WHAT DID YOU MAKE TODAY?

[Woody girl]

Picked up some nice thick curtains in the charity shop yesterday. They are too short!
Grr! Was hoping they would be good in the spare room.
I'm going to have to find some material to lengthen them with. Even more of a faff than shortening them.

 

[Pattree]

Is there enough in the hem to fold down and put in a false hem at the back? ……… If the colours still match

 

[Woody girl]

Is there enough in the hem to fold down and put in a false hem at the back? ……… If the colours still match

Sadly, no.
My windows are an odd size.
I did think they were longer than they were. Blooming mm instead of the inches that a calculixic learned painfully, and just cannot get her head round metric. No matter how hard she tries. I still calculate money in £sd, in my head! Tho daily use of cash has gotten me to a stage where I can cope with it. I still use pounds and ounces in the kitchen. I just cannot visualise say 25 mm, or cm but fairly easily can guess 5 or 6 inches, or a yard, as I use my handspan, thumb and arm length, which I can physically see .
It's my glitch. I do try, but always get it wrong! But then I am pre decimal by a fair few years.
I'll find some nice material and make some unique curtains. No biggie.

 

[Tengu]

Oh, thats a shame.

I didnt make anything but I went to the Car Boot and found some good bits.

Such as something I have been looking for some time. Ma Broons cookbook.

(I already have the But n Ben cookbook.)

So, Scottish cookery will be in my reach!

 

[Tengu]

Ah, I forgot; I made some mittens from some old out at heel socks.

Very effective. And as my fingers are free I can work in them.

 

[Toddy]

Oh, thats a shame.

I didnt make anything but I went to the Car Boot and found some good bits.

Such as something I have been looking for some time. Ma Broons cookbook.

(I already have the But n Ben cookbook.)

So, Scottish cookery will be in my reach!

See if you can find an older copy of The Scottish Women's Rural Institute Cookbook

They become family inheritances....my son and my cousin's daughter had a squabble over who got old Aunt Annie's when she died at 96....Son1 won, but Son2 knows he'll get mine Cousin's daughter got one from an Aunt on the other side.

Very simple, very clear, straightforward everyday cookery book. Seasonal in a way

 

[Kepis]

Wooden mushrooms, stick wizards and flowers.

Not all made today but over the past few days to keep my mind occupied and my hands and arms exercised.

The whole lot is now on the grass verge in front of the house for people to take.

 

[Ystranc]

I made an arm, a leg and two articulated shoulders for an antique Grodnertal wooden doll, now she’s bionic but only 75%antique. The Mrs is happy though.

 

[Woody girl]

Pickled onions.
managed to get a used chip shop pickled onion jar from the chippy a while back. It's now cleaned out , and filled with my own home grown pickling onions.
I do like a good pickled onion.

 

[Tengu]

Yes, a chippy jar is a good haul.

I filled mine with eggs.

 

[forrestdweller]

Turned the legs of some old worn out jeans into some pouches for various bits. The hardest part was setting the sewing machine up!

so i'm not the only one doing this... lately i've been using a "messenger bag" (=worn across my shoulder like an arrow quiver) to carry a few EDC items, as it's getting old i'm cobbling up a new one at the moment whilst concocting diner on the fire (supervised by three dogs)
now i'm faced with the challenge to find some needles worth buying (read: not soft (chinese?!) junk) as i broke my second-last one yesterday...

 

[GreyCat]

@forrestdweller : Needles for hand sewing: well, John James https://www.jjneedles.com/ make a good range... I prefer the ones in packets to the ones in pebbles......

...... but if you want a really nice needle, Tulip needles are the biz: https://www.tulipneedles.co.uk/ and their pins are great too. Not cheap, but worth it IMO if you sew a lot.

I use Tulip needles for my embroidery, although I use John James needles for general purposes.

Also worth checking out the John James needle guide https://www.jjneedles.com/images/needles-guide/John_James_Sewing_Needle_Guide_Type_Length_Size.pdf, as matching the type of needle to what is being sewn (and the thread) makes a big difference. Tulip's needle catalogue also lists different types: https://www.tulipneedles.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/01.-Hand-Sew-Needles-2020.pdf

Enjoy!
GC

 

[Woody girl]

Finished another wool bat stuffed sit mat. This one is much smaller, and has two layers of wool batting.
I plan to use this one during winter to sit on while waiting for buses and sitting on benches which are dreadfully uncomfortable when it's cold and wet.
I'm also in the middle of making conker and lemon liquid soap, just waiting for it to cool and be popped into a dispenser. It doesn't last long, only about a week, so I'll need to do a lot of handwashing and showering ! Smells lovely.

 

[Pattree]

I didn’t know that conkers could be useful.

 

[Woody girl]

I didn’t know that conkers could be useful.

About the only use I've discovered apart from being used medicinally for varicose veins, but my herbalism isn't up to that level yet.
As you know, conkers are not normaly edible so soap it is for now.
Easy to make.
400g conkers quartered
1 lemon sliced
1 litre of water
Bring to boil, and simmer 25-30 mins
Leave to cool and infuse.
Wizz up with electric wizzy wand
Strain, and decant.
Keep in fridge or cool place, use within a week.
If you have lots of conkers, you can wizz them up after cutting into smaller pieces and dry/ dehydrate for future use in the same way.

 

[Laurentius]

I didn't make anything today but I made a leather axe mask yesterday and I shall be making cider very soon.

 

[forrestdweller]

@forrestdweller : Needles for hand sewing: well, John James https://www.jjneedles.com/ make a good range... I prefer the ones in packets to the ones in pebbles......

...... but if you want a really nice needle, Tulip needles are the biz: https://www.tulipneedles.co.uk/ and their pins are great too. Not cheap, but worth it IMO if you sew a lot.

I use Tulip needles for my embroidery, although I use John James needles for general purposes.

Also worth checking out the John James needle guide https://www.jjneedles.com/images/needles-guide/John_James_Sewing_Needle_Guide_Type_Length_Size.pdf, as matching the type of needle to what is being sewn (and the thread) makes a big difference. Tulip's needle catalogue also lists different types: https://www.tulipneedles.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/01.-Hand-Sew-Needles-2020.pdf

Enjoy!
GC

thanks for the info, but i'm located in central america.... (==meaning i've to buy something locally available due to our ridiculous shipping and import fees...)

edit: my last batch of needles i bought from a shop in town, they were of a better quality than the ones mentioned in post #91 -- only i can't remember where... (fortunately there's some folks who might know when i ask )

 

[slaine_23]

As you know, conkers are not normaly edible

I’ve heard they stop spiders from entering the house, something to do with the smell?Can’t verify it but have heard it several times in places recently.
Not but if it were a spider the size of the bugger that jumped out at me yesterday you’d be safer throwing the conkers at it.

 

[demented dale]

I made a smoker using some road spikes, barbeque grills and fire blankets. seems to work ok. I used peat or turf as is known here in Ireland and smoked white pudding which is an Irish version of black pudding.

 

[Springchicken]

I made a spoon for my twelve-month old grandson:

Unoiled...






and oiled...



I also started flattening out a warped plank with my scrub plane. It will become a bench, once I've shaped the ash legs and stretchers and made the mortices and tenons...


The wood on both is seasoned maple, which I now know is really rather hard!