Easy Vermicomposting

We had lots of educational fun at Nature Fest again this year. 

The kids sat through salamanders, bats, and of course, Birds of Prey. 

(Probably the trophy of the fest for kids!)

 For me, along with the bliss of sitting in a class taught by the local legend, Hector Black, we also got to listen to an amazing organic farmer, Randy Dodson, from The Waters Farm.

I've met his son and another worker on their farm and they all are a wealth of information!

Vermicomposting was one of Mr. Dodson's demonstrations.

It's a subject that I've wanted to learn more about but online sources and books often made it sound SO complicated. 

But Mr. Dodson made it as simple as pie!

(Vermicompost is used just as compost, manure, fertilizer, etc. So this is a cheap DIY project to keep your gardens frugal and productive!)
 
 Ready?

First- a tub or empty container with 2 rows of air holes. Don't make the lower row too low or all of your worms will escape. (Some might regardless.)

You can use old ones, yard sale finds, or they are a little over $5 at Walmart.

Next, place some moistened cardboard in the bottom. (I used rainwater to moisten mine.)Worms apparently aren't exceptionally picky, and just about any cardboard will work.But not too compact, just a layer will do.

Moistened cardboard on the bottom.

 Next; add some composted horse manure, a little peat moss,dirt, vermiculite, or a mix. I used year old horse manure. (Be aware of your horse manure- if they've wormed the horses and this isn't aged- it will uhm, worm your worms!)

You will want to moisten this.It needs to be wet enough to drip one or two drops of water if squeezed with one hand, but not standing in water.

Some nice composted manure, thoroughly moistened.

Worms need grit for their crops- who would have thought? You can use a handful of sand if you have it. I plan to get a handful from the creek later and add to my mix but for now, I've ground some egg shells and added that.

Now-Where are you going to get your worms?

Uncle Jim's is a good place if you must purchase them, I hear. But as for me- I think worms should be free! And, whaddaya know, so they are! See?

WORMS!!!

I keep a few boards thrown around the yard. (Yeah, my poor neighbors! :) But seriously, I don't know if they can even see them.) ...I started this habit for my chickens as a means of collecting a bug and worm feast for them. If you leave it long enough, you will find that you have plenty of worms to harvest for your compost. Try to get as close to a pound as possible, or more. Babies too! It's suggested to use 1 to 2lbs per square foot of bedding/dirt/compost.

Red worms usually stay in the top 3 to 4 inches of ground and will surface right under a board or anything left laying around for a while. Just turn several spots over with a shovel and break apart the clod and pick your worms.

Add the little squirmers to their new home. (Be aware that some will try to sneak out. It's okay, it doesn't mean you're a bad landlord! Enough will stay if you keep the apartment nice and comfy!)

You can use some shredded cardboard and tiny bits of kitchen scraps (just a handful!) to feed them. Just lay on top of the bed/soil. (They supposedly love the cardboard, which is why I guess you use so much of it in this process.)

Mr. Dodson said the waste from juicers is especially a treat since it's already so broken down and they particularly like sweets, like banana peels. You do not want to overfeed. It can build up mildew and ick, and harm the worms. Not to mention a smell! ...But if you have time to chop up your scraps, it will give them a head start, but isn't necessary.

What else can you feed them? Coffee grounds, wet hay, grass clippings, melon rinds, and other fruit and veggie scraps.

You will feed them once or twice a week, if previous feedings are gone.(They only eat about their body weight a day. So- if you can weigh the worms you add, that will give you a tiny idea of how much to feed.) I tried to start slow with feedings so as to avoid a problem. Also, you don't want to develop a 'composting' situation, so only add small bits of scraps.Otherwise it could heat up and harm your worms.

Bits or moistened cardboard, and kitchen scraps.

Now, finally, you will wet another big piece of cardboard.( I have 2 tubs (beside the rain barrels) in my yard where I can easily dip the cardboard and swish it side to side.) Then, just tuck them in and let them work their magic!

