Stash busting idea

Is anyone looking for ideas to help with their stash busting?  Anyone doing a stash busting report on Judy Laquidera's blog?  How about this one for great stash busting?  Make sheet sets.  It's a great way to use large amounts of fabric.  If you decide later on that you really want the fabric for a quilt you can simply cut up the sheets and make a new sheet set from something else. 

It was after type-talking the other day about how my grandmother used to make her own sheets that it occurred to me, I can do the same thing.  Well, actually, I could have done this many years ago and didn't.  I always felt my quilting stash was just for quilts.  I would buy other fabric for other stuff.  I think much differently these days.  My quilt fabric does absolutely nothing just sitting on a shelf or in a box or in a bag.  It's better to make use of it.  Then when it's done it's work for a while, the fabric can be cut up to become quilts..... just like women did in the older days. 

The white fabric in the picture is actually pieces for my window quilts that I'm finally getting around to replacing.  The cream color fabric will be my sheets and pillow cases.  The burgundy fabric and the leaf fabric will be the trim.  I plan to make some sheet sets from more colorful fabrics too.  I just happened to have more of these fabrics than anything else right now. 

I used white fabric for the window quilts so I have the option to dye them later if I want.   My sheets will be flat instead of fitted.  I could make fitted because I do have a quantity of elastic.  I prefer to make the flat because they are easier to fold and store than the fitted ones.  Flat is also easier to use for quilts later.  I'll use hospital corner folds when putting the sheets on the beds.

I plan on using my fabric stash for other things too.  Lots of other things!  You'll see it right here on this blog as I get more done. 

Window quilt update

I was playing a bit on the Internet and decided to do an Internet search on window quilts. I thought maybe I might get some ideas for designs. (Planning ahead again.) I came across this site which has great information and a free down loadable instruction manual. If you want to get really fancy, and go to the expense of the hardware, you can get it all from the Warm Company. It's a batting company. Go to "products" on the bar along the top of the page then to "warm window". There you will find some good videos to watch about making and installing window quilts.

I won't be going to the expense of all the extra hardware but I did get some good ideas for my cheaper (frugal) version.

Making window quilts

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Why make window quilts? Well, they stop the flow of warmed air over the window where it's cooled. Windows have a constant loop of warmed air being cooled. That's not a good thing to happen when the price of heating our homes is a big expense. If you're trying to cut down expenses, window quilts help. Window quilts can be made very pretty and fancy but it's not necessary.

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Actually they don't even have to be quilts, using blankets or fleece will work.... just not as well. The idea is similar to layering clothing to keep warm. The more layers, the more pockets of air that's trapped, the better the insulation against cold.

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I made these window quilts very quickly because I only have a few days to get them done and installed before my daughter and grand daughter move into my house. It's better for me to do this work while there's no furniture in the rooms. I'll work on prettier and better made ones later.

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The first thing I did was quilt some fabric. If you don't have access to a quilting machine then go to a thrift store and buy some blankets. You will be cutting them up so don't go to a lot of expense for these. Just get something that will look pretty with your decor.

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This window is 37 X 68. So that's the size I cut the quilt. There is no binding and no hem. Just a plain zig-zag around the edges. Like I said... I'm in a hurry to get these installed. We are also expecting colder weather in a few days.






Next I measured up from the bottom 24 inches and drew a straight line with a wash out marker. Why 24"? Well, that's about 1/3 the height of the window. You'll understand this measurement when you see how the quilt operates on the window.




From some of the scraps I cut myself a strip of fabric 2" by the width of the window quilt.

I pinned it along the drawn line and sewed both sides with a simple straight line close to the edges. This is going to be a rod pocket to help the quilt fold up when it's opened. That's why it's placed a short distance from the bottom of the quilt.

Next I got out some of these. As you can see, I bought them on sale. I've been gathering supplies for my window quilts for a few months. I rarely buy non-edible things that are not on sale. That's why it takes me so long to get things done. Gotta wait for the sales.

Ok, I'm missing one part for my window quilt. I needed a yard stick but I didn't have any. I had planned to go back to the fair where yardsticks are given away free. I didn't get back to the fair because of my brother being in the hospital. Oh well.... I go on a hunt through the house to see what I have that I can use. I found these. Yup, these will work.

