‘Guests’ Category

Cheri’s List

Posted on April 29th, 2010 by Tonia 11 Comments

I received a really nice letter from a friend and reader, Cheri.  She shared with me some of the things her family does to decrease their daily impact on the environment.

All of the items on her list are easy to implement into our lives– there’s really no reason not to.  But because I know, from experience, that unless green lifestyle changes are easy as pie to implement, we ain’t gonna follow through with them, folks!

So, I have decided to not only share her list of great ideas, but to also do the things on the list.  Check back soon for a video series of me demonstrating the items on Cheri’s list, so that you can see how it’s all done, and hopefully also try it yourself.  I will begin to post the videos next week!

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  • I don’t use the hair dryer until my hair is mostly dry – then use it just for a minute for a final style.
  • I make my own laundry detergent
  • Dry our clothes on our drying rack
  • Make my own salad dressing {reduces plastic bottles coming into the house}
  • Recycle plastics, glass, tin, paper {reduced our outgoing garbage to a bag a month}
  • Grow our own veggies, and batch cook – for example I’ll cook a big batch of rice/beans and freeze separate portions for later meals….and cook from scratch as much as possible.

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  • Take my stainless steel mug with me – if I need to stop and get a cup of something I’ll have them put it in my mug
  • Mend clothes – I’ve even gone so far as to turn frayed collars on my husband’s shirts
  • My dad only uses recycled paper in his printer – he gave me his schedule the other day printed on the back of an old bill – made me smile
  • After I bring the water to a boil for pasta, I put the lid on the pot, shut off the heat and let the pasta cook – it only takes a minute or so longer.  If I am cooking something for a longer length of time (stew or soup) I put another lid on top of the lid that matches the pot.  The extra insulation conserves energy.
  • After I boil the water for my morning tea {I don’t like to microwave water – I know – weird}, I  pour the remaining boiling water over my oatmeal and set it back on the burner {which has been turned off, but is still warm}.  In ten minutes my oatmeal is cooked.
  • We use shopping bags I made for grocery shopping.  I plan to make some lunch bags too, out of fabric for those times we take a picnic lunch somewhere or travel.
  • I wash and re-wash baggies.  Haven’t bought any in years.
  • We are a one car family
  • Instead of buying cleaning products {even Seventh Generation} – baking soda and vinegar will clean just about anything.
  • I use a shampoo bar made by a friend of mine instead of commercial shampoo {which has tons of chemicals in it and comes in those pesky plastic bottles}
  • And…{I’m inordinately proud of this one….} I use the dashboard of my car as a food dehydrator.  I bought a bushel of apples for $6 from a neighbor down the road and after I got tired of saucing and pie-ing them – I sliced them, dipped them in diluted lemon juice and put them on baking racks and spread them across the dash.  We get plenty of full sun here and they were dry in a little over a day.

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Thank you so much for the inspiration, Cheri! {Check out Cheri’s encouraging and refreshing blog…she writes about gardening, simple living, family, and faith.}

The No Impact Project: They Did It, And So Can We!

Posted on March 16th, 2010 by Tonia No Comments

Now this is what I’m talkin’ about!!  Have you heard of the No Impact Project?  It’s genius. I couldn’t wait to share it with ya’ll as soon as I found out about it.

In a nut shell, one family decided to make small changes every day in their lives to reduce their impact on the environment…and over time, all the small changes kept adding up…until one day they woke up and they were making zero impact on the environment!  This is exactly what Itty Bitty Impact is all about, so I am thrilled to find a family after my own heart who tried it, and succeeded! Every small step we take is a step in the right direction.

Oh readers…please watch the video, visit the site, feel inspired, and perhaps even take the challenge yourself!

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Guest Post: How to Make a Reusable Market Bag by Mama Mouse

Posted on February 7th, 2010 by Tonia 7 Comments

I am so excited to share this great tutorial with you all! When Mama Mouse gave us one of these market bags for Christmas, I immediately got excited and asked her to share the pattern with us for the blog. She did a fantastic job explaining the steps. So, without further ado, here’s Mama Mouse with her Reusable Market Bag tutorial!:

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Everyone on my list got a reusable market bag this past Christmas. I enjoyed making them, and the recipients seemed genuinely happy. I hope all the bags will be put to good use!

I began the project intending to repurpose nylon shower curtains into market bags, but couldn’t find any at our local thrift store that were lightweight enough so that the bag can be rolled very small, yet strong enough to withstand years of use. I instead opted for rip-stop nylon. It’s thin, durable, resists rips and is washable.

Here’s how to make your own reusable market bag. The pattern is a combination of several bags that I’ve used. Please read all the way through the instructions before starting.

Make a pattern: Using the diagram below, draw and cut out the 3 pattern pieces: main bag, upper bag lining, and tie. I used kraft paper that we have on hand but freezer paper, wrapping paper, newspaper, or even outdated fabric from your stash will work for this purpose.

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Lay out pattern and cut fabric: You will need 1 yard of 60” wide, rip-stop nylon ( or 1 ¼ yard of 44/45” wide fabric).