You need to keep them shaded. Remember they like it dark, they're used to being underground. You will need to keep them completely shaded , or in the garage, barn, etc. (There are vermicomposters that go under your kitchen sink. Pricey, though.) If using a dark container, which is good as far as keeping it dark, you will need to especially avoid the sunshine.

If you have them outside, you will have to pay more attention to moisture. Temps need to be between 60 and 80F. At 85-90F, they will leave and/or die.(They seem to be able to tolerate freezing temps and I asked if the containers could be sunken in the ground during the winter to help preserve them. Yes!)

 

One big 'blanket' of moistened cardboard to tuck them into their new home!

You will need to add water to the dirt to keep moistened. Better to keep it on the wet side than to have it dry out. Worms must have moisture, else they will start packing their bags and trying to get out! Worms can live in water, but they can't live where it's dry. (They are driven out of the ground during rain, for lack of oxygen.)

If you were to notice the least little bit of mildew or mold, I suggest you remove as much food scraps as possible, scrape the icky stuff out, allow it to stand outside (still kept dark by the cardboard covering) in a shady spot to air out some. Don't add anymore food for a few days until the problem resolves.

Gradually over time, your tub will fill up. Worms can double every 90 to 100 days if conditions are great, and that means faster fills in your tubs! And possibly more tubs! Think of the possibilities! Worm cousins, great-great-great cousins, great-great-great-great-great aunts!?!?!!

You can scrape your worms from the top, keeping the castings (ie worm manure, worm poop :) mostly in the bottom and ready for use in your gardens.

There are different methods to do this. You can just take the top 4 inches off and create another bin, and whatever worms may be in the castings can just go into your gardens. 

You can scrape off the top and pick through it for the worms, if you like. ...Boring!

You can even dump mounds of it onto a covered table late in the evening or after dark. Use an overhead lamp (let it hover over the mound for 10 minutes or so), which will drive the worms down so you can scrape the castings off the top. Do this little at a time until you've went through the whole bin.

You can also rotate which side of the container you feed them on. Before harvesting, you will know more which side they are on.

And their are other more elaborate systems you can research if you like.(Some with screens and stackable drawers.)

Vermicompost apparently has more nitrogen, higher nutrients, higher moisture (70%), and other benefits. It makes a great compost tea; suggested soak/steep 24 hours to retain the benefits. It can also be added straight to the garden after collection, as it won't burn like other manures.

The worms are also of value to expand your vermicomposts as they grow and reproduce, you can start more bins, feed them to your chickens, or sell to fishermen!

The biggest two problems?
Overfeeding and not enough water. 

If this can be kept in balance-  why you might could have an entire worm colony!

Happy frugal gardening!

 Isa 51:8  For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

Homemade Fire Starters

Well, it's almost time to cover the stove pipes and enjoy the warmth of summer, but it's not too early to be planning for next winter's fires!

 

Note to self: Must cover stove pipe before another bird get's down it!

I have already started to collect some items, otherwise known as 'garbage', to use for next year's fires in the wood stove.

I used them a lot in late winter and early spring and found them to work better (for me) and they are made from items that are basically free!

(Those starter logs and sticks are expensive!)

 

The garbage you need?

Toilet paper rolls and lint from the dryer.

 

What you need to buy on the cheap?

Petroleum jelly. 

(But a little goes a long way!)

It only takes a teaspoon or two of the p.j. and you spread it thinly inside the rolls.

Then lightly stuff with lint, no need to pack.

If you like, you can wrap the lint in one square of tissue paper and leave it sticking out a little to use as a wick, but it's not necessary.

One little boy here likes to go out in his socks- can you tell from the straw?

There you have it- fire starters on the frugal!

Psa 104:4-5  Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

Make Your Own Homemade Slides for Microscopes

Last year, one of our friends from the local college let us have an older microscope, per policy, on "long-term-loan." It has 10x and 40x objectives and I really would love it, if we could add a more powerful one (not sure that's possible) because as of yet, we've not been able to view anything 'wiggling'. (Maybe we're looking in the wrong place!) ...But we have seen some pretty cool stuff!