I sew on the rod pocket and 5 rings. I spaced the rings out so they are eyeball even. No measuring. I needed one ring to be close to the edge on each side. Then I put the paint sticks into the pocket. Three is a little long but a craft knife score on one stick and I could snap it off at the right length.

So now it looks like this.

What next? Oh yes, I need some of this. Again, bought on sale a few weeks ago. I have a lot of this because I use it when making t-shirt rugs. This will become the draw strings to make the window quilts go up and down.

In order to show you how the strings are attached I left my window quilt laying on the table. I can't take pictures and do the work at the same time. This is for demonstration only. Normally, I wouldn't attach or cut any strings until I've actually put the quilt on the window. This is merely to show you the operation. I'll explain a better way of doing the strings in a minute.

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Starting with one of the outside rings, tie the string to it. Lay the string out the length of the quilt.... going toward the top.

When you get to the top go across the top....

to the corner. Then go down the other side.....

until you get to the bottom. Leave a foot or more of extra string and cut it off.

Do the same thing with all the other rings.

Eventually you will have all your strings going to the top and down the same side, like this. But, like I said, there's an easier way than this.

Now I need some of these. This is what the strings will go through on the windows. Oops, its not on sale but do I keep a supply of these in my tool box. I find all kinds of uses for them.

Now it's time to install the quilt on the window. Oops! I gotta clean the window and put plastic on it first. Eeewww! More icky stuff. Can you tell I'm way behind on spring cleaning?

Ok, icky stuff cleaned up and plastic installed on the window. Next the metal eye hooks are put at the top of the window frame. Eyeball evenly spaced. Here's a couple of pictures of how the strings will look along the top. See how the strings go up to an eye hook and over to one side? Each string goes through it's own eye hook......

and over to the one on the end. All strings go down through the same last eye hook.

On the side they look like this.

A much better way of doing the strings is to attach the window quilt first, then lay the string ball on the floor, run the string up through the outside eye hook and over to the eye hook above it's cabone ring. Then down to the sewn cabone ring and tie it. Then on the side cut the string a length longer than the window.

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How did I attach the quilt to the window? Well, personally, I used tiny 1/2 inch craft nails. I used these only because that's what I had available. I really wanted to attach the quilt to a yardstick, either glued, nailed, or another rod pocket. These are temporary and I don't care if I put tiny nail holes in my window frame. (No window frame inspector is going to get me for it.)

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Whatever method you use to attach your quilt, just be sure to leave enough room for running the strings before making it tight against the window frame. It must end up tight against the frame to prevent air flow or it won't work right.

Now for the operation of the window quilt. I needed some of these. Yup! Bought on discount sale too. Yes, I do plan months ahead of the work and start searching for just the right stuff. Sometimes I get lucky and it doesn't take months to find everything.

This is how the window quilt will operate. Just like any pull up shade. This is how it looks when open.

In order for my window quilts to be kid safe I make a series of knots in the strings. Like this. These are about 3 inches apart though it doesn't look like it in the picture. That's the reason for all the extra length of string. Knotting shortens the length.

When the quilt is in the closed position I find a height that's higher than Ladybug's reach. That's where I put the cord holder. While still in the closed position I cut the knotted strings to just about half way down the length of the window or near where the cord holder is located. I can still reach it easily. When opening the window quilt, it reaches to the cord holder.

Well there you have it. A very quick lesson on making and installing window quilts. I only have 8 more windows and an archway to get quilts installed on before the move in day. Plus all the plastic too. I have to come up with something quick since I only have 10 days to get them all done. I think I need to go thrift store shopping to find some blankets.

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Hmm.... where does one find yard sticks these days? I haven't seen them in any stores for a long time. Maybe because I haven't been looking for them.

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Oh gosh! I just realized I need to get the closet doors back in place too. The electrician is coming to install new overhead lights and a new stove hood tomorrow. I have customer quilts still to finish before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving? Have I got everything? Ok, bad scheduling on my part. Somehow it will all get done.... I have faith.

Furnace filter covers update

Recycling furnace filters update. Back in January 2009, I posted about using bridal veil to make a filter cover that could be removed and washed to use again. Hopefully, this would allow me to reuse the same filter for longer than one month.

