It is my personal opinion that saving the planet should be legally mandated. But who listens to me?
Every morning I have morning coffee as so may do. I have the to-go cups for the commute, but hardly ever use it. I don’t have time to make coffee at home (lazy) and I like to stop and get a croissant too.
Here is the thing…. Why do most coffee places offer you Styrofoam containers to put coffee in? I can venture a guess… It’s cheaper! And who isn’t concerned now a days with the bottom line? But I as a consumer have the ability to consciously not use Styrofoam products. I can bring a re-usable container to the store and purchase my coffee that way. But usually they want you to use their container, and I ain’t buying another plastic product that I don’t need. I already have several.
Why don't I like styrofoam? Because they don't decompose. Every styrofoam container that has ever been made is sitting soemwhere... intact! And they cannot be recycled into anything the way plastic can be. It is just not good for the planet.
So what do I do? Try to convince each store manager every day I go there to let me use my own container? Try to convince the store/national chain of how environmentally irresponsible they are being by not using paper products (then they’d be killing trees!). Or just make my own stuff at home? Guess which one I’m leaning on?
I wish I was bold enough to find a bigger venue to persuade the average person of the need to be more environmentally conscious and self sufficient. Hence, the crunchiness.
Peace
PS: Something to browse through.... http://www.earthresource.org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam.html
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Life Makover
I keep feeling the pull to become more self-sustaining. It’s a strong pull too. I don’t have these pulls all willy nilly. They usually show and prove to be accurate eventually. I’m not saying I’m psychic, but I am in tune with energy around me. Back to the blog…..
But I am an urbanite; and plan on staying one. Exactly how self-sustainable can I really get? I have been doing the Knowledge on a lot of different entities and I see a way that I can decrease my reliance on a lot of commercial items, thereby making myself more self sustainable.
The 1st thing I plan on doing is making all of my own toiletries. Soaps, deodorant, lotions, etc. With the exception of the soap, I already do this to a small degree. I stopped using aluminum deodorant years ago and guess what? I’m not funky. But I will go back and forth on it. I have eczema and my skin doesn’t respond well to commercial products. So this practice will have multiple benefits. This I’m implementing as I type.
The 2nd part of my plan involves my wardrobe. My God described my closet as a “department store.” And he’s right. I am glutinous in all that I own. And of course, half the stuff I don’t wear. I plane to decrease my wardrobe 33%/season change for 2 years. That should get me down to the bare bones and not have a ridiculous amount of stuff that I don’t need. Also, since I have been on a no-shopping challenge for a year, I have come to realize that I don’t need to shop. I am perfectly capable of creating any article of clothing that I need. And by making my own clothes, I can control the type of fabric. I want to purge all the synthetic fibers from the closet.
The 3rd part of the plan is to exist on a food budget of $100/month (or less) for me and anyone that comes along. Apparently, I hoard stuff, food included. My cabinets bulge and still I happily go off to the store every week to add more stuff. I have 2 refrigerators and I live alone. Does that make sense? So… I am starting to just eat what I have. There are complete feasts frozen in the spare frige. Don’t make no kind of sense…. And I started a small garden that will grow as the other entities in my life shrink. I grew tomatoes and cucumber this summer. The cucumber did well but the tomatoes were small. Next year I will add on and this fall I will grow some cold veggies.
I bought a new car this year. My old one died bad and publicly. But even though I have this flashy ‘Sunburst Orange’ jeep, I don’t drive it much. I live in GA and anyone that knows anything about knows that in GA you must have reliable transportation. I live on a bus route and partake, but the bus ain’t all that reliable and it doesn’t go everywhere you need it to go. I wanted a Prius, but I needed a car during the fall of the big American auto companies and could not bring myself to buy a foreign car. In my family we buy American and don’t make any bones about it. The bottom line is this and you don’t have to believe it… But we have to support our own… that applies to industry in this country that support workers here. I saw what the closing of a Ford plant did to the economy here last year. And I see what the loss of General Motors benefits has done to a lot of people (including retirees) in my community. We cannot be selfish. We have the responsibility to spend American dollars in America and support companies that hire American employees. Back to this paragraph’s original point…. I am being environmentally responsible by having bought a more gas efficient vehicle and then not driving it very much.
This is a whole life initiative. I want to be in Equality with my surroundings. I do not believe that I am owed anything by anybody. I do not want to prostitute the planet, or the economy. And I don’t feel like other folks should either.
Peace
But I am an urbanite; and plan on staying one. Exactly how self-sustainable can I really get? I have been doing the Knowledge on a lot of different entities and I see a way that I can decrease my reliance on a lot of commercial items, thereby making myself more self sustainable.