I think our favorites are hair- animal hair. The goat hair was neat in that the grey was distinctively different from the black. The cat hair was awesome, in that it looked like it had vertical chambers. Weird! And cool!

But- slides were an issue- so- we made some!

We used simple index cards, cutting a 'window' out of the center and using clear tape to make a 'glass' and to hold our samples in place.We left the 'windows' kinda big so more light would show through.

You could also use thin cardboard, like cereal boxes are made from.

We collected all sorts of little things to look at!

Here are some of the interesting things that we looked at;
-goat hair
-cat hair
-human hair
-local honey
-storebought honey
-water that's been standing in a bucket outside
-broccoli
-yeast
-strawberry leaves
-banana
-lint
-dust
-leaves (from trees, plants, etc- old dry leaves were really cool)
-chives
-dried dill
-pencil shavings
-straw
-corn husk
-beetle
-gnat (this was cool because it had WAVY hairs on it's legs)
-coffee grounds
-salt (at 10x these looked like ice cubes)
-black pepper
-mustard seeds
-onion skin
-bathroom paper
-cypress clipping (this was cool too, in that, we've always known this tree to kind of 'stick to us' but under the microscope, we were able to see why- tiny hooks on it's edges!)

Any of you girls found neat things to view under your scopes?
Would love to hear from any of you who have them on tips to make the most use of them!

Job 5:9  Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number

Shaping Rolls and Buns, Toppings, Today's Baking, and more

In keeping with the quick breads this week, I made some mini Apple-Zucchini-Pumpkin-Walnut Bread. I used the recipe for Pumpkin Bread and just mixed up the fruits and veggies.

The mini loaves I drizzled with melted white bark and the muffins I dusted with powdered sugar.

Is it just me, or is a messy table sometimes pretty?

I mean, doesn't flour everywhere just sort of say "I love you" in a wordless whisper? ...Ok, enough photographic theatrics.

Some of these are just round, button buns and others were shaped as kaiser rolls. All of them were brushed with an egg wash. The one in the center also had a powdered tomato based seasoning sprinkled on it.

In the front and center here, this bun was topped with a mix of dried roasted garlic and peppers.

This is one of my faves. The bun on the left has celery seed and dill. The one beside it, in the very center of the pic, has ground coriander.    ...I also made some with dried onion, some with poppy seeds, and one with a sprinkling of triple-colored, fresh-ground peppercorns- yum! But those were gobbled up before they cooled!

Some of the dough I rolled out into a large rectangle and cut into squares, triangles, rectangles and odd shapes. They all make beautiful sandwich buns. This is simply minced garlic and dried parsley. The one in front is only garlic.

I'm seeing these style buns, stuffed with sandwich fixings, and arranged in large circles on serving platters. They look like pre-sliced pie sandwiches!

I really love this shape too. So much potential! Hot dog buns? Subs? Bread sticks?- And so easy! I used a one-day sourdough and a pizza cutter to have all this fun today.

Homemade bread dough is super frugal and easy to make. It's a great way to stretch your meals, keep things entertaining, and to dress up the same ole same oles!

Use rolls and buns for sliders, hamburgers, sloppy joes, chicken salads, BBQs, pulled pork, leftover roast, sandwiches, bean spreads like hummus etc, eggs, hot dogs, sausages (smoked and patties), egg salad, other meat salads, and more....or split for mini pizza breads :)

Prov 28:21  To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.

Freezer and Pantry Cooking and Prepping-

I find freezer and pantry cooking therapeutic and one of the best things to keep me in the frugal! 

For you see- it is the cheapest source of fast food :) 

I may not always make up 'whole meals' but I try to make up frugal, healthy foods that can easily be put together for a quick, healthy meal.

Last weekend the kids put on their new aprons (Christmas gifts) and we got to work in the kitchen.