So here it is July and this is how the filter cover has worked. This is what the cover looks like each time I take it off to wash it. I wash it once a month.

This is how the actual filter looks after 6 months of use. Just barely starting to build up dust. It actually looks denser in the photo than it does in person. I will change the filter at this stage and use the next one for 6 months with a cover.

For comparison; this is the other filter to my furnace after only one month. It did not have a cover for it.

So the cover is a good idea in my opinion. Now I need to make a cover for the second filter. I will save about 4 dollars a month by reusing the same filters. I looked at the price last week and this type filters were selling for 1.99 each. Changing only twice a year means I can keep about $40 a year for other things.

The perfect excuse for a fabric stash

Ok, I have the perfect excuse for hoarding fabrics and crafting supplies. The more you have the better. There is a wall behind these shelves. So let me explain how this provides us with the perfect excuse. I may have type-talked about this before but it won't hurt to repeat it.




Ok, how to explain it.... hmm.....

Have you ever heard of filling a freezer with jugs of water to take up space so your freezer doesn't have to work so hard to keep things frozen? Or have you heard of filling a jug of water and putting it into the toilet tank so you use less water with each flush? Ok, good.

Imagine you have a very empty room. The furnace kicks in to warm the room or the air conditioner starts to cool it. The smaller the room the easier it is to heat or cool it and thus cheaper. For easy math imagine the room is 100 cubic feet of empty space. You would be heating or cooling 100 cubic feet of space... right?

Ok, so you put a shelf unit and 10 cubic feet of fabric in the room. This means you are now only heating and cooling 90 cubic feet. Put 50 cubic feet of stuff in there and your furnace or air conditioner is only heating or cooling the remaining 50 cubic feet.

You understand what I'm getting at? The more stuff you put into the room the less space your furnace or air conditioner has to work at heating or cooling. See..... I have the perfect excuse if someone were to comment about all that stuff I'm hoarding. I can honestly say.... it's not just stuff.... I'm filling the space to save money on the utility bills. (sly grin)

P. S. to Mark L. You have your no comment reply turned on but I do want to say thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. I hope you visit again sometime.

I think I figured it out

What am I talking about? My last post about furnace filters and how there has to be a better way than paying for a new one every month. Well, yesterday when I was looking for a special piece of fabric I came across this. It's bridal veil.




I thought..... why not? So I made a simple envelope for the filter to slip inside then whipped a few large stitches on the remaining side to keep it shut. Two or three should do it.

I'm not sure this will work but I'm giving it a try for a few days. So far it doesn't seem to be causing a problem for the furnace. It's thin enough the air flows freely. I'm hoping that the dust will be caught on the veil so it can be slipped off and washed.

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Why would I go to this trouble for a cheap air filter? I'm only experimenting. I don't know if you have looked lately; but, some furnace filters cost 30 dollars or more. For my furnace that would mean paying for two filters a month..... which would be over 720 dollars a year. Nope... nada... not in my budget for that.

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I'm not going to pay that much for filters but maybe a blog reader does? Or maybe someone has lost a major part of their income and is searching for ways to survive? This would be one way of reusing a filter.... if it works. Even if it only works for one extra use.... it saves money. Money that can be used in other ways.

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If you decide to use this.... please be very, very careful. Keep a close watch on the furnace to be sure it works for you before using it permantly. Some furnaces may not work properly doing this. 

Short sizing

I'm sure you have heard of short sizing.... right? Ok, let me explain just in case you haven't figured it out yet. Short sizing is when a manufacturer will change the package so it appears you have the same thing you have always bought; but, they have done something to the package to give you less for the same amount of money.

A box of crackers will have one stack with a few missing crackers so it looks like a packaging mistake. Peanut butter, mayo, and many other things that come in plastic bottles now have dimples in the bottom so you really don't notice a few ounces missing..... until you run out sooner than before. Some plastic bottles are now touted as having a handle grip area.... sure that's what they say but it's another way of short sizing.

Well here's my latest discovery of short sizing. I came upon this one by accident. At least I think it's new. I've been unable to find smaller furnace filters. I'm a person who will use what is available so I decided to cut a larger one to the right size. I figured I can make two from one.

You see this furnace filter clearly says 12 x 24? I measured it to find center.



Just look at this. 23 1/2 not 24.

