Showing posts with label reuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reuse. Show all posts

Sunday, 17 November 2024

Inside The Old Rectory

Good morning. It's Sunny Sunday. I will slot these Rectory posts in as and when I have time. Shorter days are a pain, I never have time to do what I want to do. Yesterday I did a seven mile walk, chatted to a man who was tidying his garden, he wife came home so I chatted to her as well. Then I passed a friend who was tinkering with his car on his front driveway. I chatted to him and his wife, I like them, a nice couple. Time spent walking, and chatting with friends, is important for my mental health and well being.
The computer problems are ongoing until I have time to sort them. Now I know why other people have reported that they can only comment as Anonymous. I am beginning to wonder if Big Tech want to weed out all the useless social media users. Is this the plan. They don't like it when we speak out against the official narrative. We'll get rid of that lot. I am suspicious of everything. 
Anyway, take a look at these pics. Beautiful wall tiles just inside the front door entrance. I hope this is saved and reinstated in the renovations. 
Small lavvy room just inside the front door. 

Most of my indoor photo's were shot in the dark. I couldn't actually see what was there. Had to be careful not to stumble on the rubbish strewn about. I have brought the colours out with lots of saturation. I didn't touch anything. This is just how I found it. 
There was a lot of personal items. Such a shame that someone's life has been discarded. I hope someone new comes along and sifts through them and catalogues them.  





I personally think that everything in this place which is salvageable should be preserved for history. It is doubtful that somebody will want the job of sorting through it and it will be thrown in a skip. This is heartbreaking for me, and prompts me to sort through my own possessions and scale them down before I die.
 
I went to our local council tip the other day to dispose of a rotten old door and some broken plastic bowls which I have used in the garden. A woman was there throwing a big bag of things which didn't look like rubbish to me. I said to her, looks like there might be some useful stuff there. Her reply, 'I am clearing out the kids toys to make room for the new ones I am buying for Christmas'. I looked down into the supposedly scrap wood skip. There was some useful small furniture pieces in there, which could have been painted and made new again. We in the Western World have had it too easy to go and buy new stuff. 
Anyway, I will quit the rambling. I have a plan for today. 
Thanks for popping in. Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.  ilona 

Friday, 13 September 2024

Exclusive fashions.

If you possess a garment that is a little bit boring, and you don't enjoy wearing it, you could jazz it up a bit with some stitchery and some buttons. Let your imagination run wild. Add colour. 
This cardy was £1 from a charity shop. It's functional, made in a far away factory, and it's a bit bland. Needs something. Needs colour. I followed the lines in the pattern and added some colourful running stitches. I took the original matching buttons off and replaced them with colourful odd buttons. I also added extra bigger buttons for decoration. 

What next? I know, I need pockets. Old socks worn out on the heels, cut them off at the ankle, and there you go, pockets. Glittery bits added. Now what do I do with the other five pairs of socks? I'll think of something. 

I thought about extending the coloured stripes over the shoulders and putting them down the back as well, but that would be too predictable. I need circles. Some on the back and three on one arm. I might add some more later. 

I am now looking at my clothes in a different way. Not shoving them to the back of the wardrobe if I don't like them. What could I do to customise them? Maybe start my own fashion label. You never know, the trend might catch on. Friday the 13th, unlucky for some. But lucky for me because I have just found out there is a local event on tonight. I may be going for a walk. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

Saturday, 17 August 2024

Before and after

I have been walking around with this on my head for about four years. It started out as a cheap 50p child's cap. It was far too small for me but it was cheap. To remedy that I cut the top out and covered the whole thing with a colourful fabric remnant. Every time it started to fade and become grubby I stripped it and covered it again, four times. 
The latest refurbishment of my sun visor. I don't like sun glasses so this is the perfect solution to protect my eyes from the glare of the sun. It will last another year. 

I now have a choice. This one, or the black one with glitter trimmings. 
Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

Saturday, 15 June 2024

Pick up the pieces with Ursula

 Thanks to theboatgirl for passing on a link to an excellent blog which highlights the problems of discarded rubbish washed up on our beaches. I met Dave Shackleton at Ravenglass last week. Check out the  story here. 