The two bigger boys made Gingerbread Pancakes and Kefir Pancakes.

The younger two rolled out pizza crusts for breakfast pizzas and personal pizzas for lunch, while I baked them. 

We allowed them to cool and bagged them all in meal portions and froze them.

We then began a double batch of Laura's famous Breakfast Cookies!

(I cut the butter back by 1/4.)

We love these and always include them on our freezer cooking list!

Then we switched our focus to breakfast for the pantry and we made the following granolas:

Graham Granola

Chocolate Granola with Almonds

Peanut Butter Granola

The day we got groceries, I came home and prepared all the meat I bought like this;

-cooked 4lbs ground beef and froze in 5 meal-portions

-boiled and shredded chicken breasts for 4 meal-portions

-boiled 2 whole chickens for 4 meal-portions and about a gallon and a 1/2 of broth frozen in portions

-made and cooked ground turkey meatballs for 5 meals

-boiled oxtails for about a gallon of beef broth and froze in portions

(fed cat and dogs the fat scraps from chicken and oxtails)

-divided roasts for 2 meals and diced up some for 1 meal of stew

- bought enough pollock (fish) for 2 meals for a little over $6

(fish is very high in protein so your servings can be smaller!)

-divided pepperonis in meal-sized portions and froze

This week I also prepared a double batch of Brandy's Spaghetti Sauce and froze it up in meal-sized portions and some for the meatballs.  I had a little left over and spread it across some chicken strips that I had in the freezer and baked them and served them over rice with a spinach and chard salad.

Before I go to bed tonight, I plan on soaking up several kinds of beans so as to pressure cook those tomorrow and freeze them up for quick meals and sides. 

(If you've been reading my FB, you'll know that I discovered electricity, well- I felt like it, when someone gave me a pressure cooker a few months ago and I cooked dried garbanzo beans in 7 minutes! 

Totally amazing!)

We also might make up some bean and cheese burritos for the freezer over the weekend once I get some saucy beans made up.

I'm also making good use of  these soup starters and other goodies for quick meals:

With the clear-broth veggie-soup mix, I usually add frozen shredded chicken, a teaspoon of bouillon, and a shake of thyme, rosemary, and parsley.

The tomato veggie-soup is good plain with frozen shredded chicken or with beef (with or without pasta or rice) and some marjoram, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper....or with beet and Italian herbs.

Then there's the potato soup mix that's just a reheat and add milk beaten with a little flour or cornstarch.

The canned pumpkin soup is a simple reheat and top with sour cream.

The apples make a great side with eggs for breakfast or a quick lunch and I often heat them in a little butter.

All of this helps me keep on the frugal track and focus these days on school and other work. It also helps me on those days when errands pop up out of nowhere and we have to grab our Breakfast Cookies and go!

The kids also enjoy 'cooking classes'!   - Beats fractions and times tables! :)

But- be sure to warn your boys that pancakes do NOT need to be flattened with a spatula to cook through!

Sigh.

Prov 31:15  She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

Shameless Frugality- Ideas for Dental Care, When You Can't Afford It

Several months ago, my older two boys were able to give me a gift that will keep on giving.

Some of you, when I tell this will gasp and say; "I can't believe she's telling that!" But others, who have no dental insurance, will be grateful to know :)

We have a dental office in town that runs a program about 3 to 4 times a year. They bring in as many volunteer dentists as they can from all over the area. The one I saw was all the way from Kentucky!

These dentists, and assistants too, see about 300 patients on the days they do this- for free!

You can either get a cleaning, treatment on one tooth, or an extraction.

My boys waited in the rain through the night, to get a ticket for me so I could have a painful tooth fixed!

Aren't they the most awesome boys ever?!?!?

Yeah, I thought so too.

This wonderful event happens during the early part of the year here, but some of you should begin to look around your area because some places do this in the fall and early winter.

