Frugal February Day 3- thread spider

Update- my mom and Debbie both commented that they use this method and learned it quite a while ago. It is called Enders and Leaders.  They sent the names of websites that feature it with some especially good tutorials. Both of these are excellent quilt sites too!  Thank you Mom and Debbie
Quiltville
Lollyquiltz

This tip will save sewing thread. It also means the bobbin has to be filled less often, the seam ends are neater and there will be fewer threads to snip off when the the project is finished.

I think I learned this tip from an episode of Fons and Porter quilting show on PBS. I looked on their website to see if their was a tutorial and to link back to them but I could not find it on their site. 

Chain sewing is a great way to accomplish the same result but every project is not a candidate for chain sewing,  so here is how to sew with a thread spider. 

You just need a small scrap of fabric, folded to make a double layer.

When you start a new seam, first sew over the scrap of fabric, then put your fabric pieces right up to the scrap and just sew as usual. Clip off the scrap before you get to the end of your seam and then sew right back onto the scrap at the end of the seam,  you will still need to back stitch your project if your project requires it.

After the same scrap has been used for a few seam start and stops, it kind of looks a spider with all the lines of sewing on it.

Below are 2 doll legs, 

The one on the right is sewn the traditional way - see the long threads that will need to be clipped and how when you start sewing a narrow seam, sometimes it bunches up a bit.

With a thread spider, that bunching did not ever happen for me.

The leg on the left was started and stopped with the thread spider and I think the seams look neater the little bit of scrap thread  ended up on the spider. 

On my sewing machine, I must pull out a pretty long amount of top and bottom thread when I start a new seam or else when the machine starts, the top thread pulls out and I have to re thread the machine. Using the thread spider means I can spend more time sewing and less time threading my sewing machine too. 

This tip is new to me and I've been sewing, golly, 45 years or so! 

Do the rest of you seamstresses know this tip already? or is it kind of new?

Frugal February day 2

My first kitchen action this morning was to use some more of that bargain cream from Aldi and I made a batch of freezer biscuits multiplied by 5. I used my old Tupperware fix and mix bowl and 5 recipes was just about the right fill for that bowl. 

Cooking breakfast at home is not difficult, especially if you have some freezer biscuits to bake.

Breakfast at home is much thriftier than eating out.m

That's our breakfast. I like my egg on top of a biscuit half.  My husband had 2 biscuits.

We are not hard working farmers and this is all the breakfast we need. 

It was delicious!

I use this recipe for freezer biscuits. I do it just like the recipe but I bake them after they are frozen and I don't brush them with additional butter before baking. 

 King Arthur Cream Biscuits for the freezer recipe

I've blogged a number of times about my deals at CVS and this week was another good one.

I spent last weeks ECBs and $6.75 for all this.  I am very thankful to have a good store like CVS near my home where I can get such good deals on things we use.

Oh, and I earned a $10 ECB for next week.

I've noticed similar good deals at other stores on online deal sites.  My advice is to pick a store close to you that you like to shop at, read up on their deals at a site like MoneysavingMom.com and focus your coupon shopping there. 

Update on our furnace - the repairman came Saturday evening, he cleaned off the temperature probe and it has been working ever since. He said the cleaning could make the probe last 5 more years or we could replace it to be sure it would keep working. We asked him to get a new one and he will come back next week and replace that probe. 

So,  I will be happy to pay for the new part and service calls. I don't think it will be a jaw-dropping amount though. 

We are very thankful to have heat. Our forecast is downright cold!

Frugal February

My brother brought me a big stack of recent coupon supplements. He also saves his Boxtops for Education for my grandchildrens school.

My Aldi had pints of heavy cream, that are close to their date, for 49 cents. I plan on making freezer biscuits with some and I used one to make this delicious Creamy Tomato soup, she said the leftovers freeze well so I put the extra in serving size containers in the freezer.

Creamy tomato soup

Grandson Gavin will be 5 tomorrow! He spent most of today with us and he really had fun playing with this gift from his Aunt, a Stomp Rocket. His uncles had a lot of fun with it too, maybe even more than Gavin.  It would be a great gift for boys of all ages. It is pretty simple, it has an air bag that you stomp, and the harder you stomp, the higher the rockets go.

Stomp Rockets

And now we are waiting on the heating repair man. The furnace comes on but just for a few seconds and shuts back off within heating the house. Hopefully he can fix it tonight, if not we will be sleeping in the living room with the gas fireplace burning. 

It may be an especially good thing I planned to be especially frugal in February.