The 1st thing I plan on doing is making all of my own toiletries. Soaps, deodorant, lotions, etc. With the exception of the soap, I already do this to a small degree. I stopped using aluminum deodorant years ago and guess what? I’m not funky. But I will go back and forth on it. I have eczema and my skin doesn’t respond well to commercial products. So this practice will have multiple benefits. This I’m implementing as I type.
The 2nd part of my plan involves my wardrobe. My God described my closet as a “department store.” And he’s right. I am glutinous in all that I own. And of course, half the stuff I don’t wear. I plane to decrease my wardrobe 33%/season change for 2 years. That should get me down to the bare bones and not have a ridiculous amount of stuff that I don’t need. Also, since I have been on a no-shopping challenge for a year, I have come to realize that I don’t need to shop. I am perfectly capable of creating any article of clothing that I need. And by making my own clothes, I can control the type of fabric. I want to purge all the synthetic fibers from the closet.
The 3rd part of the plan is to exist on a food budget of $100/month (or less) for me and anyone that comes along. Apparently, I hoard stuff, food included. My cabinets bulge and still I happily go off to the store every week to add more stuff. I have 2 refrigerators and I live alone. Does that make sense? So… I am starting to just eat what I have. There are complete feasts frozen in the spare frige. Don’t make no kind of sense…. And I started a small garden that will grow as the other entities in my life shrink. I grew tomatoes and cucumber this summer. The cucumber did well but the tomatoes were small. Next year I will add on and this fall I will grow some cold veggies.
I bought a new car this year. My old one died bad and publicly. But even though I have this flashy ‘Sunburst Orange’ jeep, I don’t drive it much. I live in GA and anyone that knows anything about knows that in GA you must have reliable transportation. I live on a bus route and partake, but the bus ain’t all that reliable and it doesn’t go everywhere you need it to go. I wanted a Prius, but I needed a car during the fall of the big American auto companies and could not bring myself to buy a foreign car. In my family we buy American and don’t make any bones about it. The bottom line is this and you don’t have to believe it… But we have to support our own… that applies to industry in this country that support workers here. I saw what the closing of a Ford plant did to the economy here last year. And I see what the loss of General Motors benefits has done to a lot of people (including retirees) in my community. We cannot be selfish. We have the responsibility to spend American dollars in America and support companies that hire American employees. Back to this paragraph’s original point…. I am being environmentally responsible by having bought a more gas efficient vehicle and then not driving it very much.
This is a whole life initiative. I want to be in Equality with my surroundings. I do not believe that I am owed anything by anybody. I do not want to prostitute the planet, or the economy. And I don’t feel like other folks should either.
Peace
Monday, August 3, 2009
Baby Quilt
This weekend I began work on a baby quilt for a dear friend of mine. I bought the material months ago, but me and quilts are not the best of friends. I didn't want to start it. Every time I make a quilt, I swear that it's the last. Last time I saw her, I realized that she is getting REALLY big and I need to jump on this quilt fast if I plan to give it to her before her child is born. So I commenced to cutting Saturday morning.
I allowed my friend to do something I don’t generally allow. I allowed her to pick her own colors for the quilt. Call me a control freak, but if I’m making something as a gift and I’m laying out my own money, and I’m doing all of the work... I make ALL, not some, of the decisions. I suppose I’m mellowing out in my old age. She chose… blue, purple and camouflage (wtf?) as her chosen colors for the quilt. Where do you find camo? I went to Joanns and found everything I needed. I mid blue with 5-pointed stars on it, a lavender with hearts on it and even a soft camo. That should work whether it be a boy or a girl. I always incorporate some white/cream into a quilt. I find it lends balance. And a little red for pop factor.
It took a long time for me to decide on a pattern for this quilt. The mother is an activist and I wanted something very traditional and meaningful for the quilt. I wanted to incorporate some African American (I prefer the term ‘Black’) Underground Railroad-ish for the theme. But I decided on this Pattern. It’s called a “Mother’s Life”. And I figured that since I am Black, it will be an African American quilt since I made it.
The Mother’s Life is a really nice block, because it symbolizes that mothers give love and energy but that they also receive it back as well. I’m using the lavender, blue and red for this block. The block is not my block or a traditional block. I have learned a very valuable lesson regarding using someone else’s designs… The measurements aren’t always exact. Some of them are way off and it wastes the fabric. Fabric ain’t free and I hate using it up indiscriminately. But it’s cool. I only cut out enough fabric to make 1 square. Just to see if I liked it. I like it. And I made the necessary adjustments to my cutouts. It came out nicely though with the adjustments it turned out to be a 14” block rather than a 16” block. That’s cool. Also it took 3 hours to complete the 1 block. That doesn’t include cutting. All sewing. I still like it. That's it up top.