Look and call your local health departments, human services, and other places that provide various types of assistance to see if they know anything about future "dental clinics". If you find an office that does this, they can perhaps give you exact dates of their upcoming events.

Also, check to see if you have a dental school in your area. Some of them will also do work for free in exchange for you being a guinea pig.  

Well, I know that doesn't sound so nice, but- it's free and their teacher will be over-seeing your piggy-ness.

Locals, I've heard there is one up towards Nashville that does this.

Another place that often provides dental service is your local homeless/rescue mission/shelter. I believe ours only provides extractions, but in a worst-case-scenario that may be the only option.

Would love to hear more ideas if any of you have them!

Some Gifts on the Frugal...

Recently we needed a "thank you/appreciation gift" of sorts. 

In keeping on-the-frugal, Swagbucks was able to assist me once again!

In case you haven't heard about Swagbucks, it's just a simple toolbar that you download. Not unlike Google or Bing or any of the others. You can use it as your main search engine/toolbar or if will show up underneath your main toolbar.

Once it's downloaded and installed, you simply do your internet searches through it. Occasionally, you will win Swagbucks. These Swagbucks can be used to purchase Amazon gift cards, Paypal gift cards, and so much more!
There are also several other ways to earn by watching advertisements, surveys, and more.

(The above is a referral link and in the event you decide to use it- I'm oh-so-grateful!)

With Amazon credits, I've recently been able to buy a book that was a gift as well as use a trial membership on Amazon, a coupon, and gift cards to score another gift for a sweet little baby.

On another note- I also recently needed to put another gift together and needed a pretty basket.
(I purchased some unique jars and made jams to place inside.)
This time it was Hobby Lobby to my rescue!
Hobby Lobby continues to offer their 40% off coupons (it's like Christmas in August!) on their website.
So- a $10 basket can be picked up for $6!

Now I'm looking for another frugal gift for a teen girl.
I'm sure I will think up something clever....and frugal ;-)
Where there's a will, there's certainly a way!
***
There is such blessing in giving, even if it's only on a small scale.
Acts 20:35  ...remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Score!- 100lbs of Meat!

When meat runs at .99lb (or less!) it's time try to stock up!

Split chicken breasts were on sale for .99lb and so was loin end pork roast.

I normally don't buy a lot of pork but at .99lb, I couldn't pass it up.

Ground beef was at 1.99lb; a little more than I prefer to pay but better than other stores have it priced right now, and I was getting quite low in my freezers. Ground beef can stretch far, fix up really quick, thaw pretty fast, and so it's really a blessing to have on hand.

So- how much did I buy?

40 lbs chicken @.99lb= $40

30lbs pork end loin @ .99lb= $30

30lbs of ground beef @ 1.99lb= $60

100lbs of meat for $130!

Not bad!

one big box of pork loin

one big box of ground beef and one big box of chicken

When I got it home, I browned over 1/2 of the ground beef and boiled up almost all of the chicken,shredded it, and made broth.

I divided up some of the beef for meatloaves, meat balls, etc, then divided up the cooked meat, bagged, and dated.

It was a lot of work when I got home (cooking, dividing, repackaging), but no more grocery shopping for a month -except for milk and eggs (in about 2 weeks)!

Praise the Lord!

Prov 31:14  She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

Frugal Photo Friday: Our Frugal Blessings

Frugal Photo Friday wouldn't be complete without a boy and his dog. He's giving her free Latin lessons! :)
She barks: Civis Romanus sum!
(Of course you are Abby.) 

We scored these headbands FREE this week at Kohl's! We had a $10 off $10 and the bands were $12, regularly. When I got to the check out she told me the bands were on sale. The total came to $8.40, so they were completely free. I was surprised that I didn't even have to pay taxes! Woo hoo!

Let's move along to the 'bath' section of FPF! This is a a shower curtain and towels that I made sometime back. The liner cost me about $5. I found the fabric on sale for $1 a yard that the curtain is made from. The decorative strips of fabric were in a discount bin for pennies, I just had to piece them together. The towels weren't quite so cheap, but they were cheaper than buying a pre-made.