Here’s the scoop on layout: If one adheres to accepted sewing methods, the pattern pieces should be laid on the fabric so that the vertical alignment of the bag is in line with the grain of the fabric (in other words, parallel to the lengthwise fold of fabric). I don’t follow ASM for this project when using rip-stop nylon because I don’t think it’s that critical, and I prefer that the bottom edge of the main bag be placed on the fold. (You’ll see why, later.) In order to keep the bottom edge on a fold while following accepted sewing methods, I will need to fold the fabric crosswise, requiring an extra 2/3-yard. I think that is wasteful and unnecessary.

Choose whatever layout suits your fancy, but be sure that in either case you fold the fabric right sides together.

CUT:

2 – 2” x 10” strips for ties

2 – upper lining pieces

1 – main bag piece, on fold (Note that you will cut 2 main bag pieces if you’re using the ASM layout, and will be sewing them together at a later time. Add 1/2″ to the bottom edge to allow for seam.)

Photo 2 illustrates the pattern layout for ASM. Remember to add ½” to the bottom of the main bag pattern piece as explained above.

Photo 3 shows the alternate layout, henceforth known as “My Way.” 😉 Be sure to place the bottom edge of the main bag piece on the fold of the fabric.

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Sewing the bag (All seams are ½”)

Finish the bottom edge of lining. Do this by folding the raw edge under ¼”, then folding under again. Stitch close to folded edge. Repeat with other lining piece.

Sew lining to main bag piece. Lay lining on top of main bag, right sides of fabric facing each other, and sew along curved edges. Do NOT sew the sides of bag, or the top edge of handles. Repeat with other lining piece.

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Clip curved edges, trim seam, and turn right side out. Clip fabric along curved edges just to seam line, being very careful not to snip thread. Do this about every ¼” or so. Trim seams to ¼”. Turn right side out. Repeat.

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Prepare ties. Fold up about ¼” on one end of a 2” x 10” strip.  Now, fold strip in half, lengthwise, and crease the folded edge with your finger.  Open it up and fold both of the long edges to the crease, then fold one side over the other.

You will now have a piece that measures ½” x 9 ¾”.  Stitch close to edge along all three folded sides. The remaining end will be a raw edge – that’s fine because it will be sewn into the side seam of your bag during the next step. Repeat with other strip.

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Sew side seams. Fold the main bag (now with lining attached) along the bottom edge, right sides together. You’ll already have a nice crease if you cut it out My Way. The lining should be on the outside, facing you.

(NOTE: If you used the ASM layout, you will have two main bag pieces instead of one. Sew the 2 pieces together at the bottom edge now, using a ½” seam.)

Pin along side seams. Lay the ties on top of each other, and slip them in between the fabric pieces, approximately 5 ½” down from the bag opening, aligning raw edges to raw edge of bag.  The ties will be perpendicular to the side edge.  Pin ties in place to secure.  Stitch both sides of bag, catching the ties on one side as you sew.

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Reinforce stitching, and finish side seams. Sew both side seams again, just outside the previous seam line, and then finish the edge with a zig-zag stitch or something similar. (I use an overcast stitch, which finishes the raw edge and reinforces the seam at the same time.) It’s important to finish the seam in some fashion because rip-stop nylon frays very easily. Trim seam to edge of finishing stitch.

Hint: For a neater appearance, turn the top corners of the seam under before finishing.

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Make “box bottom.”: If you’ve never made a box bottom before, this may seem a little daunting, but it’s really not difficult at all.

First, note that the bag is still inside out. Pull the 2 layers apart at a lower corner, and match the side seam stitching line to the bottom crease. (I poke a straight pin through the stitching line to see if it aligns with the crease.) Secure layers with a few pins. Measure 2” up from the bottom point, fold finished seam to left side, and stitch across (perpendicular to seam line).  Your stitch line will measure 4” across.  Reinforce and finish raw edges just as you did for the side seams. Repeat with other corner. Turn bag right side out.

Hint: Mark stitching line with a pen to assure a nice, straight seam line.

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Top stitch 1/8″ from edge, all along top edges of bag, except for the unfinished handle ends. When stitching over seam lines, take care to fold the inside seam the same direction as it is at the bottom.

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Sew handles together. First, be mindful to use the correct pair of handles – that is, those on the same side of bag, not one on each side of the side seam. Fold one handle end up about 1/4″ and the other under about 1/4″, creating 2 v-shaped “hooks” that will lock into each other. Pin, and sew through the layers as close to the edges as possible. Sew again to reinforce.

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Now is a good time to sign your creation. Be proud of your sewing accomplishment, and the part you’ve played in reducing consumption of single-use bags!

To fold the bag into a compact, easy-to-take-along size, first tuck in the boxed bottom, which is easy because of the nice crease created by laying out the fabric on the fold. (a.k.a. My Way!) Fold the handles against the body of the bag. Fold the top quarter of the bag down to the center. Fold the bottom quarter up to meet the center. Now fold the bottom over the top, smoothing out air pockets. Fold this piece nearly in half, and then roll from the folded edge toward the ties.

Once completely rolled up, wrap the straps around the roll and tie with a bow.

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Final Step: Use and enjoy your handmade market bag!