Awww geeze.... this company is short sizing furnace filters! Not only is it 1/2 inch smaller but it's much thinner fibers than before. Does this mean they expect me to buy filters more often? Not if I can help it!! There has to be another way and I will find it somehow.

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Well anyway.... I did cut the filter in half. But this leaves one side too flimsy. It needs more strength to handle the strong furnace intake.

Well.... I got some of my trusty cardboard and made a new side for it. Taped the ends and stapled the filter to the cardboard. Now it's strong enough to use.

When it's time to change again, I will remove that piece of cardboard and use it again.

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The thing with furnace filters is that the larger size has always cost the same as the small size. Which confuses me about the short sizing. Why not just charge more for the larger size instead? There must be something about their logic that's going over my head.

When I come up with a more frugal way to use furnace filters I'll let you know.

Get an energy audit!

In order to cut utility expenses a person must first be willing to get advice from some experts. Start by getting an energy audit. It costs very little and gives plenty of advice. Even if you are a renter an energy audit can help save you money.

Energy audits in my area are done by the utility company. They start by doing a blower door test. Here is what it looks like. It's a plastic door with a blower that tells where you are loosing the most heat or cooling energy. The auditor will also walk around your house looking inside things and behind things to see where other gadgets can save you utility dollars. It's not a time for being embarrassed by dust and clutter..... because you are getting advice.... not a home cleanliness inspection.

My energy audit was about things I could do as a home owner to make my home more energy efficient. There are also ways to cut energy expenses even if you rent an apartment. I found out from the energy audit that I was loosing a lot of energy because I didn't have any insulation. Strange because when I bought this house it was supposed to be insulated. I went back to the original papers and sure enough it said fully insulated. It even described how much insulation. I did have an inspector look at the house before I bought it but I think he just wanted to get the fee because there are lots of things he didn't mention before I signed the papers. Over the years I have found the errors on my own. Without the energy audit I would never have known the insulation never was done. I'm not about to climb a ladder to get into the attic at my age.

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If you get insulation all over your house you must also get air vents to lower your utility bill in the summer. Insulation to keep in the heat in winter and ventilation to get the heat out in the summer. I got 11 new vents in my house. This is one that was put on the back addition to my house. It's separated from the rest of the attic by the way it was constructed so it needed separate vents.

This is another vent for the addition in the back.




These are 6 vents put on the side roof of my house. The insulation guys cut the holes for the vents then used the holes to run the hoses inside where the other guys moved the hoses around to place the blown in insulation where it needed to go.

These are the three vents on the back side of the roof. The shorter portion of the roof is the addition. The addition doesn't have any attic space at all which is why the vents were put on the sides of the house.

Did you notice the security light? This was something the city gave away free about 10 or 15 years ago. Supposedly it was to help deter crime in this area. The light worked by coming on at dusk and going off at dawn.

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I used it one time then removed the bulb so it would never work again. Why?? Well it has a 1000 watt bulb and no switch to turn it off. It was more like an overhead streep light. In one night it was using 8000 to 10,000 watts of electricity. In one month that could have added up to 30,000 watts. It was using more electicity than my whole house. It also put out soooo much light that it was like daylight shining through the windows at night. No one could sleep for the brightness. It was totally wrong for houses. It should have been a simple outside porch light instead.

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Even if you are a renter there are things you can do to save energy. In my opinion anyone who owns property to rent should be required by law to make it energy efficient before they get a permit. Especially anyone who rents to section 8 people. But that's a different blog post to be saved for another time.

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I got this new efficient shower head. Isn't it cute! A renter can change the shower head easily. The old one just screws off and the new one screws on. All you need is a pair of pliers. It's cheap enough that you could leave it for the next renter or save the old shower head to put back on when you move. My old shower head was the older version of efficient. This one is much better. No, it doesn't produce just a trickle of water. It gives plenty of water. It makes the water do more work with less used.

My water heater got a new jacket. This may be a little over kill since the water heater is in a heated part of the house but the way I feel about it is.... even a few pennies saved by using the jacket is a few pennies in my pocket.... not the utility company's pocket. Again, cheap enough it could be left for the next renter if you got one for your water heater in a rented apartment.

