Monthly Archives: June 2012

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Sinking Desk Chair: Repaired

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In an effort to save money and continue to learn useful skills, I’m looking for ways to depend more on myself (for problems small and large) and rely less on buying something pre-made. My self-sufficient summer continues! 

PROBLEM: Every time I sit in my chair, it sinks

It is no secret that I spend A LOT of time in my desk chair. It has been with me since my first year of graduate school (2006). After I finished my thesis, the computer desk chair became a sewing chair as well. Most recently, I’ve been spending more time in it for the job application process, and over the past week I’ve noticed that the seat has been gradually sinking every time I sit on it.

As of Monday it wouldn’t even rise back up.

This proved ergonomically problematic and I started daydreaming about buying a new desk chair. But swivel desk chairs are expensive, and I am not in a place where I feel comfortable buying non-essentials.

SOLUTION: Take matters into my own hands

Eventually I remembered that I was supposed to be making responsible (economically and environmentally) decisions and I should just REPAIR the chair.

Based on a Google search, a sinking swivel chair is caused by a problem with the gas cylinder. It is replaceable, but gas cylinders can run between 20 and 80. I could buy a new chair for that cost. Environmentally Sustainable? YES. Economically feasible? NO.

Then, after a bit more Google searching, I found this tip:

I can do that, and more importantly, I can afford that. So I headed off to Home Depot to pick up  1.5-inch diameter PVC pipe, and some heavy duty metal zip ties for hoses. It cost me $6.00 (plus gas). [Word of caution, when asking the Home Depot staff about the materials you have just picked up, make sure to mention you are working on a NON-plumbing project. Otherwise, they will freak out that you are buying things that will not be water tight.]

IMPLEMENTATION: Rosie the Riveter rises again

In less than an hour:

I cut the pipe (4.75 inch long and then in half lengthwise);

I did not realize PVC would be that easy to saw through.

Sandwiched some craft foam inside the pipe to ensure a tight fit around the chair shaft; and

Be safe!

Secured the pipe in place with the metal bands.

Success! *Runs around house making happy noises*

Enchiladas

Self-Sufficient Summer: Enchiladas

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In an effort to save money and continue to learn useful skills, I’m looking for ways to depend more on myself (for problems small and large) and rely less on buying something pre-made. This is my summer of self-sufficiency. 

I have a weakness for Amy’s frozen foods: The product line is vegetarian, they don’t use peanuts in their facility, they use organic ingredients, and it is healthier than many other frozen meal options.

I usually get their tamale verde, cheese enchiladas, spinach pizza, or pasta cheddar bowl. I’ve relied heavily on Amy’s through graduate school and “early adulthood” to get me fed after long days. You know those days—you get home and just don’t want to do anything, including wait more than 5 minutes for dinner.

The trouble is, these meals can cost between $3.50 and $7.00, and that can add up week after week. Without a steady income, I am more conscious of that price escalation. Then there is the issue of packaging disposal (even if the box is recyclable).

I was flipping through my binder of recipes and decided to try an easy enchilada recipe from Real Simple Magazine. I think the recipe was originally part of a series on easy family meals, since it relies on pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. (I ultimately just made cheese enchiladas so my pescetarian boyfriend could partake of the meal.)

The recipe gives two options for the verde sauce. Either make it from scratch with tomatillos, onions, and a few other ingredients. OR buy a pack of green salsa and blend it with heavy cream. I chose the latter option.

Admittedly, this particular enchilada recipe still included packaging waste (I forgot to take a photo):

  • green salsa plastic container (recycled)
  • heavy cream container (recycled)
  • tortilla plastic bag (trash)
  • grated cheese plastic bag (trash)…yeah yeah…I should have grated it myself, but the cheese still comes wrapped in plastic
  • diced tomatoes can (recycled)

The final costs for cooking three meals’ worth of enchiladas probably came close to the buying 3 of Amy’s enchilada meals, but I learned how to make enchiladas. And that was the whole point of this exercise. I can keep an eye on sales and hopefully drop the cost a little lower. And if I invest in a larger backing dish, I can easily bake more enchiladas at once.

Look closely, George is there, at the center of the image.

George

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For those of you who started following my blog for its sewing and crafting content, this particular post might seem out of place. But I initially turned to sewing and knitting as small ways I could contribute to worldwide sustainability and environmental conservation. It is on this particular theme that I write today.