On this Wordpress blog Ursulatroche there is information about an event taking place right now. If you are within 20 miles of Ravenglass why not go and have a day out there. The address is: Old Cross Cottage on Main Street, Ravenglass.

1: Trip to the Found Plastic Museum: – Ravenglass.

On the 15th June there’ll be an Open Day at the Found Plastic Museum in Ravenglass. 


Have a look at Ursula's blog it is full of interesting stuff about recycling and reusing. Check out this article from  a year ago. 
Pick Up the Pieces – a project about picking up plastic waste from the beach, and other lost objects and stories, and turning them into art.  The title picture sculpture shows my ‘Washed up’ boat-rabbit.
It's Saturday morning and I have one more post about my Lakes holiday last week. Pop in if you have time. If not, I hope you are out and about, away from your screens, having a bloody good time. 
Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

Saturday, 25 May 2024

Make a seat cushion.

Good morning. The sun is shining on this Bank Holiday Saturday. 
Here is a little project I knocked up yesterday. You might like to make something similar. This fleece sweatshirt has seen better days, it is worn out. So why not turn it into something else. 
First wash it, then lay it out flat. Cut off the waistband and the sleeves. 
Then remove the cuffs and open the sleeves out. The neckline was bulky so I cut that off as well. The back and front become the base, then layer the smaller pieces on top. 

Pin it all down and run the machine over it a few times to hold it all together. 

Find a piece of fabric to make the cover. I have lots donated to me from a house clearance. You could use a pillow case, a piece of curtain, or a bed sheet. It needs to be washable. 
Make a pocket and insert the home made wadding. Close up the end. I sew a line with the machine about three inches from the edge. This keeps it in place when in the washing machine. You could do a fancy quilt if you like. 
I have three office chairs which I move about in the living room. Mayze cat has first choice, I utilize the others depending on what I am doing. 


Sometimes I get to relax on the easy chair. 

I have a few of these covers now. Most of them are made from cut up duvet's. They are useful to use on garden seats as well. No need to buy new. 

Anyway. My builders have turned up. Looks like I won't be going far today. No doubt endless cups of tea will be needed, and yes, I have bought some teabags. 

Toodle pip. ilona 

Friday, 23 February 2024

It's curtains.

The first thing I see when I get up in the morning and go to the bathroom is the curtain at the top of the stairs. The sun comes up at the back and makes a beautiful kaleidoscope of colour. 

If you caught a glimpse of a picture on the wall to the side of the curtain, here it is. I found it in a skip. It is part of a childs wardrobe. The rest of it, a mangled frame with the other three sides in tatters, had been discarded. I rescued the front panel. 
At the bottom of the stairs is Mayze's hideyhole. Only one curtain here, the window is small. 

 Patchwork curtains are easy to make. Start with a centre piece, and keep going round and round adding more pieces until it reaches the size you want. Here is a blog post on how to get started on the patchwork. I used an old curtain liner to stitch onto. And here is another blog post about making up the curtain and the finished article. Perhaps you might like to have a go. Sewing machine needed. 

Amazing, the sun is out, I wonder how long it might last. I did my shopping last night, so I am stocked up once more. 

See ya soon. Toodle pip.   ilona

Sunday, 23 April 2023

Catch up video.

Nine pet beds made out of two donated duvet's. Normally I would go around the four sides a few inches from the edge to hold the layers together, but they are going to be too bulky to fit under the foot of the sewing machine. Instead I will hand stitch through from front to back in the four corners. That will stop the contents from scrunching up when they are put in a washing machine. 
Here is a catch up video, just to let you know what is happening. You will probably be able to hear  Mayze's snoring. 
I hope it stops raining so I can have a walk around the village. 
Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Wednesday, 12 October 2022

Hello Olesya

 Good morning. It's Wednesday and the bin men have collected the red bin. No sun to be seen this morning, it's cloudy. Cats fed, coffee drunk. 

This is for the sewers out there, recycling old clothes to be precise. I am a member of the group Waste not Want not, and Olesya (what a lovely name) often posts about her creations. Her clothes and accessories are a work of art for sure. She lives in Northamptonshire in the UK. 