See the arrows out and in? Sorry my camera phone has no flash and it was dark in the room. 3 hours means when I finished it was dark!
Another thing I’m doing differently with this quilt than I have in the past is I’m using quilting thread throughout the fabrication. I don’t usually use quilting thread because it jams up my machine. But the last baby quilt I made fell to pieces and I had to take it apart and do it again. Quilter’s tread is hard and yes I had to play with the settings to keep the thread right. I finally got it together at the end. Again, it’s cool. Seriously I hope that all these adjustments make the next 3 squares go faster.
In between the main squares I decided to trim with a traditional “Crossroad” patter. That is an Underground Railroad pattern. It means that you life is about to change. I used 1:1 inch squares (a little extra for the seam allowance) in cream and camo. It’s cute and will provide a nice balance for the front of the quilt. The camo I found has some lycra knit in it. Not a lot but enough to make it look crazy here. But don’t worry. It will all work out in the end.
My only concern is the back of the quilt. I have no ideas. I’m not gonna keep with the same on the back. The only thing I have thought of is that I want the back to be chenille for the tactile differences for the baby and it will come off warmer for him/her. But other than that, I’m blank.
Oh well. I’ll post a pic of the finished blanket. Will me and the baby good intentions please!
Peace
I allowed my friend to do something I don’t generally allow. I allowed her to pick her own colors for the quilt. Call me a control freak, but if I’m making something as a gift and I’m laying out my own money, and I’m doing all of the work... I make ALL, not some, of the decisions. I suppose I’m mellowing out in my old age. She chose… blue, purple and camouflage (wtf?) as her chosen colors for the quilt. Where do you find camo? I went to Joanns and found everything I needed. I mid blue with 5-pointed stars on it, a lavender with hearts on it and even a soft camo. That should work whether it be a boy or a girl. I always incorporate some white/cream into a quilt. I find it lends balance. And a little red for pop factor.
It took a long time for me to decide on a pattern for this quilt. The mother is an activist and I wanted something very traditional and meaningful for the quilt. I wanted to incorporate some African American (I prefer the term ‘Black’) Underground Railroad-ish for the theme. But I decided on this Pattern. It’s called a “Mother’s Life”. And I figured that since I am Black, it will be an African American quilt since I made it.
The Mother’s Life is a really nice block, because it symbolizes that mothers give love and energy but that they also receive it back as well. I’m using the lavender, blue and red for this block. The block is not my block or a traditional block. I have learned a very valuable lesson regarding using someone else’s designs… The measurements aren’t always exact. Some of them are way off and it wastes the fabric. Fabric ain’t free and I hate using it up indiscriminately. But it’s cool. I only cut out enough fabric to make 1 square. Just to see if I liked it. I like it. And I made the necessary adjustments to my cutouts. It came out nicely though with the adjustments it turned out to be a 14” block rather than a 16” block. That’s cool. Also it took 3 hours to complete the 1 block. That doesn’t include cutting. All sewing. I still like it. That's it up top.
See the arrows out and in? Sorry my camera phone has no flash and it was dark in the room. 3 hours means when I finished it was dark!
Another thing I’m doing differently with this quilt than I have in the past is I’m using quilting thread throughout the fabrication. I don’t usually use quilting thread because it jams up my machine. But the last baby quilt I made fell to pieces and I had to take it apart and do it again. Quilter’s tread is hard and yes I had to play with the settings to keep the thread right. I finally got it together at the end. Again, it’s cool. Seriously I hope that all these adjustments make the next 3 squares go faster.
In between the main squares I decided to trim with a traditional “Crossroad” patter. That is an Underground Railroad pattern. It means that you life is about to change. I used 1:1 inch squares (a little extra for the seam allowance) in cream and camo. It’s cute and will provide a nice balance for the front of the quilt. The camo I found has some lycra knit in it. Not a lot but enough to make it look crazy here. But don’t worry. It will all work out in the end.
My only concern is the back of the quilt. I have no ideas. I’m not gonna keep with the same on the back. The only thing I have thought of is that I want the back to be chenille for the tactile differences for the baby and it will come off warmer for him/her. But other than that, I’m blank.
Oh well. I’ll post a pic of the finished blanket. Will me and the baby good intentions please!
Peace
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)