Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!
I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.
We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.
To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!
Sunday, 15 March 2020
Making washable face pads from recycled towels.
Friday, 1 November 2013
Trip around the world quilt
So now the nights are drawing in and the clocks have changed, I find myself with time to craft, again.
I have been making 2 1/2 " strips from various saved and recycled cotton fabric to start on my next quilting project, a Trip around the World quilt. I also have some strips I purchased from the Quilt show I went to a few months ago and a few rolls I found in a charity shop last month :)
Playing with layout and colours :)
Sewing the strips together
Cutting the strips
After sewing them into tubes, I unpicked the tubes so that the strips started on a different square
Not yet sewn together as I want to make more strips and play with the orientation and design.
If you have no idea what I am up to and want to know more - see this excellent tutorial from Bonnie K Hunter here
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Renovations and decorations
One of the things we have been doing recently is moving back into the newly renovated and redecorated master bedroom.
After what seems like a very long time (16 years!) the room is finally completed, Compostman did a terrific job and we are so pleased with the result!
The colour scheme in the bedroom is similar to that which we chose for the sitting room. With the wooden floor, furniture and doors the effect there was (in our opinion) really lovely - lots of earth tones. It was only after we finished that we realised the colour scheme was similar to one we had seen in an online paint catalogue!
Regardless, these are our favourite colours and we wanted a similar, warm, cosy effect in our new bedroom. Compostman and I discussed colour schemes but in the end we decided we liked the caramel/terracotta/chocolate theme so much that we would use the same colours again. And of course we still had lots of paint left over, so it was a thrifty move to make as well.
So in our new bedroom we have one terracotta wall,
the other three walls are caramel, the woodwork and ceiling is white and we have picked chocolate coloured blinds for the windows.
Obviously to turn a painted room into our new cosy bedroom I had a wish list of things we needed; a bed, headboard, mattress, wardrobe, lighting fittings, several chests, new curtains/blinds and at least one bookcase (!) as well as blinds, a rug or two, a blanket chest and pictures, candles etc.
After a good clean up and polish we re used our old wooden wardrobe and chests and with the new (FSC) solid oak wooden floor the overall effect is pretty good, although I do say it myself :) We removed the old carpet and took it away - we inherited it when we moved in and it was old, even then, but not in a good way.
We have moved our divan bed and headboard from our old bedroom. I decided to replace the (very old and rather faded) curtains with blinds as I realised just how much better blinds would be to shut out the light. I managed to find some blackout blinds in exactly the right colour chocolate and the old curtains have been washed and cut up for patchwork and rags.
I remembered I had a wool rug stored away in the loft which we inherited from Compostmans parents' house. I got it out and it is just right for the room :)
I am now sorting through the fabric stash to see what I can use to make the log cabin quilt I have in mind for our bed in the new bedroom :)
Apart from a couple of small rugs for either side of the bed where our feet hit the floor and a chocolate valance sheet, the room is finished and it is just how we wanted it. I am so pleased with the result :)
The view from one of our bedroom windows.
Thursday, 14 March 2013
The Quilt that got away from me ...
And it does actually cover our bed. With enough to hang down the sides!
I have decided to make it a lightweight quilt, with a sheet as wadding and another as a backing because that way I can use it on a bed and wash it relatively easily. If I use even thinish cotton wadding it will take a long time to dry, and with the cats leaving dirty paddy paw prints on everything I need to be able to wash and dry stuff fairly easily. I do have a lovely quilt in the guest bedroom (where not cats are allowed!) and I knw how long that takes to dry, so this is a better way to make a quilt for our bed.
The materials are all old nightdresses or pajamas of mine and Compostmans, and sheets /pillowcases we had when we were first married in 1985. As they became worn out I stashed them away, waiting to use them for "something else".
A quilt for our bed seems appropriate I think :-)
Thursday, 28 February 2013
More on that quilt...
I have spent every evening this week working on my quilt.
Cutting out squares, re arranging them into a pattern I liked, sewing them together into long strips and then ironing all the seams the same way. Last night I started to sew the strips together into a bigger rectangle.
I only had to unpick two squares of one seam, which I think is pretty good going by 11 pm at night!
I spent a fair bit of time making sure all the seams were lined up and smooth
I have three more of the strips to sew on and then I need to add a double width plain boarder all around in a slightly darker pale green.
The backing will be a plain pale green fabric ( old sheet) and I will bind the front with that as well - still not decided what to use as the wadding, whether to go for the cotton wadding I have in store, or use an old fleece blanket. As the fabric is polycotton I think I might go with the fleece - makes it easier to wash if the cats get on to it ( as they will, they get everywhere!)
Having only ever made a basic tiny square quilt for my dolls and a pot holder for my Mum when I was little (40 plus odd years ago now), made of scraps and with an old bit of blanket as wadding, I *am* really pleased with how I am getting on and how it is progressing :-)
And it is such fun to do - and it must be the first time I have EVER got the iron out without feeling utterly miserable - actually enjoyed ironing my seams flat :-)
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
What I have been up to lately - Quilting
Finally, I got started on my quilt.
Sorting through some the old fabrics I am going to re purpose
Cutting out lots and lots of squares
Table has been like this for several days now!
Starting to sew the squares together...using my new quilting foot makes the seams so much easier to do!