I also got some new energy efficient light bulbs. Changing light bulbs in an apartment is the easiest of all things to do to save energy dollars. I already have energy efficient bulbs all over the house. The ones I have are equal to 100 lumens of light but use only 25 watts of energy. Lumens are equal to candle light. One lumen equals one candle. 100 lumens means 100 candle lights.

Then I got to thinking.... do I really need bright light in the closets or in the porch light fixtures? No, I don't. So I got these. They are 60 lumens of light but use only 13 watts of power.

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The ones I already had are not energy star but these are. I had planned to replace my older version of bulbs with newer energy star 100 lumens of light versions. I don't know what I was thinking, I picked up all 60 lumen kind instead of two different kind. Some of these are going back for exchange.... or maybe I will give these to my daughter for xmas and buy myself more.

See the difference in the bulbs? The new ones are very small next to the old ones I was already using.

Back when I first bought this house, I studied ways to cut expenses on utilities. I had to.... no other choice... because I was struggling to keep a roof over our heads. At the time, I did all I could by using the newest items on the market. Now days the gadgets are even more energy efficient so I'm once again studying newer ways to cut down. A trip to the hardware store, a search on the internet, a book or two from the library, or any other information I can gather helps me learn to cut expenses even better.

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I still have several things I want to change. The only hold back is the finances. No, it's not easy to do everything all at once on a limited budget. The key is to start with one gadget. The savings from one can be used to buy another. The savings from two can be used to buy the next.... and so forth.

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This current one big change to make my house more energy efficient has used up all my savings. Money I had been stashing away a few pennies at a time until I could pay to get the work done. I could be tempted to say that I have more money to spend on fabrics or clothing or even trips to bingo.... but I won't give into that temptation!

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I will carefully calculate the difference between the bills from before and the bills after. The difference will be put into my savings account for more energy work on my house in the future. There is still a lot of things that can be done. I lived without the money before the changes, I can live without the extra money after..... especially when it means I can grow the money by saving even more money later.

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About your windows

Ok, I know it's been awhile since I posted a hint or tip to this blog. Things just seemed to happen to keep me from getting back to it any sooner. This blog is about more than just saving money making quilts or doing machine quilting. It's about anything I can show others about saving money.

In times like this; when the cost of absolutely everything seems to go up overnight; it's more important than ever to do what we can to keep our expenses down. Fewer people can afford to make quilts or have them machine quilted if their money is going for other things like utilities or food.

Remember these from my other blog a few days ago?


That's the window plastic I bought back in the early spring when it was on the discount table. My windows are the old single pane kind that have sliding storm windows which aren't very tight. Lots of cold air leaks in around them or maybe it's the other way around.... lots of heated air leaks out. I can't afford to be heating the outdoors. I want to keep as much heat inside as possible so my furnace doesn't run all the time. A running furnace costs lots of money these days!

Well yesterday I decided instead of stressing over a quilt on my day off; it was time for me to start changing the plastic on my windows. I keep the plastic on year round and redo it each fall. What keeps out the cold of winter also keeps out the heat of summer. Extreme stress over high utility bills can keep me from doing my best at quilting.

Believe it or not there are some people who don't know exactly how to put plastic on windows. They try.... but if never taught how to do it properly.... will get frustrated and not do it again. Or it won't work the way it should to keep the rooms warmer. Some people believe plastic blocks the view from outside..... not true..... it depends on the type plastic used.

So here are the windows in my bedroom before I start. You can see I have plastic on there already. I can see outside just fine. The current plastic has come loose in places and isn't working. The cloudy view through the plastic comes from it not being tight. Also, I want to change the nailed on fabric.....


to putting up these velour curtains which have been sitting on a shelf for more than a year.


Here is a close up view of how I have fabric nailed up. At the time I hung this fabric I was extremely busy and felt I didn't have time to do more. It was supposed to be a temporary fix.... that's lasted about a year.... or is it two years? Or three?
At that time; I had taken down my window quilts to wash them. Taking the quilts down I realized they had started to fall apart from age and sunlight damage. My intention was to make more window quilts as soon as time allowed. I didn't know it would take so long.


So now I've removed the fabric and the old plastic. Geeze.... creepy things set up house in there. It took me a little while to break the paint seal that kept my window closed. I wanted them open so I could clean up the creepy nests.

Looking out my window you can see the jungle that really needs some attention too.

