Crafting: Fixing my Pyjamas

This is a pair of pyjamas that I've had for quite a long time now, at least the top which used to actually be a nightie before it reshaped itself after a few washes.  I will admit that I got these from Primark (which probably explains the quality) and they no longer fit properly, with the bottoms being too big around the waist and the nightie too short and wide.

  

However, I do really like this set (and yes I know it's the Grinch, but I actually wear this all year round) and I decided that, as I would have to get rid of them anyway, I would try and fix the sizing first.

Firstly I worked on the top/ nightie as this needs the most work, but should theoretically be the easiest to sew.  I cut off the arms and collar and reduced the length to one that's a bit more usual for a top.

I wanted to keep some space in the front without having to put darts in as this would break up the design on the front.  So I kept the width in the front panel and just let the front collar flop forward.  I then reduced the width in the back and re-sewed the edges, before hemming the bottom, armholes, and around the neckline. 

I also kept the strip of fabric (I think it's cotton) that was put in place the hold the shape of the back collar and resewed it into the top.

Next was the pyjama bottoms.  This should have been quite an easy fix as the only thing that needed to be changed was the size of the waistband.

  

However, as the band is elastic and I wanted to keep the width of the rest of the pyjama fabric, I needed to stretch the band whilst sewing with a zigzag stitch on the machine.  I've never actually done this before and a lot of concentration ensued.

All in all, this took me about a day to complete and was quite fiddly, not helped by the fact that my machine seems to be having issues no matter what I do with it.  However, it was definitely worth it as I'm now able to keep the pyjamas I love and I don't need to buy new ones.  It's also been a good practice with my sewing machine before I start using it for more complicated projects.

Hoped for Relaxed-Lockdown Activities (Outside)

Now that the UK Government is beginning to reduce the restrictions we have to follow during lockdown we've been taking a realistic, rather than fantasy pie in the sky, look at what we can now do when we leave the flat.  Of course, it all involves being outside and, more specifically, going walking/trekking and wild swimming.  It's still a little vague at the moment, but this is the plan we've got going so far.

Wild Swimming

We couldn't have come to a more perfect location to go wild swimming.  Devon and Cornwall are filled with great locations and many are close enough to us that we wouldn't be breaking the 'stay local' rule advised by the Government.  We've got the wetsuits so we can spend longer in the water and will be getting a whole lot of use out of them in the coming months.

We have already had a little swim in Sugary Cover (near Dartmouth) so we know the wetsuits mostly work, though I do need to fix the arms, and these are some of the locations I'm intending on visiting next:

• Cowsic Waterfalls Pools
• Salmon Leaps, Teign
• Peartree Point
• Elberry Cove
• Haytor Quarry
• Sharrah Pool
• Anstey's Cove
• Seaton Hole

To be honest, the list is almost endless.

Walking & Trekking

This is yet another thing in which we've lucked out on location-wise as we're not only close to Dartmoor but also a number of coastal walks.  Obviously, there's no longer the mountains we're used to, but these walks are looking just as beautiful and some can be just as challenging.  We're also looking out for a good tent so that we can do some wild camping which will allow us to extend our time outside on our days off.

There are a number of day trips that we can take during our wanderings, but these are some of the longer walks I want to do in the future:

• Two Moors Way (Devon Coast to Coast) - 100 miles
• Erme-Plym Trail - 15 miles
• South West Coastal Path (Britain's longest National Trail) - 205  miles
• West Devon Way - 37 miles
• Tarka Trail - 163 miles
• Templar Way - 18 miles

It is very unlikely that these will all be done by the end of 2021, but a full-grown woman can dream.

If I'm honest, the main thing for me at the moment is just the opportunity to spend some time away from the city getting my legs moving, and where the noises are a little less traffic and people-based, and a little more wind, wildlife, and crashing seas.  I'm also really looking forward to finally being able to properly explore the area I've moved to, and I'll let you know what I find.  If there's any locations and walks you think are good and that I've missed on my little list then please let me know.  There's only so much you can find when searching online.

Toiletries I'm Using at the Moment

Trying to ensure that the products that I use on a daily basis are as ethical as possible is still very important to me and a process that I will continue to work on.  Whilst I was in New Zealand there was a lot of research I needed to do as I wasn't familiar with the products there, but now I'm back in the UK it's been a little easier as I've been able to go back to the items that I knew whilst researching others.  These are what I'm using at the moment.

