Fire Starter Frugal Tip

The cold weater is not over yet and maybe you have run out of fire starters.  Possibly you got caught without dry kindling on a wet day.  Here is a very frugal way to start a fire. 

A friend had a pile of ragged jeans next to her fireplace and I asked her what she was planning to do with them.  She told me she uses them to start her fire.  Well, I had never heard of burning cotton clothing so I went home and tried it.  Voila!!  It worked and it worked very well.  This pair of pants was too small for anyone in my family so I used it to start my fire.  The cotton burns slowly so it gives the fire a chance to start. 

You may be an old hand at frugality and this may not be new to you but it was new to me.  If it is news to you also, give it a try.  Grab an old shirt or whatever you have that is 100% cotton and has no more use as clothing and try it out! 

Leave a comment and me know how you like it.  Thanks!

Keeping warm,

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All Natural Clothes Dryer

Last Wednesday was a gorgeous, sunny day.  The air was warm and fresh, the perfect day for line-dying some clothes.  I hung my sweaters on hangers or just on the line.  Also, the down comforter and quilt went on the line for some freshing up. 

My mother said that the sun had antibacterial properties.  It was healthy to hang things in the sun as it killed germs.  My search on the internet didn't produce any proof positive but they sure smell good after they are hung on the line. 

I know that it is frugal to dry clothes and linens this way.  It not only saves on electricity (or gas) but the clothes last longer.  I admit that I don't line dry all my clothes.  Maybe I work to dry more this way.  Couldn't hurt! 

Give it a try if you have never done it.  You might actually like the result and save yourself money in the process! 

Warmly,

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Free Mitten Tutorial

Winter is still here but maybe the mittens have disappeared.  If this has happened to you, just grab an old sweater and make some more!

These sweater mittens are easy and fun to make. 

Step 1.  Get an unused sweater.  If it is wool, felt it first.  Wash in warm water and dry.  This will shrink it up.  If it cashmere, you don't have to felt it.  I found this cashmere sweater at a thrift store. 

Step 2. Make a pattern.  Trace around your hand onto a piece of paper. Make sure you include the seam allowance.  Remember the seam allowance is turned to the inside, so make room in the thumb for it and your thumb.  Use cardstock if you want a durable pattern. 

Step 3.  Turn the sweater inside out.  Lay the pattern on the sweater so the cuff of the mitten is at the bottom of the body of the sweater.  That way the cuff is already finished.  Cut out around the pattern.  That makes the 2 pieces of one mitten.  Do this again, so you have 2 sets. 

Step 4.  Sew around the mitten.  Clip close to the seam between the thumb and the main part of the mitten.  Turn to the right side and you are done!

Try making some out of fleece.  I had some scraps of fleece so I made some mittens for my sons.  Be sure to add some to the wrist if you use fleece.  It doesn't stretch like a sweater and you need room to get your hand in it. 

Let me know if you make some mittens.  I'd love to see your creations!

Happy sewing,

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You Never Know Until You Try!

This sewing machine was given to me when I graduated from high school (many years ago!).  It is a super machine, cast iron and quite a work horse. 

It stopped winding bobbins several years ago.  I got a new machine, made mostly of plastic, so I wound my bobbins on that.   I checked around for prices to fix my "old faithful' and it was going to cost between $30-50.  Yikes!  So finally, I decided to be brave and try to fix it myself.  Taking off the cover with a screwdriver, I saw that the little rubber wheel was so old that it has started to disintegrate.  I found one online and ordered it.  You can see the inside of the cover with the rubber off. 

I snapped on the wheel and tried it out.  It barely moved the bobbin around.  Then I noticed that the post moved very stiffly. 

I added a drop of oil and spun it around for a few minutes.  It spun smoothly.  Now it works!!

You can see the bobbin really going, now.  The part plus shipping was only $8 instead of at least $30! 

I am seriously going to "hang out my shingle" to service and repair machines.  Hopefully, I can teach my boys so they will learn more about machines and maybe do it as a home business. 

If you are interested in fixing your own machine, give it a try.  Open it up and see if there is any obvious problem.  If nothing jumps out at you, you may want to buy this book, "Sewing Machine Repair as a Home Business" by Reuben O. Doyle.  I bought it to learn more about repairing machines.  It is very detailed, including lots of illustrations.  It even discusses how to adjust tension and timing.  Click HERE to order. 

So be brave.  You never know until you try!  You might save yourself a lot of money and be back in business sewing. 

Blessings,

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Freebie of the Day: Free Books!

One of the best kept secrets is Project Gutenberg.   This site offers over 30,000 books that are in e-book form.  They carry high quality items: Their books were previously published on paper by bona fide publishers and digitized with the help of thousands of volunteers.


All their ebooks can be easily downloaded: Choose between ePub, Mobipocket, HTML and simple text formats.   Their books are free in the United States because their copyright has expired. They may not be free in other countries. Readers outside of the United States must check the copyright laws of their countries before downloading or redistributing the ebooks.

There is no fee or registration required to use the site.  You have the option to donate if you wish. 

My son loves to read the G. A. Henty books.  They can be difficult to find or expensive to purchase.  We have found most if not all of Henty's books here.  We download the book and then burned it to CD so my son can read it on his laptop.  You could also read it from the computer to which you downloaded it. 

To Save: Click on the title of the book.  On that page, right click on the "main site" on the HTML line and then click "save target as"  Choose a file to save it in and click save.  That's it!

I have also used this site to preview a book I was planning to buy.  Easy and quick.  Search by author.

Hopefully, you enjoyed this freebie tip.  Any questions?  Just drop me a line.  Let me know if you also like Project Gutenberg.

Blessings,

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