This past weekend, the loss of a single life resulted in the extinction of an entire [sub]species of giant tortoise. Lonesome George was a Galapagos Giant Tortoise, of the Pinta Island variety or sub-species. He was over 100 years old and although they never met, he was alive when Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands. His distinctive saddle-back shaped shell is often cited as an example of natural selection. The shape (in comparison to the domed-shaped shells on the tortoises in wetter island climates) allows this drier climate tortoise species to stretch and reach edible vegetation high off the ground. All of his Pinta Island relatives died years ago, because of poaching and habitat loss (to goats!!).

[The National Geographic webpage has a great scientific summary of Lonesome George here.]

Image Credit: Galapagos National Park

After he was found on Pinta Island in 1972 (years after Pinta Tortoises were thought to be extinct) George had the privilege (and the burden) of being an icon of the environmental conservation efforts. At the time of his death, he was sharing his corral with two females, from Espanola Island, in hopes that he might be interested in mating. No offspring were ever sired. As the last of his [sub]species, his loneliness was broadcast worldwide as a lesson about the loss of biodiversity and environmental crises.

Map from Direccion del Parque Naciional Galapagos

From the Galapagos National Park press release:

The plight of Lonesome George provided a catalyst for an extraordinary effort by the government of Ecuador to restore not only tortoise populations throughout the archipelago but also improve the status of other endangered and threatened species.

In September 2011, Greg and I had the privilege to visit the Galapagos Islands for vacation. Although he was shy (and perhaps weary with old age), we got to meet George during a visit to the Giant Tortoise Conservation and Breeding Center in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island.

Look closely, George is there, at the center of the image.

As soon as I woke up this morning, Facebook status updates from two of my UK-residing Galapagos travel companions alerted me to George’s passing. I met him for only 20 minutes, less than 0.00005% of his lifetime, but I will admit that I cried a little bit today.

His story was heavily anthropomorphized. We humans seem to respond better to animals when we share emotions or experiences with them; I am guilty of this as well. For a moment I wondered if he might meet up with his Pinta Island relatives in a Tortoise-heaven. Then I shook my head to shake off that silly idea. Then I wondered if he was at all aware of his loneliness. (Even man’s best friend knows when they’ve been separated from their pack.) Did he realize that the other tortoises in his pen were not exactly like him? Was he aware that he had not seen another Pinta Giant Tortoise for over 40 years?

Many refer to him as an ICON of environmental conservation. However, he is only one organism that has been impacted by changes in climate, natural resource exploitation (by human organisms), and general human development and population expansion. And he will not be the last.

Rest in Peace, George. I am honored that I got to see you while you was alive. I’ll mourn your passing, and I pledge to keep doing my small part to help protect our planet’s biodiversity by making environmentally-responsible choices.

DuckSuit_SnazzyDuck

A Duck Suit

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Two words: Duck Suit

Sometimes opportunities come out of nowhere. This one flapped down next to me while I was at my friend’s house for brunch. As it turned out, there was a little duck who needed a suit. He was going to be a participant in the 2012 Renton River Days Duck Hunt. Never heard of it? Well, I’ll give you a few minutes to read about the 3rd Annual Duck Hunt, here or here.

Back? Awesome.

Ok, so a duck needs a suit. If my friend hadn’t specified what kind of suit (or the character he would be portraying) you can bet he would have been clothed in a tweed jacket, a bow tie, and a fez. Cuz its cool, and that is how I tend to think. Making a mental note for next year…

The formal request was for a black suit over a white shirt and black tie. Simple but classic.

Then I was told, “…and it needs to be done by Friday.” (That really only gave me 4 days from the moment the duck and I met.) Luckily, unemployment provides you the freedom to make your own schedule. A friend needed a favor, and I was happy to oblige.

I am proud of this project for two reasons:

  1. I used pre-existing scraps from my fabric stash (no new materials purchased here!), and
  2. I was able to apply some of the pattern drafting skills I just learned from Pennie Laird.

I turned to one of my pattern making books for collar inspiration, doodled a couple of sketches, and then started taking measurements from a duck I had from the 2011* Duck Hunt. (*This detail will be important later.)

After some trial and error, I had a drafted pattern that resembled  a suit made for a large rubber ducky. It included a back, a front, a wing sleeve, and a collar (not shown).

I traced the pattern pieces onto another sheet of medical exam table paper and added seam allowances. What do you use for tracing paper? Medical exam table paper was a suggestions by Pennie, and seriously, it is affordable and works well.