Dental Care

This hasn't changed much since the last time I wrote about the toiletries I'm using.  My toothbrush is the beechwood toothbrush from Georganics, along with their refillable dental floss (old packaging).  I've been able to go back to toothpaste tablets now for my toothpaste, which is not only less wasteful but I actually now prefer using them.  The tin is actually from Eco Living, which we originally got the tablets from and which I would really recommend, but I've refilled them with tablets from Georganics as it was the only place we could get 6 months worth in one go at the time (everywhere else was sold out).  We're not as keen on the Georganic ones, so we'll probably go back to Eco Living once these are finished.  I'm quite happy with how my dental care is at the moment, so I don't see myself needing to change anything any time soon.

Body Wash

I've used soap as my wash of choice for quite a while now, going for companies who produce cruelty-free, vegan, SLS free, and hand made products in recyclable packaging whenever I can.  Right now I'm using the Faith in Nature Lavender Soap.  It's a really nice product and I will buy it again, but really any soap that fits into this criteria would suit me.  I can't see me using anything other than soap from now on. 

Face Wash and Moisturiser

When I'm not wearing makeup I just use the bar soap for my body to clean my face.  I know that's not something people usually recommend, but my face tends to be quite dirty after work so the bar soap is what's needed.  When I do wear makeup I use jojoba and avocado oil with a flannel to remove it, and then second wash my face with the soap.  I can't see me changing this any time soon.

As for moisturising, I still use the oils that I make up myself (my recipe contains jojoba oil, avocado oil, rosehip oil, and a few drops frankincense essential oil).  I mostly get these oils from Naturally Thinking as I like the ethos behind the company (vegan, paraben-free, cruelty-free, grown local products) and I can't see me changing this anytime soon.  I have been finding that I need some extra moisture for my face at the moment, which is not unusual for this time of year.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find exactly what I looking for right now (mostly due to lack of stock), so I just picked up this face cream from Aldi whilst I was shopping.  It will help my skin until I can find something else, but it's not really something I would normally choose - though it is cruelty-free.  I'm thinking of something like the Pixi serum I've used before, but we'll see what I can find.

Sunscreen

This tends to change all the time and is based on what I can find with the finances I have at that moment.  Right now I'm using the Holland & Barrett Nature's Block 100% Natural Mineral Sunscreen.  It's vegan, cruelty-free, and (very importantly when it comes sunscreen) reef safe as it doesn't contain Oxybenzone and Octinoxate.  My face hasn't reacted to it, which can sometimes be a problem when I'm using a generic sunscreen on my face, but it is quite thick and does need to be rubbed in quite well.  It also leaves a bit of a white cast on your face.  Otherwise, it's pretty good and I would think about buying it again when I need to get more sunblock in the future.

Lip Care

Right now I'm still using the Ecostore beeswax lip balm I got from New Zealand, and my Mum got me a Burts Bees lip balm for Christmas, so I'll use this next.  Once these are both gone I'm going to look for a lip balm that's in more sustainable packaging.  I don't really put lip balm on during the day, usually just before I go to sleep, so having to use my fingers isn't really going to be a problem for me and means I could probably go for something in a metal tin.

Shampoo and Conditioner

I've now used up the shampoo and conditioner that I brought in NZ and have been looking for products with a lot less packaging.  However, I still want them to be SLS free, hopefully vegan, made in the UK and are cruelty-free.  I had gotten a shampoo bar from Gruum, which I wanted to try once my liquid shampoos were gone, and really liked it.  It cleaned my hair without drying it out and hasn't left that weird waxy layer that some bars do.  So, I decided to order the conditioner as well to see how that works (I've actually never used a conditioner bar before) and it does seem to be working pretty well.  I don't see me changing this any time soon and, even if I don't use these particular products, I think I'll stick to shampoo and conditioner bars rather than liquid versions.

