The Trials of a Chicken Apron & Frugal Accomplishments

Hello friends.  Last week, I had some sleepless nights.  Not entire nights, but several hours a night.  I decided to sew a chicken apron one night for one of our hens, to protect her from the abusing roosters, repurposing some heavy flannel.  Here's one tutorial.  I made one a few years ago, but was not sure where those notes were, so I used another online tutorial which used velcro and elastic.  It didn't stay on her, so I found some larger elastic and sewed it on with more velcro the next night.  That hasn't worked either, so I put it on her and watched to see how it's coming off.  It seemed that the velcro just wasn't holding, and that makes sense, because the last one I made did not use velcro, and I never had a problem with it coming off.  I tried the velcro because I knew it would be easier to put it on.  So I then sewed over the velcro, and couldn't get it on her :o(.  I'll see if J will help me, but it may be I need to start over with that part.  I hope once the wardrobe is refinished, and I have a place for all my sewing stuff, that I'll better know where things are, and can keep up with my notes.

Ben Hewitt, whose writing I love, shared this blogger, who is now also on my blogroll.  It'd be worth your time to check both of these men out when you have a few moments.  Will doesn't write often or much, but what is there is lovely.  We needed some large, rather odd shaped boxes to ship some shop orders, and I'd used up the ones I'd gathered free.  I found some used ones online, saving about a dollar a box.  Bubble wrap was reused from some I'd saved from items shipped here, and free cardboard egg trays from one of the potters were used.  Eggs were boiled for the pups.  Various greens were picked for the chickens each day.  I saved the buttons from the flannel shirt used for the chicken apron.

After delivering soap to a B&B that's a 45 minute drive, I thrifted my way back home.  I found several treasures, including a sweet rabbit .25, festive birthday ribbon .25, pillow for the porch which matches one I had 1.00, lovely Irish linen shirt for me & a merino wool sweater for J for 1.00 each.  I also purchased some sort of frame that I'm still trying to figure out.  I was hoping it was for rug hooking, but it may be for needlework.  It's the type that you can roll as you are working the cloth.  I may take it to a woman at a local shop, who I believe would know.  I found a very well made garden basket for $2.50, a large canister that I will turn into a compost crock for my shop , and a lovely piece of cloth that matches the paint in my studio, which I'll probably use for pillows.  I pulled a couple of less sturdy baskets from my collection, and put them in the box for donations.

I had a last minute request to work one of my occasional jobs, which put me close to the thrift shop that supports the SPCA on a day they're open.  I found a pair of Dickey's work pants in J's size for $1.50, three shirts for me from .25 to .75 ea, a couple of candles that look like corn .25 (I'll save these for decoration for our fall hayride), 3 packs of ribbon .10 ea., and my biggest purchase, a large flower frog for $5.  It's an old rectangular one, maybe an antique.  I've wanted a frog for some time, but they're usually quite a bit more than I want to spend.  They had a round one too that I considered, but I restrained myself.

J & I celebrated 10 years together over the weekend.  We enjoyed dinner, music and friends, and we both brought home leftovers.  The music was free at a local microbrewery.  I took my taxes in to be done by the same person that has been doing J's, and our discussion before dropping them off has me convinced I did the right thing.  She asked me many questions which my last tax preparer never did.  She really seems to know her stuff, which of course is why you pay someone to do them in the first place.  Even better, she charges almost half less than the previous preparer.  A double win!  Wishing you a lovely first week of spring!