If you are looking for ideas of what to do with old clothes take a look at her creations. She makes not just clothes, she has a range of accessories as well. Bags, hats, leg warmers, gloves, and suchlike. Her range of colours and styles is amazing. Some of them perfect for winter. 
Here is her web site. Slowfashionbus. Read her bio, her passion for sewing started at an early age using her mothers sewing machine. 
Her Etsy shop is here. Some of the items are a bit pricey but they are what you would expect for something that is an exclusive one off item of clothing. 
Olesya is also on facebook. 
Now I am going to get my breakfast. Porridge again but I have run out of fruit, so I am going to open a tin of peach slices. No plans for today as such. The sun is coming out, so I might go for a walk. The car passed its MOT test but needs some work doing. I will need to do some food shopping soon. 
Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip.   ilona

Thursday, 9 December 2021

New artwork and a coffee chat

Here are a few photo's of my new artwork. This is how it started out. A piece of fabric which fits perfectly on a 12 inch canvas. The canvas is second hand from a car boot sale. I did a collage on it but didn't like that.
And this is how it ended up. There was no plan, I just kept adding bits and bobs to it. 
The small flower sequins were from WH Smith, they have a reduced section of stuff they want to get rid of. 
 
The flower petals in the centre is an artificial flower which had been in the garden for almost a year. The red colour had faded so I painted it purple. After it was stitched on I decided that it needs some sparkle, so I painted it with red glitter glue. 
The centre is a broken brooch. The lace and red beads I have had for years. 

The silver chain is covered elastic. I inherited it from a friends house clearance. 


I laced the finished fabric at the back to pull it tight over the canvas. Then covered the back with a piece of plain cotton fabric. I like a tidy back. 

And here is a coffee chat video in which I show it. 
Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip    ilona

Tuesday, 8 June 2021

The butterfly is saved

Hello. My friend was throwing this out. It's quite big. It had solar powered lights on it but they had packed up. She said it is due for the tip. I said I would have it and tart it up a bit. I gave it a good scrub and removed the wiring for the lights, and the plastic gossamer wings. 
I took the gems off, some of them were missing and they were faded. I did think I would paint them with nail varnish but that was going to be a tedious job and I didn't have enough of them, or the right coloured nail varnish. 
I cut 34 small pieces of vinyl from my stash, to stick on in their place.  
I had some cans of spray paint from a house clearance. So now it is silver. 
Then I cut some bigger pieces of red vinyl for the wings, using the old pieces as a pattern. 
So there it is newly refurbished. Now I have to decide where to put it. 
Three parcels are in the post for Debi, Patty, and Sandra, winners of the guess how many dogs competition. Look out for them ladies. Open carefully, don't stab the contents. 
Don't need to go for a walk tonight, I did a litter pick this afternoon. The sun is still shining, I will go outside and water up. 
Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip.   ilona

Thursday, 4 February 2021

Coffee chat. Look what I found.

Hello. When I posted about the walk I did on Sunday, there was a little bit of the story missing. I thought I would put it into a video. I was walking along the road back to my car, when I came across a pile of fly tipping at the entrance to a field. Bits and bobs laid around on the ground. I had a look through it, and rescued some items to bring home. 
Snuggy warm PJ's. They were soaking wet, and a bit grubby from being chucked on the ground. I washed them in a bowl of hot soapy water, then they got a second wash in the  machine with a load of pants, socks, and t shirts. I think I will keep them. 
Perfectly good mugs, no chips or cracks, a good scrub up and they are ready to go. I will pass them on. 
I think they call this a lava lamp. The light heats up the oil and the blobs float to the top and drop down again. It was in a wet box and looked brand new, still in it's packaging. Plugged it in and it works. I will find a home for it. 
Lucky me, eh. I always keep my eyes open. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.  Toodle pip.   ilona

Thursday, 26 November 2020

Number 7.

Another one finished. Pink and white cotton fabric, twisted to make rope, made into a bowl. It's more like a cross between a plate and a bowl, wanted it to have a flat bottom and it doesn't need to be very deep. It has been suggested that a mat for the floor could be made by this method. yes it could, but it would take a long time. And it would need to be in darker fabric as this would get very dirty when continually walked over. A waste paper bin could also be made, yes it could. It would look very lovely in a pink bedroom. 
Added to the other bowls I have made. I'll move onto something else now, don't want to become bored with doing the same thing over and over again. 
 
I'll catch up with you later.   Toodle pip.   ilona