Body Moisturiser

I had started looking for a more ethical moisturiser once mine had begun to run out, but then I realised that I still had quite a bit of jojoba and avocado oil left for items I was going to make but never actually got round to.  These oils do go off so I decided it would be a good idea to use them up.  These were the same oils from Naturally Thinking which I use to make my face oils.  So, after mixing them together into one bottle, I am now using it to moisturise my body.  If I'm honest, it doesn't really give me the full amount of moisture that I need for these winter months, but that has just meant that I have to moisturise much more often than I normally do.  Once this is used up (which might be a while - it's a big bottle) I'll start looking for a thicker moisturiser, similar to the body bar I got and really liked from Lush.  I do have a separate hand moisturiser (also thanks to my Mum), but once that's gone I probably won't get another one straight away and just use my body moisturiser.  Whether I stick to that will depend on how my hands fair, as they do sometimes need something thicker.  In which case I might just get the Welsh Lavender Ltd Farmers' Hand Cream I had before.

Deodorant

At the moment I'm still using a normal deodorant for when I'm at work as I just can't find a natural deodorant that works when I'm doing this amount of physical exercise and I'd rather be able to wash my clothes less.  I do have a more natural deodorant I like by Bull Dog (it's a man's deodorant), but I only wear it on my days off.  This one is still a work in progress and I'll keep hunting until I find a good one.

Hair Removal

Waxing is my usual method of hair removal, but that isn't really an option at the moment, so for now, I'm using wax stripes to remove most of my unwanted hair.  This really isn't the most waste-free way of doing it and I'm hoping to be able to change this as soon as I can by buying a pot of wax with re-useable stripes (once we have a place of our own).  I do also use a razor and, for this, I've been able to be a lot more sustainable as I use a safety razor where I only need to change the blade.  I've recently brought this blade container by the Zero Waste Club that should take up to 300 blades before I can put it in the recycling with all the blades safely inside it, which is an additional plus.  I do want to look into laser treatment for something more permanent (and with a lot less waste), but that will need to wait until our finances are a bit more stable.  

And that's it.  My toiletries are very close to being where I want them to be, with only just a few changes in the future to have a fully functioning, as sustainable as possible 'beauty' /hygiene routine.  I'm hoping it won't take me too long to get there, perhaps just one more cycle of some of the items I'm using, so this time next year I should be able to show a complete routine.  Apart from the deodorant, I think we might still be a little while on that.

March 2021 Budget

Okay, so this month was meant to be a 'good' month where we pulled in the spending we had done in February for the flat and got back into budgeting properly.  Except, that didn't happen.  Instead, it was like we had opened the flood gates of spending in February and that just carried on throughout March - oopsie!

Before we fully get into it I should also probably say that the way I've set up March meant that some double-billing was happening, such as rent, council tax etc, which does make the out-goings look a little larger than a normal month.  This does also mean that April is going to look a lot lighter.

Firstly, let's start with the good.  I've managed to keep my £1000 sinking fund untouched and the credit card balance has remained at zero as we're only spending money we already have.

The car repairs and Christmas sinking funds are still on track to reach the goal amount by the end of 2021 or at least Christmas. 

We've also managed to put a little more money into our 6 months' savings fund.  It's less than I was originally hoping due to our spending elsewhere, but at least it's something.  As a little side note, the savings looks like it's suddenly made a large jump since last month.  That's because I realised that the £1000 amount we keep in our account to make sure we can pay the bills without doing into our overdraft should be part of our 6 months' savings fund. It's now been added to that. 

A big plus this month was that I actually made sure that I put some money aside for my pension.  Instead of the £200 I had initially planned to put in on a monthly basis, I upped it to £225 to make up for not putting any money aside during February.  I'm planning on put in this amount until the end of the year to make up for that deficit.

And now for the bad bit.  We've spent quite a lot of money on groceries and household goods (in fact basically double the amount we should have), mainly buying treat food we really don't need and shouldn't be eating.  This really needs to stop and that is definitely going to be a goal for April.  The plus side to that is by saving money on groceries we'll also be being a lot healthier, so that's a win all around.

We've also spent a lot of money on things like takeaways and items we don't necessarily need.  I've spent a fair amount this month on crafting supplies and patterns, but that's hopefully me covered now for the next few months if not the next year.  We also brought some wetsuits, which was probably the biggest out-going.  They did take a big chunk out of our budget, but as we are planning on going wild swimming a lot this year (lockdown permitting), they should really pay for themselves in the free activities these wetsuits will allow us to do. 