I’ve learned from my own sewing projects, that muslins are very useful when you are making a particular garment for the first time.

After confirming that the bedsheet muslin fit the duck, I was ready to take the next big step and cut into my black fabric (left over from Greg’s Renaissance costume pants).

I don’t know how you prefer to cut out fabric, but for the last two years I have been pinning the pattern to the fabric and cutting them out. Then my mom reminded me that she prefers to trace around the patterns (she also copies her altered patterns to card stock for durability) and cut along the chalk lines. I think I prefer this method.

I quickly sewed the back to the front (at the shoulder seams), combined the two collar pieces (outside and backside lining) and attached the collar to the front of the jacket and neckline. Remember how I had used a 2011 duck for the muslin fitting? Well, apparently the 2012 ducks are a wee-bit smaller:

The difference wasn’t big enough to force me to restart from scratch, but when it came time to sew on the sleeve pieces, I made the seam allowance bigger than originally planned (3/8″ vs 1/4″). I am glad that Greg’s Assassins Creed costume involved a lot of curved pieces, because this wing sleeve required a lot of pins to set it into place. At this point, I am a pro at this.

And I think the sleeve turned out nicely, don’t you?

I put most of my effort into the suit jacket. The collared shirt, is only a facade piece. I used the back of the bedsheet muslin as the shirt front, trimming the back of the muslin jacket collar to look like a button up shirt. Then I cut the pieces for the tie and glued them in place. Yes, I said glued. I wasn’t about to risk having this  jacket fall off. It has to sit in a Renton-area business for almost a month.

And now….the hero shot:

I am a snazzy duck!

If you live in Renton and will be participating in the Duck Hunt (I think I am speaking to maybe 1% of my audience), keep an eye out for my duck suit. I will not disclose anything about its location or clues related to it. Good luck!

Little_si

A New Adventure

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Do you ever wonder if your brain, in all of its infinite mystery and complex processing power, is aware of things you are not? That might sound strange, since you are using your brain to think that. Dreams—a conglomeration of images, scenes, and moods—are a good example of what I mean. Your brain is working through your day’s experiences while you are asleep. Sometimes you might give it a nudge if you are thinking about that exam or presentation before you go to sleep, but more often than not my brain decides what it wants to dream about without consulting me.

I am not about to start talking about dreams though. Can of worms, I tell you.

I’m looking at my last two blog posts, and I’m thinking my brain is a sneaky genius (I’m thinking on the level of the BBC’s Sherlock) that withholds the final clues until the other detectives are ready to comprehend it. In my posts I expressed thoughts on eliminating (donating) extraneous and unused possessions. I decided that I needed to take a break from sewing for time and financial management reasons.

Then, this week, my company eliminated my position.

It felt sudden, but like all things in business it was a result of a longer decision-making process and I’m wondering if my brain was picking up on subtle clues in the office atmosphere.  My brain has been preparing me for change for the past couple weeks, but I thought it was just a haircut, cutting back on spending, and refocusing my sustainability efforts. Even my dreams, in hindsight, had themes of separation and finality.

The “regular” detectives in Sherlock are understandably irritated when they discover that Sherlock Holmes has been withholding vital case clues or has gone off to meet with the suspect without telling anyone. But we as viewers see that Sherlock (for the most part) releases the answers he has deduced when it is necessary. He functions and processes details faster, and if he laid all the facts on the table as soon as he learned them, it would likely overload the detectives’ (and our) brains.

Perhaps, like Sherlock, my brain had deduced what was potentially coming. And I don’t mind that it kept me in the dark.* As I sit here today (while my boyfriend leaves for work), even though it sucks a lot to not have a job, the psychological groundwork that was laid over the last couple weeks is a huge help in dealing with this change. The crying and the anger passed. (It also helped to have a couple dear friends immediately accessible for coffee and by phone to help me move past the initial shock.) The offerings of support (emotional and professional) from old friends and from new acquaintances, alike, has increased my hope for the job search.  Now I just need to buckle down, go over the unemployment paperwork, and start polishing my resume.

And let’s be honest. I play Dungeons & Dragons. I relish the start of a new adventure. Time for me to go into to town and find a new quest.

Even when the battle is at its most dire, there is usually a way out. (Unless your DM is particularly cruel.)

Have a good weekend, everyone!!