The kids made sandwiches with my homemade bread for lunch one day this week and toasted it for jelly as a snack, one evening.

The Lord's blessings in reading material this week. Most of this was gifts or found in free bins. I think I have $3.50 total invested in this lot.

Oh and - the Acts and Facts magazines are free upon request from the Institute for Creation Research. I think they are great reading for science! :)

I spent one day last weekend refilling my homemade laundry soap jars. (I use Brandy's recipe with the exception of Fels Naptha, instead of Oil of Olay.)

And finally, we enjoyed recess and vitamin D in our own back yard!

What does 100lbs of ground beef look like?

(I posted this on Facebook but thought some of you may not see it!)

What does 100 pounds of hamburger meat look like? Well- I didn't get a picture of the whole lot but below is about 40lbs.

Yes- I confess- I did something REALLY crazy this month and bought 100lbs of ground beef!

Why did I do this?

Well, I'm concerned that this may be my last 'big' shopping trip for a while for one.

Second- our local store that grinds their own beef- not regrinds what they're sent that's full of water (Leo's Market) ran this meat on sale for $2.49. ....I know- this is high compared ...BUT... Here was my thinking....roll with me.....;-)

The only cheaper meat was chicken thighs and legs at 1.19 (Kroger's) and in a few days .99 (Food Lion). It takes several pounds of those meats to feed my family, with the kids getting one piece of chicken and dh getting....well...you know how many our fellas can eat!

The cost per meal with chicken pieces is several bucks for meat. I have many recipes that I use with only 1 pound of ground beef and that price would be better than the chicken pieces.

So- here's the break down on the beef:
I brought it in, patted out about 225 patties, sectioned the rest up per meal, and all total, have approx. 70 meals divided out. That's about an average of $3.55 per meal...which will include hamburgers several times!

To sum it up, my youngest was looking at all of it and asked; "Mom, how long would all that meat last us?" I told him that if we ate one meal from it a day, it would last about 2 1/2 months!

Not bad methinks!

Lavender Jelly

 I used this recipe to make Lavender Jelly today.

What a neat treat! 

It perfumed the house very well but Abby hasn't stopped huffing and sneezing since. :-)

If you've never made jelly before, it really is so easy.  It's really not much more than mixing, boiling, and pouring and you can start with bottled juice if you like.

I find it a great alternative to store-bought jelly and I love to make unique jams and jellies.

Year before last I made Green Mint Jelly and Basil Jelly.

Last year it was Violet and Dandelion Jelly and Syrup.

This year, I'm starting with Lavender and who knows where I'll go from there!

But it doesn't have to be spring, summer, or fall to make jams and jellies. I like to make them in the winter too.

I've made Cherry Jam, Strawberry Jam, Pomegranate Jelly, and Apple Jelly through the winter.

(The cherries and strawberries were from the freezer.)

It's frugal, it's fun, and it keeps you a little further away from HFCS,... if you're trying to avoid that.

Ground Beef by the Rolls

My neighbor told me about these rolls some time back and I couldn't find them. Thankfully, she told me again :-)

You have to ask to the butcher at Sam's for these. Yeah, just buzz him with that little button. 

These rolls are slightly shy of 9 1/2 lbs and are $2.64 per pound. That's not cheap, I know, but if you're going to buy ground beef, it might be the cheapest way to buy it (next to having your own cow :).

They also have the leaner rolls. 

I was able to slice about 40 patties per roll. That's about .61 per patty. 

They're super cold when you get them so they slice very easy with my Electric Knife
.I was able to flash-freeze them and store them all in zipper bags for quick fixes later.

Cloth Napkins- for the sake of frugality or beauty!

We had beautiful, store-bought fabric napkins years ago, but with gooey toddlers running around- they didn't stay bright and beautiful for long. Then, I used my dish towels for most messes but time had gotten the best of them too. And well, paper towels aren't quite so frugal, are they? So- whattaya do? Make your own napkins! 