I opened the window to clean up more creepy nests..... eeeeeuuwww.....



Still more creepy stuff.....

That's when I noticed this tear in my screen. At first I thought someone had tried to break into my house by trying to open the window. After some thought I realized a thief wouldn't cut a slit..... he would rip out the whole screen. So more likely this damage was done during a storm or something. I put 'patch the screen' on my things to do list and hopefully will get around to fixing it next spring.



Well now..... I guess it's time to install the new locks that have been waiting on me too. Don't worry, a thief couldn't have gotten in with the windows painted shut.... unless he broke a window.... in which case the lock wouldn't have done any good anyway.


While I'm at it I also installed the new handles.

Now that I've cleaned up all the creepy things and washed household grime and dust off the frames; it's time to start putting the double sided tape on the frame. This tape is not supposed to seal the plastic. It's only a holding device for the plastic to stay in place. I place the tape near the inside edge of the window facing. It goes all the way around the window.




Next it's time to cut the plastic. In cutting; you need to remember to treat the plastic like you would folded fabric. In this package; I know the width (folded selvage to selvage) is 120 inches just like I know fabric has a width of 40 to 44 inches from selvage to selvage even when folded. I measure 42 inches of length which is just a bit over what I need of 38 inches (side to side) for my windows. I cut the plastic with an old blade rotary cutter or with sissors.


Next step..... this is when the cut plastic piece gets unfolded. I start at the top of the window and place the the top edge of the plastic on the tape. Coming down each side I stick the plastic to the tape with just a bit of tug to keep it only slightly taught. As you can see there is excess plastic outside the double sided tape. Plastic is rarely folded squarely since it's all done by machines. I allow excess to be sure I cover the whole window.

At the bottom I have some extra fullness (instead of taught) because of how my windows are made. The little lip at the bottom needs more excess.



Now that I've got the plastic positioned on the window and held by the double sided tape; it's time to trim off the excess. I cut it with a craft knife.... about a quarter inch beyond the edge of the tape. All quilters know about quarter inch.... right?


The next step is when you actually seal the edge of the plastic. It requires the use of this package tape. Without it you may find your plastic pulling away from your window frame or the double sided tape during very cold weather.

This tape is put on the plastic... centered over the double sided tape.... and onto the window frame. This is what actually seals the plastic to prevent air going out or coming in around the plastic.



When all the edges are sealed with the package tape; you can use a hair dryer to shrink out any excess fullness in the plastic. Even if you make a mistake and get a big tuck in the plastic; the hair dryer will shrink it out. (Gosh, I wish it were that easy getting tucks out of the backing on quilts!)
Using a hair dryer will also make this type plastic very clear.... almost like glass. Be very careful not to over shrink your plastic though. It could pop and tear if the wind blows too much during cold weather. A small tear can be mended with a bit of package tape.
Now there are obviously going to be people who don't like plastic on their windows because they feel it isn't "pretty"; but, what's more important when it comes to your hard earned money.... pretty or functional? For me; pretty isn't nearly as important because I don't like giving away my hard earned money to a utility company. I would rather spend my money on more fabric or a trip to a quilt show.
It seems this room is finished. Well.... almost. I still need to make the window quilts to go behind the curtains. Also, in hanging the curtain rods I realized I need longer brackets. These just aren't long enough to accomodate a rolled up window quilt behind the curtains. Now where on earth did I store the metal pull back brackets? Maybe I'll find those as I continue to work in other rooms. For now the old rope tie backs will work. They kind of go with the decor of the room anyway.
For those who might be interested; the bed and most of the items in this room belonged to my great-grandmother. She and her husband ran a riverboat up and down the Green and Salt rivers carrying freight. Sometimes they were away from home for several days. These items were on their riverboat and are my treasures.

Also, for those who might wonder.... yes, the tape does leave a kind of residue behind on the frame when it's taken off to replace the next year. I don't let this bother me. I call it bonus tackiness which also helps seal out cold air. As long as I have these old windows.... I'm gonna have plastic on them. The sticky stuff will build up over time but it won't matter if I cover it again with more tape. If I ever go to the expense of replacing the windows there will be new frames around them so why stress about sticky stuff on these old ones?
I hope this post has been helpful to someone.... somewhere....or will someday.