Monday 16 March 2015

Shopping, cooking, and sewing.

Hiya, howz ya diddlin? Ok I hope. I haven't been food shopping for a while so I decided to go to Tesco yesterday at 3pm, an hour before they were due to close. I had a £4 voucher to use on a £30 shop, would be silly to throw it away. Here is how I spent my £30.
Jar honey 99p
Bottle EV olive oil £3.00
Bag of fresh carrots 53p
Bag of potatoes £1.18
2 bags of Value porridge oats 75p each
Bag of sultanas 84p
Bag of Brussel sprouts 1p yes 1p
10 tins of Value rice pudding 15p each
Bag of tagliatelle £1.00
Quiche £1.00. 4 meals out of this with veg or salad
Bag frozen peas 98p
Small fresh milk for Bugsy 49p
Bag frozen sweetcorn 99p
Bag of prepared veg 2p yes 2p
Chopped mixed nuts £1.20
Big pot coleslaw 12p
Value soft cheese 49p
Cooked ham for the cats 99p
Bag spinach 99p
2 Bags hot roasted chicken thighs for the cats and dog 40p each
Value fresh mushrooms 79p
3 Packets of cream crackers 27p each
Bag casserole veg 15p
4 Nectarines 15p
4 snack packs apples 5p each
Bag prepared salad 10p
6 boxes Value bran flakes 88p each
2 bunches of flowers 24p 
Bottle of chardonnay £4.99 
It came to £31.34, paid £27.34 This will last me two weeks, some of the bulk buys longer. I may need to buy bananas and eggs at some point this week. I have enough bread in the freezer. 
I have been using up what I already have in, like this packet of red lentils which went out of date almost two years ago. They weren't hidden at the back of the cupboard as my cupboards are never full, it's just that I keep buying fresh and these got overlooked. I put half the packet in a pan, rinsed several times, and brought them to the boil in a few inches of water, then simmered. I chucked in the 15p bag of casserole veg, a handful of peas and sweetcorn and some sultanas. Add the spices and a lovely tasty pan of veg stew was concocted. Had some last night, and today, and another portion left for tomorrows lunch. 
My treat, flowers for Mothers Day, 24p
It was Crafty Club this morning and the ladies brought in their chicken themed creations for us all to admire. I was supposed to make something but never got round to it. 
Hand quilted place mat.

A picture, or a pot holder, not sure which.

A funky cushion with green pom poms.

Very delicately embroidered greetings card.
A thing you hang up, dangler I call them.

Another quilt and more cards.

Ali brought in her latest creation, a fabulous little bag. The handle is long enough to throw over one shoulder. She's a clever sewer. 
A crochet flower with gold edging to finish it off. It's fully lined with a pocket, and press stud fastening. I reckon this would sell for £50 in a posh hand crafted goods shop.
What's this 'ere then? I bought a piece of turquoise canvas fabric from a charity shop in Buxton for 50p. Here I have laid it out on the floor, folded in half, and used my paper pattern to cut out six shopping bags. 
All the handles are pressed and ready for sewing. I could construct them in half a day, but I'm not going to do it quickly because I want to add embellishments to them, and make them all different. Not sure when I will make a start because I have so many plans buzzing around in my head.

There have been questions about my new car, I will answer them in a new post. It's very nice by the way, I am chuffed with it. But for now, I will say Tatty byes till tomorrow.
Toodle pip.

13 comments:

  1. you did well with your grocery shopping. Some lovely chicken things there.

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  2. Busy day as ever! Just catching up with your mini break away. The article about the walking gear was very useful, thank you. I'm a newish walker but my approach is a bit fair weather at the moment! I'm looking into getting some good waterproof trousers. Your crafty club ladies are so clever. I'm looking forward to seeing the embellishments on the new bags. I've used my bag from you so much that the designery but at the front is falling off now. Very sad about that-love my Ilona bag. So I'm thinking shall I put it away and save it? Then I think that's just a waste of it, I must use it. But then I don't want to have to bin it completely. A real dilemma! Xxx

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    1. Can you tack a piece of tulle over the part that is falling apart to protect it so it doesn't decay any more?

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    2. Thank you Judy, I will certainly try something. I want to carry on using the bag! And if I confess to not knowing what "tulle" is please feel free to laugh at me, I won't be offended! I will google it and get back to you, let you know how I'm getting on,xxxxx

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    3. Hi SS. I'm sorry that the embellishment has not stood up to general wear and tear. I think if you try and restore it back to how it was with similar materials it won't work. The reason being that you will need to do as Judy suggested but this would entail sewing over it many times with a machine giving a further covering to all the tiny pieces trapped under the tulle/organza. It would be hard to get it under the foot of the machine.

      I suggest you pick off most of the loose bits, and cut a circle of contrasting colourful cotton fabric slightly larger than the embellishment, turn under a hem, iron and large tacking stitches, and hand sew it onto the bag, hiding all the mess underneath. You could do it with big bold running stitches, if you don't mind them being shown on the inside, or do very small blanket stitches in a matching thread so they are hardly noticeable. To keep the circle from separating from the bag and puffing up like balloon you could sew a few small buttons randomly onto it going through to the inside.

      I can't see the state it's in now, so my answer would be scrap the original design and cover it with your own, then you have a new bag made jointly between you and me. Good luck, send a picture when it's done.

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    4. Thank you Ilona, I will think about the bag and the best way to approach it in the Easter holidays- not long now! I'm certainly keeping it, in whatever state. Love the car too, we'll done for getting a good one. It's always a bit tricky to wade through all the pros and cons when buying cars but I know you will be very knowledgable about them because of your trucking experience. Safe driving,xxxx

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  3. Have you considered taking a piece of fabric(motif) and make a small outside pocket as embellishment on one of the bags you make?

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  4. Hello.You did very well with the groceries,some excellent deals there.Your mentioning the lentils reminds me that we have a huge bag of them and I should cook a big pot of soup with them.The chicken themed crafts are lovely.I especially liked the tartan/crochet flowered/be-buttoned bag,it's very pretty.I'm off to walk our mini-schnauzer Sadie as have been away today,and, boy, is she ever grumbling,chuckle.Thank you,have a good evening,D.

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  5. Love your shopping bargains...but I ADORE how you threw in the bottle of chardonnay...cheeky....

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  6. You got some great deals at Tesco. Some of the prices amaze me, and not just the super bargains. EV Olive oil and sultanas (raisins in the U.S.) are so expensive here.

    The crafty club ladies are very talented. I love all the projects.

    It will be interesting to see how you decorate all the bags. The material for 50p. was a bargain.

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  7. You found incredible bargains in your food shopping expedition. Wow. I like the chicken crafts and that brown handmade purse with the big flower. You have talented friends. Your shopping bags will be pretty, I am sure.

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  8. The ladies at the craft club always produce really lovely things. Natalie

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  9. Impressive grocery shop for a great price. Loved the crafts especially the bag - delightful. Kristel.

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