I know, I know...I didn't think I could either. It was Brandy, who once again, inspired me.

They really are not hard. If you can sew a sorta straight line and cut a sorta straight line- you can do this!

You don't have to have a bunch of special, expensive fabric either. Use what you have! Old sheets, old shirts, old scraps, anything really. And to be honest, mine aren't perfectly square, but they're always folded so no one knows that but me..and you ;-)

And- while I hope to have/make some one day to have again for special occasions, right now, for every day life, they don't have to match. Mine are mint green, light and dark purple, and pastel stripes. I think the ideal size is 17x17 but not all of mine are that big, since I was using scraps, I did the best I could with what I had and you know what? It works ;-)  

And they really look pretty good and even he-who-loves-paper has come to LOVE these and feels like he's always 'out to eat' when he has his mint green napkin!

My biggest problem was- where to keep them! I drug out this old what-not, that's really supposed to house paper towels, and I stack them on there along with the salt and pepper.

I think these would make really nice gifts too. My oldest is now out on his own and I'm considering making him some for his kitchen.      

What? You don't think a grown-up boy would like cloth napkins for a gift? ;-)

 

 

Patching Clothes -

With 5 boys- you have to learn to do some patch work! But would you believe, that it's really my little girl who requires the most patch work?!

A few years ago, she would cry at the mere mention of pants, but now she's finally learned to wear them to bed. But boy does she WEAR them! She tears the seats out, the knees, and somehow gets strange holes in them too. 

She has a fondness for these with Tweety Bird on them...and I used to. 

You see, they used to be mine, until she decided that she could wear pajama pants and got nearly as big as me ;-), then she decided she also wanted my PJs! 

So- I keep patching them up now that she's decided to keep wearing them out!

I hope she decides to do something else soon ;-)

1st- one of those strange holes a fore mentioned- You can see I can't just pull it together and sew because it's a complete hole. (Where the missing innards went is beyond me.)

 2nd- I pinned a small scrap of soft denim on the inside. A stiff fabric can poke them especially if you leave corners.

 3rd- From the outside, zigzag around the hole on the very edge of the torn fabric, clipping any fraying threads beforehand and being careful to cover all loose ones up with stitches.

4th- From the inside, remove pins. (You don't wanna forget those!) Then clip close to the stitches. See the top of the denim in a point? You want to round that off. 

A note: I have cut denim patches out in heart shapes and zigzagged them on the outside of some clothes before too. That's cute on daytime clothes.

Now, what do you do if they keep ripping the backside out and it's gone beyond just the main seam?!?!? Well, if it's doing that repeatedly, chances are, you got yourself a good dose of the thread-barren-fanny! 

The first time or two, you might can just stitch it up, but it will likely happen again....and again...and again.

So, for the sake of Tweety and frugality, I resort to plan B.

If the area is thread-bare, I gotta get some more "threads" in there so- I cut out a huge patch from some old clothes and I stitch that in the area to make it stronger. Simple as pie!

1st- I used dark thread in the bobbin so you could see how I used an old t-shirt and simply cut and sewed in a very large rectangle in the thread-barren-fanny.

 2nd- From the outside, do a zigzag around the rip or hole. This is from the inside.

 This is what it looks like finished, from the outside.

You can see the zigzag around the hole and part of the pink t-shirt, which is okay since these are PJ pants and this adds some kind of cuteness if you ask me.You know, that Little Orphan Annie look? ;-) 

You can also faintly see the straight stitch that holds the entire rectangular shaped t-shirt scrap in place. That stitch is barely noticeable on this Tweety print -but that piece of t-shirt gives these pj pants just the extra strength they need to make it a little while longer...without the draft! :-)

Which keeps dd happy and warm in her favorite Tweety pants.
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Homestead Revival
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Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday 
Raising Homemakers 
We Are That Family 
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