the green gal

Reuse your wrapping

Ever wondered if you could use something other than paper to wrap a gift? Recently I had the (I thought quite bright) idea of using a tea towel to wrap my friend’s hand thrown dishes I’d bought for her birthday present. That way she gets an extra present and wrapping she could use rather than chuck in the recycling. Or, if it was particularly glittery paper she wouldn't have even been able to do that.

But, it turns out someone else has had the idea but on a better bigger scale!www.thegreengivingco.com sells reusable wrapping in the form of Kerchiefs. They come in different sizes and patterns and are very reasonably priced. As well as giving you guides to tying the Kerchiefs around different shaped gifts, they also sell ribbon in case you want to prettify your present. Nothing is forgotten, you can even get a reusable card where the writing page can be replaced and reused.

The company is new and, I think, well worth your support so check out www.thegreengivingco.com and get knotted!

First knitting, then gardening, now cushion-making!

So I’ve made my first cushion. Okay, not the fluffy stuffing part that makes it comfy but the outside cover of it, to be exact. And while I’m being exact, I haven’t made one, I’ve made three!

My very first cushion was actually a present. Why I thought that was a good idea I don’t know, but it turned out rather well. I wanted to make something for my nephew as a christening present as I was also becoming one of his godmothers. (My husband and I have begun a tradition of making presents for the family and now we’ve started there’s no going back.) It took a big of thought to come up with a present that he could keep for many years, is personal and that I could actually make. So a cushion it was. The fabric for one side was a sort of Hawaiian big leaf print in toning shades of yellow, green and blue. The other side was a plain grass green colour. I opted out of doing anything too technical for a closing and went for simple, if unimaginative, Velcro. Where’s the personal element? I stitched 13 buttons, none the same, on to the plain green side in the shape of an A. And the reaction? Well, I don’t think seven-month-old Albert has shown a great deal of interest so far but his parents seem to quite like it.

So, buoyed by my first success I set about making two cushions for my settle. For those of you who were clueless to what one of those is (as I was before I bought one) it looks a bit like a church pew but the seat is wider, the back higher and you’re more likely to have seen on in a pub. Made from reclaimed pine floorboards the seat is gorgeous but could do with a bit of cushioning. Although I would have liked to reuse fabric I’ve never found any I like (any top tips on this would be well received) I chose new fabric from good old reliable John Lewis. And voila! Ah, my top tip of the day, don’t buy cheap thread. I did and it kept snapping and drove me to the brink of insanity, which is ridiculous when you think I was only making a cushion.

John Lewis were selling smaller cushions in the same fabric for what I worked out to be twice the price of my bigger homemade cushions. Yes, theirs is neater and the pattern matches up perfectly (oops) but my cushions make me smile because I know that I made them.