trim on it which looked a bit tatty, so I just stuck the pink over the top. I'm very chuffed with it. 

This is it's permanent place next to me when I am on the computer, it is within easy reach so I can switch it on and off without getting up. I only need a light when I use the keyboard.

This is the brown lamp which it came with, it looks ancient, like the old fashioned bakerlite. I wasn't expecting it to be working, but it does. I've given it a clean up, it was filthy, and put this old shade on it which looks perfect. It must be about 40 years old, it was on a lamp which I bought for my mum, which I am still using on my bedside ironing table. 

Right, it's the 1st of the month, you know the drill, this is where all the members of the Walking Group congregate together to share their stories. I want to know how you have been doing, or not been doing. Do you need praise from me, or a kick up the bum?

I have finished the first three months of the year on 375 miles. I would have done more if it wasn't for the twisted muscle in my leg, but that's gone now thank goodness. The weather is hopefully getting better so I am looking forward to a few day walks this month.

So how is it for you, don't be shy, spill the beans.

Lunch time, belly is rumbling, so I'll leave it with you. Lets have those miles come flooding in. You can update at any time in the month, just come back to this post on the 1st.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Have a nice weekend.
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It's a throw away world - Meanqueen to the rescue

It's a throw away world - Meanqueen to the rescue

recycle reuse rubbish skip diving

Hello. I think I must be on a one woman crusade, to rescue all useful stuff bound for landfill. I took my old brown crappy cheap and nasty cupboard to the council tip today. Broke it up to fit in the car. What did I do when I was there, had a nosy in a car full to the brim with stuff which didn't look like junk to me. The owners happily passed me a few things before they got tossed in the skip. I could have taken more, but the attendant advised that I should be doing my rescuing outside the gate, not on the premises. The owners just wanted rid of it and didn't want to sort it and give it to me out on the roadside. 

This is what I managed to grab before it was dumped. The woman was more helpful than her husband, she loaded some of it in my car. Three big cushions, they look clean but I will wash the covers, and pass them on to the church. 

A brand new iron in it's original box, never been used. I will keep hold of it for the time being in case my very old one packs up. If I haven't needed it by June I will sell it at the village fete on our cat rescue stall.

Seven picture frames. I can use some of these for my pictures. I have enough to keep me going for a long time. Best make some more pictures then. The frames I don't use I will pass on to the Age UK charity shop.

A big clock, metal surround, reminds me of a clock in a railway station waiting room. I put a battery in it and it works. Will sell this on the cat stall.

I really must try not to bring so much stuff home. I noticed there are two doors on the skip tonight as I passed it on my walk. I could very easily build another summer house, ha ha. I resisted the temptation to take my car round there and pick them up.

Nice to see some new readers commenting. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Enjoy your Sunday.
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