Hello Dear Reader,
I have a sewing machine and bags of vintage fabric. I have several bag patterns and time on my hands. I intend to use this week off work productively. It’s also six months until Christmas!
I have a very low key festive period but I’m happy to make gifts for others to give to people.
I don’t charge much for my bags and they soon sell out.
I’ll be taking them to table top sales and fund raisers where you can rent a stall for a reasonable amount over the end of November and beginning of December.
I’ll spend the next few months making stock to sell.
All of it will be made by me and everything will be 100% homemade and recycled. It will be good to know that bags, cushions, bunting and lap quilts will be given to people as Christmas gifts and that I will have recycled and upcycled no end of fabric that Yoosta-Bee something else.
This bag is made from odds and ends of Laura Ashley fabric from my mum’s curtain making stage. She was adept at furniture covering and curtain making and also did it to supplement her income. I now sew to supplement mine. I make quilts from old clothes so I can sell them at a reasonable price.
There is no time to lose so I must get back to my sewing machine.
Even the label and ribbon are up-cycled. I make bags for the goodies to go away in from old magazines, I don’t buy them but fish them out of the recycling bin in the supermarket car park…………..I read them first and then use them for wrapping paper and to make carrier bags.
Over to you Dear Reader, who else is going to pull themselves out of the financial depths by doing some extra work? Who else is already making either for themselves and their family, charity or to make some money over the festive period. It’s not long so you’d better get going soon.
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxxx
I don't make to sell but I have made this year's Christmas presents already. Used scraps of fabric and recycled zippers.
I get most of my fabrics from thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, and donations from friends. I like working with what I find and feel overwhelmed when going in a quilt store. Too many choices there and too much money needed.
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Last Christmas, I made quite a few 'curtain bags' for gifts, which were well received (and used!) Recently, I rang around several people on my Christmas list and we mutually agreed not to do presents this year - most were as relieved as me…but it's not an easy thing to say! Better start making…notebooks? Bunting? Lap quilts? And more bags!
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I have just started to sell bits and bobs on ebay! Never had to bother before as always had a reasonable salary but now have returned to study, every penny counts!
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I Ebay in the winter when more people stop in and look online.
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I have not had time to make anything yet for Christmas. But I have been doing quite a few boot sales to clear the clutter and raise some extra cash. I brought Xmas cards in the sales for just a few pennies.
And also did the same for the wrapping paper. I have stopped buying any magazines as I just have to read everyone's blogs. Much more interesting.
Rosezeeta.
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Good tip, I am learning! I found that certain things sell better in different seasons.
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Yoosta-bee, love it!
At the moment, I'm happy to make just for the family & charity. But when the time comes that I have some free time, I'll be turning my mind towards thoughts of additional income. [Maybe sooner rather than later too. If I'm lucky with nursery places I'll have a couple of hours each day after the summer hols. Fingers x'd please! :)] Sx
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This is lovely. So inspiring. I'd love to get a sewing machine and make the time to do this sort of thing, just for the fun and satisfaction of it. My mum and sister were always very handy with a sewing machine and used to buy offcuts from C&H to make clothes for my niece when she was little. I can remember my mum cutting up our old dresses and appliqueing flowers and things onto little tunics that she'd made out of her old dresses. It feels so right living like this. As I think more about living a life less reliant on factory-produced stuff, I am getting so much satisfaction out of doing it myself. I haven't started sewing yet, but tonight I made a chicken pie from scratch using last night's leftover roast chicken and peas and some mushrooms leftover in the fridge. I even made the pastry and the result was DIVINE - with enough leftover for another day! The inspiration for this pie was going to a meat wholesaler's and seeing a nasty mass-produced chicken pie in their freezer! I've been thinking a lot about how we as consumers are hoodwinked by the manufacturers into buying rubbish. I looked at my bottle of hand soap today and the main ingredient was 'aqua' - water of course, but with a fancy name to kid us into thinking we're buying something worth the money!
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I've started cross stitching my xmas cards for family and friends 🙂 it's small but it's a start x x x
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6 months to Christmas… what a thought! A few years ago i knitted scarves for everybody; thinking I'd move it up a notch and get better at it for the next year. Really not a knitter, think it'll be more of the same this year!
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Heavens. I have ideas and intend to use yarn from my stash. Better get started. I have some ideas but have to find the time and energy to making them.
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I was given a tote bag a few years ago which I've used as my library book bag, it's looking a bit tatty now so I carefully took it apart so that the pieces could be used as a pattern to make another, I've also started knitting again this year, I've knitted two patchwork bed throw rugs and onto my third, no fancy stitches, just plain stocking stitch with chunky wool, they'll be used as chrissy gifts, both my grandmothers were great knitters and always asked for knitwear to be returned after the item was done being used, they'd then unpick the jumpers and cardigans or whatever and reuse the wool for other projects.
Your tote bags look beautiful Froogs, wish I lived there so that I could purchase one.
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I have recently registered as self employed and running a handmade business from home. This fits around chronic health issues in the family and my homeschooling our son.
Darling Hubby is my website manager/designer and the wee lad is very good at accosting folk in a supermarket queue to tell them of mum's venture! Guess he is the advertising executive then!
I have been fortunate to find a local outlet for my wares and following a planning meeting last week, was approached by a lady for a commissioned piece of work!
Thanks for the timely reminder re the December Bank Holiday! Need to make stuff for the shop and gifts for the family too!
Will listen to your webinar when I am in my sewing room tomorrow.