And that's it, the big spend of March.  Not the best way of getting back on the budgeting bandwagon, but there's no point in wallowing in it.  We just need to pick ourselves up and get on with it in April.  One thing I did actually manage to do this month was to work out how much we would need to cover all our bills and out-goings, and that is £1300 a month.   That means, to have 4 months in savings put aside by the end of 2021 we need to save £5200.  Good to know and even better to realise we're almost halfway there already.  April here we come.

Project Pan 2021 Update 1

As expected this project pan has gone very, very slowly.  In fact, I'm not entirely sure you can see any difference in the products at all.  Admittedly, I'm only wearing makeup a couple of times a week, if I even remember to put it on then, so that's probably not helping.  Prepare to be very underwhelmed.

Despite having to give the NYX blush in Taupe a bit of a scrape as the top layer had hardened and I wasn't picking up any product on my brushes, it doesn't look very different from the starting photo.  I've been using this for contouring and eyeshadow, and I guess the dip in the centre is getting a little deeper, but no pan just yet.  I'm already feeling that this product might be one I can just get rid of at the end of the year without finishing.

I had actually forgotten how lovely The Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer is.  I'm also using this as a multi-use product, using it as a standard highlighter on my cheeks and under my eyebrows, and as an eyeshadow.  I actually really like the eye look I get from layering this highlighter over the NYX blush and this combination lasts for most of the day, which is unusual for eyeshadows on my eyes.  However, as with the blusher, the pan isn't looking any bigger than before.  Not yet anyway.

The Cien eyeliner pen in Black is the one product I thought would have a more obvious change.  I was just using it to line along my top lashes, but then I realised that if I did a more smoky look, lining all along my waterline, it would use up the product quicker.  So far I've managed to use 0.6 cm and, if I keep that up, it'll be December before I finish it.  However, I've only been doing these smoky looks for the last few weeks, so I'm expecting to be finished with this product before that.

And that's it.  An absolutely thrilling post of a snail's pace project pan. It actually reminds me of the snail in Monster's University who tries to make it to his first class on time at the start of the movie and only gets there when the school year is over.  I'm not really expecting the next post on this to be any more exciting, but it is giving me more of a clear idea of how I want my makeup stash to look moving on from this year and whether I want to keep trying to use up products I don't have any love for anymore.

Goals 2021 Update 1

There is something a little bit odd about only having one goal to focus on this year, but I have to admit it's also been really nice knowing that this is where I can put all my energy.  Obviously, moving into a flat had a big financial impact in February and part of March, but I still think it's been a pretty good first quarter.  

Firstly, I've managed to keep a hold of my emergency fund throughout this quarter and it is sitting happily in a savings accounts right now hopefully making a little bit of money.  There is something quite reassuring about knowing that it's there in case I really need it.

I've also managed to get rid of that credit card debt I had at the beginning of the year and, whilst I still use it when buying things online, I now don't get anything with it I don't already have the money for and can't pay back straight away.

We did have to take some money out of the six months savings account to cover the deposit etc for the flat in February, but we still have a nice little nest egg growing and are on track for reaching our goal of saving up four months worth of outgoings by the end of 2021.  I've put this goal at a guesstimate of £4000 for now, but am going to use March and April to give me a more realistic idea about what the actual amount should be.  Once we've reached that we can decide if we want to carry on saving for this or if we feel that that's an amount we are comfortable with.

The Christmas and car repairs sinking funds have both been put into every month so far and we're on track to reach these goals with no problems.

You might have seen in my last budget post that I wasn't able to put  £200 into my pension in February as we were needing to spend so money on flat related items, but I have managed it for January and March.  I hope to make up for this little dip throughout the rest of the year, but we'll see how it goes.

So, so far it's been pretty good.  Now that we have bills to pay things are going to be a little tighter than they were before and we were very lucky to have that time living with my parents to help start us off on a good footing.  However, I still think that reaching the goals I've set for 2021 is going to be possible, I'm just going to have to be a little stricter with the spending. Especially on food.  What is it with us and food?

As for skateboarding, I haven't had as much practise on it as I would like.  Admittedly the weather recently hasn't helped and being aware that if I hurt myself doing this it will have a real impact on my earning ability has also been a factor.  However, I am determined to be comfortable on one by the end of the year.  We'll just have to watch this space.

Crafting 2021 Update 1

 

As I was expecting, the amount of crafting I've been able to do since starting work has dropped dramatically.  I have managed to still do a few projects here and there, but, not only is the time I have at the moment much less, I'm also finding I'm a little too tired to pick up a project when I do have the time.  