*I realize that perhaps I am giving my brain quite a lot of independence here. I’m not sure if I believe it, or if there is any science to back this up. I just know that brains continue to be a mystery to doctors and psychologists. I will always remember a quote from a friend (quoting her neuropsychology prof, and paraphrased here):

“I used to think the brain was the most important organ in the body. Then I realized who was telling me that.”

Cat "helping" sort my sewing supplies

Austerity Measures & Simplification

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The household crafting budgetary committee (ME) has reviewed the spending of the last couple months and has voted unanimously to impose austerity measures for the month of June.

For my part, Me-Made May ’12 was as much a challenge of production as it was a challenge of outfit creation. In order to meet my goal of 2 items per week, I knew that I would need to complete at least 4-6 new items that month. I am proud of my accomplishments, both in knitting, sewing, and pattern drafting. Yet, I think I will take the end of this challenge as a punctuation to this phase of sewing and evaluate my crafting priorities for the rest of the year.

The Crafting Budgetary committee’s decision to cut funding was based primarily on my spending habits when it comes to crafting (I don’t include it in my month budget). There isn’t the room (physical of fiscal) for new sewing and knitting supplies. I would like to make a couple of costumes for this year’s Ren Fair and convention circuit, but if I am not careful those projects can end up costing my $100 or more each. But sewing and knitting have is also become something of a distraction from other life priorities. Many people will attest to the meditative qualities of crafting, and that is something that I thrive on. But when I get home from work, I make a bee line to the sewing machine, and ignore other aspects of my life (chores, correspondence with friends, learning other skills, exercising, etc.). I’ve just enrolled in a certificate program for Autumn 2012, and that is going to drain my finances and my time.

There is also an issue of space and usability of the items I am creating. I’ve been struggling with my wardrobe for a while, and creating the MMM outfits forced me to confront my mediocre feelings about my wardrobe as a whole. I’ve tried multiple times to establish a different style, but my habits, behaviors, and comfort level usually reset my clothing style after a couple weeks. It is like hair cuts. It always comes back to the same default style that gets swept into a boring ponytail. (Note: we will see how long my current new haircut can maintain itself.)

The result is a closet with a few things that get worn a lot, and others that just look pretty on hangers. Some items no longer fit, some items never fit (but I swore I would get them altered). I noticed that the closet shelving is starting to buckle under the weight. So, before I create (or thrift) more clothing, I need to cull my existing wardrobe.

Thank goodness for the blogosphere:

The brains behind A Good Wardrobe, A Wardrobe, Reimagined, and Project 333 have all tackled similar issues. (These are my favorites so far, but these are not, by any means, the only blogs in the sewing/creative communities that are covering these topics.)

Lizz at A Good Wardrobe is taking the approach of creating unique, interchangeable wardrobes for each season based on a color palette. In addition to her sewing adventures, she spends some time contemplating what makes a good wardrobe and how to establish or find your personal style. It was through her blog that I stumbled upon the idea of a 30-piece core wardrobe.

I only recently started following Ali’s blog, A Wardrobe, Reimagined, but when I have time I want to go back and read her blog from the beginning. She has been on a journey  since 2010 to re-imagine her wardrobe and find her style, and I think I am where she was she began her blog. Also, her creations and thrift finds are inspiring. (Ali is co-hosting a June sew-along that encourages us to create one item in June that we will wear all summer. I MIGHT participate, since I already have all of the .) :)

The Project 333 allows 33 items for use each season (3 months at a time). The idea at the heart of this project is simplification and living with less–an idea that is in sync with my sustainability goals. If I look at what is in my laundry hamper, it is usually the same dozen shirts and the same three pants. I am unbelievably turned on by the idea of simplicity and living with less. I would like to be able to regularly wear the majority of what I own and maximize interchangeability of clothing and outfits. I’m going to give this 333 project a try. I’ll pack away the clothing that isn’t being used that season, and see if that makes choosing outfits in the morning easy. (Less selection = more happiness…yeah, there is science to back that up. Just listen to Radio Lab.)

My mantra: Need what I own and own only what I need (with a few exceptions for sentimental value).

Ultimately, when I’ve trimmed my clothes down to what I regularly use, I will be able to identify the gaps in my wardrobe and return to sewing, knitting, or thrifting as my means of procurement.

Come July, I plan to reunite with my craft supplies, with the hope of turning my existing fabric stash into Christmas gifts. For now, I’ll be simplifying the chaos that reigns inside my shelves and drawers.