San xx
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Back when I could quilt, I would get my material from a furniture upholsterer. He had tons of sample books of fabrics which he would have just thrown out. Its worth a try if you are needing free material.. It was always a great source …
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beautiful bags, I also use up old fabric from what ever for sewing projects, toys or bags, but I don't sell them I do sell my art, but before I had the head injury that took my sight I cooked every summer for summer residents , to earn extra income,
we cut and burned our own firewood to heat our house, to save money and grew everything we could to save money, I was a stay at home mom so I did everything I could in my own way to supplement our income, it was a satisfying healthy life style choice, it was the way we were raised, I'm thankful my parents raised us to appreciate what our dollar buys, and the work it takes to earn each dollar,
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Jane
I am going that way more and more. Latley I have beenlooking at my store cupbords and seeing if I can go another day without shopping so far I have done nearly a week. I know there will be a point wehen I have to hit the stores but I love the creativity that comes for taking what you have and flying with it.
The Pie sound great and leftovers too,love it when that happens. Managed to make some sort of sausage casserole yesterday with mash and a quiche and there is enough for a stir fry of somesort as well. if there lucky I may make some vanilla suger cookies!. Your Mum sounds like she weas very nimble with her sewing so was my nan. and I have started in recent moths to up grade my skills wanting less and less to shop for clothes soft furnishings and bedding. Keep plugging at what you do as it sounds great!
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Your bag is great.
I have started to make bags too as the government will be charging for plastic bags as from 2015.
Julie
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Yoosta-bee is an awesome name! Your bags look sweet, unique and practical. Hope you make a pot from em, you should do!
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Oh yes and the majority of my cards and wrapping have already been purchased in the sales. I had an extremely hard up but loving childhood and my early adult years were very sparse financially. I built up my career and brought up to children solo without any recourse to the state apart from the child benefit that everyone in the UK got. I paid for my own childminder and never borrowed or got into debt apart from my mortgage so I guess that when I had more money from my hard work I felt perfectly justified in spending on myself and the children. Several years ago I was very ill and am still fighting my way back to health and my whole world changed. The employers to whom I had shown loyalty not to mention hours of unpaid overtime for over twenty years paid me only SSP! Legally within their rights but morally so wring in view of my attendance and employment record. When I was ill I could not even think about it as I was trying to get well and keep my sanity and head above water. When I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel my whole outlook had changed and I handed in my notice. I had been so loyal for so long they were stunned. I went back to college and took two badly paid but rewarding jobs working with children and young people to pay my way and last autumn with my children grown up and finally having flown the nest, though they do keep returning with various partners, pets etc for periods of time 🙂 I returned to university full-time. My income is less than a quarter of what it was and I don't know what the future holds but despite the lack of funds I am so much happier. I still do work with young people part-time and I love it. People often say money is not everything and it's very true. Next week to celebrate the end of exams I am heading off to a youth hostel for a few days with a couple of my friends and am as excited about that as I used to get about far flung travel. Of course I would love to be able to travel as I used to and there is a possibility that I will be volunteering in Africa with children and young people when I complete my course but nowadays I find enjoyment in so many things. I have wonderful friendships which when I was bringing up the children whilst working 12 hour days I just did not have time for. So I have less money but I am infinitely richer in other ways!
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Thanks Rachel! It's nice to be able to chat like this and exchange ideas. I've always kept an eye on what I'm spending but it's only recently I've started looking for blogs like this one, and researching ideas on the internet. When my kids were younger I didn't have the internet, and it makes such a difference. This weekend (instead of getting on with the cleaning, that's the only downside!) I researched and saved recipes for making your own laundry detergent and liquid hand soap, so they are next on my list to try. I'm getting more and more into the feeling that this isn't just about saving money, it's about living right. I plan to do my shopping this week with a view to cutting out mass-produced and processed food and household products, although some of it I'm very happy to buy, eg tomato puree and tinned tomatoes - don't know what I'd do without those! So I want to make use of the best that's out there to make my life easier, but to be discerning about what I do spend my hard-earned money on. I am challenged as well to spend less time in front of a screen and more time doing creative things with my hands, like I used to when I was a child. I like the sound of your vanilla sugar cookies. I made 3 banana loaves yesterday using frozen bananas (whenever they get too ripe to eat, I stick them in the freezer). My husband and son wolfed down a whole loaf between them in half an hour! But it was so much healthier than a commercial one as I used wholemeal flour and half as much sugar as the recipe said. There weren't any complaints! I can see I'm going to be busy in the kitchen from now on…!
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Of course I mean wrong not wring - doh, sorry!
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I love that name: “Yoosta be”. Great! Froogs, your bags look lovely and I wish you the best in your venture! I love the idea of repurposing things. I recently pulled a table out of my garage that had old wicker peeling off of it. My husband and I took all the old wicker off of it and underneath was a nice, study table with a metal frame. We cleaned it up and it now adorns our patio!
Again, I wish you the best! Rose in NC
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I love your sewing and thriftiness. Those bags will never wear out ..mmm Laura Ashley such a lovely reminder of beautiful dresses.
When I was young I remember dad getting an old sample book of wall paper …I'm sure we had the best covered books in the school-that really was thinking differently for over 50 years ago.
Love your blog and all the ideas that you write about and being wise with your money instead of basically throwing money in the rubbish.
Alexa from Sydney, Australia
http://www.Alexa-asimplelife.com
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I like your words…a satisfying healthy lifestyle choice…even if there was no other way to live 🙂
Alexa visiting from Sydney, Australia
http://www.Alexa-asimplelife.com
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So true with not buying magazines…people must spend a fortune only to throw them out. There is so so much on people's blogs for us to find of interest or to learn some new ways and idea.
Alexa visiting from Sydney, Australia
http://www.Alexa-asimplelife.com
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I,m making items for my grandchildren,s Santa sacks knitted the 3 toddlers a dressed rabbit so far
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I love the bag!
Do you have a pattern?
Lisa
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