Saturday, 19 January 2013
Crochet and more crochet
Cutting up a couple of old, holey fleeces to make cushions for the cat carriers and yarn for a crochet cat blanket.
Untangling my good Debbie Bliss yarn, where naughty Cassie cat has a play with it (Arrrggghhh!)
Sorting out lots of ends of aforementioned yarn to use up in granny squares.
using this pattern - nice and straightforward, although I have a fancier centre square and border squares planned!
So far I am well ahead with my plan to crochet at least a square a day - I have done 25 squares so far since Jan 1st and also have several several other items part completed :-)
The view from my crafting table - all very cosy :-)
How are you occupying yourself during the snowy weather?
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Crochet rag rug - still a wip.
Still not completed, but you get the general size and shape from this photo
Saturday, 22 December 2012
How I made the rag rug yarn
I cut up the cotton fabric into inch wide strips - and wound then into balls of yarn for easier handling.
Most of my tee shirts are not tubular round the middle section, so I could not use the "continuous spiral method" described in this link ( kindly given to me by Blue Witch ). They have seams up each side, so I had to cut them into long continuous strips, with a thicker section where I turn around and cut back down again.
As I also used the arms of some long sleeved tee shirts this gave me shorter lengths which have more knots in the ball of yarn.
So, having cut and joined the strips of tee shirt, I then made a foundation chain of about 75 stitches using a 15 mm hook - I just made the chain as large as I wanted the width of the rug to be (about three feet) and then I used (UK, not called the same in US!) double crochet in rows, back and forth, - the rug is about 4 feet long now and VERY colourful :-)
The knots merge in with the holes in the crochet loops and it feels fine under foot, and I am very pleased with it :-)
Hope this helps you to get started.
Flannel shirts would work for this I think, as would fleece (spun polyester type) blankets - they can be found very cheaply in charity shops here so I am going to make one of these as a cat bed, next.
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Crochet rag rug making
I have loads of old, worn or holed cotton tee shirts, which are no good for charity donation, so I keep for making rags. I had a look and sorted out some in bright colours to make into cotton yarn
I cut strips about an inch wide and tied them together.
because the fabric is 100% cotton all the trimmings can go in the compost!
And then I started to crochet... using a 15 mm crochet hook
As you can see, it is going to be a good sized rug! It keeps me occupied during these dull wet days where I can't do much in the garden.
I will keep you all posted as to how I get on :-)
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Mending the duvet
The buttons and the seams were easily fixed with new buttons and some sewing machine work BUT the hole was a bit harder to fix.
I got out an embroidery hoop and darned the thin, holed ares until it was much stronger. I could have used my sewing machine but small jobs like this are better done by hand I feel :-)
I was left with an area of darned fabric which needed covering, so little fingers did not "worry" at it again :-)
So I went to my stash of fabric and found an old pair of much loved cords of Compostgirls,from when she was 6 or so, which had some lovely fabric flowers on them - I was thinking about making some but remembered I had these in my stash box.
I cut off a flower and sewed it over the darn
And lo - a duvet restored to use and back in action on Compostgirls bed :-) she was very pleased with this :-)
What have you repaired, lately?
Thursday, 15 November 2012
What I have been up to recently
I have loads of old, worn or holed cotton tee shirts, which are no good for charity donation, so I keep for making rags. I had a look and sorted out some in bright colours to make into cotton yarn
I cut strips about an inch wide and tied them together.
because the fabric is 100% cotton all the trimmings can go in the compost!
And then I started to crochet... using a 15 mm crochet hook
As you can see, it is going to be a good sized rug! It keeps me occupied during these dull wet days where I can't do much in the garden.
I will keep you all posted as to how I get on :-)
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Zero Waste Week - update
Not much stuff for the Landfill bin so far ( hurrah!)
Before and after photos will follow at the end of Zero Waste Week - but am too busy decluttering to post any now!
How are you all getting on? Any tips to share?
Friday, 31 August 2012
Yes it is that time of year again, folks! Time to think of ways to reduce your waste.
The fifth National Zero Waste Week takes place week beginning 3rd September 2012. This year’s theme is ‘One More Thing‘ which reminds us that the collective impact of taking baby steps can add up to significant change.
National Zero Waste Week is a grassroots campaign that encourages householders to reduce landfill waste. It was launched in 2008 and more than 100 people took part that year. Everyone was motivated, committed and, most importantly, when the week was over, most kept their new ‘good habits’ in place.
If you want to know more about Zero Waste Week and why Rae Strauss started it, five years ago, then read this article to find out more.
So, how can I join in?
This year we’re focusing on improving our recycling habits because if every household in the UK recycled ‘one more thing’, the total amount collected for recycling could increase by more than three quarters of a million tonnes. So decide on your activity and leave a comment on My Zero Waste telling us what you pledge to do, then come back during National Zero Waste Week and let us know how you are getting on. Be sure to bookmark the page!
If you have a blog or webpage, please help spread the word by writing about National Zero Waste week – you can grab an image on the My Zero Waste website!
If you’re on twitter or facebook, encourage your friends and family to join in too.
FACEBOOK – Join our zero waste facebook page and check out the events page
TWITTER – Use the twitter hashtags #onemorething and #nzww and follow My Zero Waste.
If you have a blog or webpage, please help spread the word by writing about National Zero Waste week – you can grab an image on the My Zero Waste website