The 1940s Trousers

This is a project I hadn't planned on doing until much later on, and then my jeans literally fell apart.  It's not surprising really, they were already second hand when I got them and I did wear them almost every day I wasn't at work.  If you've read my blog on what my future plans are for my wardrobe you'll know that I had planned on making some 1940s style trousers to replace my jeans when they went.  They're not going to be very flattering, but they'll be comfortable and will allow for the regular changes in my hip size that happens throughout the year.  In fact, on almost a monthly basis.  I've brought the pattern for them from Sew Essential (the pattern is the Misses Vintage Trousers, Overalls and Blouses simplicity Sewing Pattern 8447) and a cheap cotton bedsheet from a supermarket (I really can't wait for the charity shops to open again) so that I can make a mock-up of the top half of the trouser first.  The reason I'm doing the mock-up first it that I have a sneaking suspicion that my body shape won't fit neatly into the pattern provided and I'll probably have to do some jigging to it to make it work.  If they work out I'll just convert them into the tailored shorts I'm wanting to have as well.  I still haven't decided on what material I want to use I just know I want something hardwearing.  Hopefully, by the next update, I'll have a lovely pair of trousers to show you.  At the very least, a lovely pair of shorts.

Crocheted Coasters

This was another unexpected craft I hadn't planned on doing, but we needed some additional coasters and I had been looking around to buy some.  Then I remembered that I had some crochet needles and a whole load of spare wool accumulating, so could probably just make them myself.  I used this pattern by Crochet Sunnshyne called Simple Flower Crochet as a starting point (I did have to change it a little bit as I don't own the right sized needles).  This wool is what was left of the jumper I made for Ed for Christmas and there's something quite nice about having that special link with an item you then use every day.

Christmas Cards

This is still a very slow process, mainly because I big part of me really doesn't want to start in case it fails and I then have to make another decision.  I've decided that what I would like to attempt to do is some wintery (possibly fakely so) watercolours of the Devon coast to be printed and made into cards.  I did use to use watercolours when I was younger, but I haven't done anything since and there's a big chance I can't even remember how to use them anymore.  I'm just going to have to bite the bullet though and get it done.  Silly to put it off really....oh look a squirrel - I really must look at that first.

Biophilia Shawl and Tie

These are at least finished now (good to have something), but they do still need soaking as I noticed some colour transfer onto my hands when I was knitting them and would rather this didn't happen with my clothes.  I'll also need to block them as well to get them to hold their shape properly.  I do wish I'd made the shawl a little bit bigger as it just sits on my shoulders rather than being able to loop through my arms, but it's still a very beautiful pattern.  The main issue is that I used too small a crochet needle when I was finishing the shawl and it's pulling the ends in too tight causing them to curl in.  Hopefully, the blocking with sort this out. but I'll have to wait and see.

Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit Cross-Stitch

I've finally started one of these cross-stitches and, though I'm just doing the sky at the moment, I'm excited to see this one develop.  I've decided to start at the very beginning of both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and am therefore working on The Shire.  There are absolutely no white spaces so this is going to be a lot of work, but I'm looking forward to hanging it on my wall when it's finished.  These should definitely keep me busy for quite a while.

The Fantail Skirt 

After a lot of thought I decided that rather than print this out myself, I would be better off getting it printed by someone else in much better quality and with a lot fewer joints as they can do it on A0 sized paper instead of A4.  I actually got it printed by Net Printer, who are based in Plymouth and have a specific pattern printing service you can use and am now waiting for the charity shops to open so that I can buy the fabric I want to start making it.  It's probably a good thing that I'll be making the trousers first as this is quite an important skirt and it'll be good to have a bit more practise on the sewing machine before I give this a go.

And that's all the projects that have been happening, sort of, so far.  It's been a good mix of different forms of sewing, knitting, and at least thinking about drawing.  I do like to have a mixture of crafts going at the same time as I'm not always in the mood for one specific style.  Now that we've settled into this flat and I have a little area to do some crafting properly (I'll be turning this into a proper crafting nock soon) I should hopefully get a lot more work done.  One thing I might do is see if I can buy some second-hand fabric online, I just need to find out where.   I guess we'll see how it all goes in the next update.  Your guess is as good as mine.