Sewing as a Productive and Frugal Hobby: My New Set of Pajamas

 

I finished sewing my new pajama pants over the weekend. They are warm and cozy, and I love the colors and print! Maybe you recall, I asked my daughters for 2 yards of flannel fabric for Christmas. I found this print on sale at JoAnn's Fabrics for $2.99/yard. My out-of-pocket cost for the fabric was $0, but my daughters spent about $6.

Also, here's the top I chose to complete the pj set. It's a light pink, oversized t-shirt from Michaels craft store. I received a $5 reward coupon in my email a couple of weeks ago with an expiration date of Jan. 27. I also had a coupon for 20% off any purchase.  

On Friday, I dashed over there to look at the tees. I knew I would find something I liked. Michaels often has their t-shirts for painting/silk screening on sale. They did have one brand for $2.99 each. But I didn't find a color I liked in that selection. So I went with this one. It was $12.99, less 20%, less my $5 rewards, for a grand total of $5.39 plus tax.

I was trying to sew these at minimal out-of-pocket cost to myself -- no additional costs was my goal. I decided not to buy any light pink thread and used some light yellow thread that I already had from a project many years ago. As it all turned out, the light yellow is not only okay, but it's barely noticeable. I also didn't need to buy any elastic for the waistband. I have enough elastic from other projects to probably get me through another 3 pairs of pajamas. And I was using a pattern that I've had and used for over 20 years.

You might have noticed the flower appliqué on the front of the elastic waistband. Manufactured clothing usually has a tag in the back. That's sometimes how I determine which way a top or elastic waist pants go. With handmade pjs that don't have a fly, it's difficult to know which is front and which is back. But there is a difference. The back side is usually roomier. Have you ever put on a pair of leggings backwards and wondered why the front is so baggy? I've done that. When I sew pajama pants, I like to put something center front that will differentiate front from back. So, I rummaged through my sewing trims and came across the perfect little flower appliqué. It really looks like it was meant for this print.

The pattern that I use indicates that I should buy 2 5/8 yards of this width fabric for my size. I'm not all that tall, so I have shortened my pattern by about three inches. I asked my daughters for 2 yards of this fabric. When choosing a print, I looked for one that I could turn sideways for cutting. By turning sideways, I mean that I unfold the fabric and refold it in the opposite direction. I've found with this pattern, I can fit both pattern pieces side by side across the fabric sideways. Whereas when laying out the fabric and pattern with the manufactured fold as it was purchased, the pieces have to be offset to accommodate the fabric's width. This works totally fine when purchasing the recommended amount of fabric. But I do try to be sparing with the fabric, if possible, and purchase just a little bit less.

I learned this little trick years ago when sewing a solid color pair of pj pants for myself. I measured the length of the pattern pieces once shortened, then determined if they would fit side by side if laid out on the width of fabric I chose (typically 44/45" width for flannel). Anyway, by shortening the pants to my height and by turning the fabric sideways, I was able to do these with 5/8 yard less than the pattern suggested. 

I sometimes buy the pattern, take it home, do a mockup of how I will lay out pattern pieces on a grid cutting board, then go back to the store to buy the needed fabric based on how much I think I will need. Doing this is one way that I've made sewing projects more affordable.

I enjoy sewing. For one thing, it allows me an opportunity to express some creativity while still being frugal. It's one of those productive hobbies, like vegetable or herb gardening or refinishing furniture. I try not to frustrate myself with the sewing projects that I select. So I tend to choose those which are on the easy side and can be completed quickly. These pj pants fit that description.

Payment in Trade from the 1930s

Baked Cottage Cheese

I mentioned my grandmother's baked cottage cheese in the comments the other day. The recipe itself is part of a larger story from my grandmother's early marriage years in the 1930s and how she obtained some of her foods then. Here's the recipe, first.

Baked cottage cheese was a cheese custard dessert my grandmother made from the 1930s. It was a little like a lean and crustless cheesecake. I don't know precise measurements and am guessing at her process. Her "recipe" card simply reads "cottage cheese, eggs, sugar, lemon peel, milk, enough flour" she either mashed the cottage cheese with a potato masher or pressed/rubbed the cottage cheese with the back of large spoon through a mesh sieve, then beat in eggs, sugar, lemon zest, milk, and a tiny bit of flour (maybe a tablespoon or two). Once blended together, she poured it into a buttered baking dish and baked as you would an egg/milk custard, likely an oven around 325 degrees F, perhaps in a large pan of water to prevent the custard from overcooking. Remove from oven when the center no longer jiggles. 

Payment in Trade

My grandmother and her family really struggled financially during the 30s. My grandfather had been a stockbroker in the 1920s. Well, you can guess how well that turned out for them. 

My grandmother's father was a medical doctor in town at that time, and many of his patients could no longer pay him in cash. One of the ways they paid my great-grandfather was "in trade." Whatever they could offer, he would accept. There was a dairy farmer with a very large family of children who were all patients at one time or another of my great-grandfather. The dairy farmer wasn't taking in as much income in the 30s, either. And yet, he had all of this very perishable inventory that needed to be moved/sold weekly. The dairy farmer and my great-grandfather came to an agreement over payment for medical services. The farmer would pay in trade. For however much the medical services would be billed, my great-grandfather could receive that dollar amount in dairy foods. 

Free Milk, Eggs, Butter, Cottage Cheese, and Bread

My great-grandfather, my great-grandmother, and their remaining children at home didn't need this amount of dairy foods weekly. So my great-grandfather turned the dairy account over to his adult children to divide amongst themselves as they had need. My grandmother's family was able to obtain milk, eggs, butter, and cottage cheese, for no cost, and this went on for a few years. At one point, the farmer's wife began baking and selling bread for additional income. So, bread was added to the list of foods my grandmother's family could receive as part of the trade agreement. These foods became the backbone of many of their meals during the 30s, as my grandmother thought of new and different ways to use what was no-cost to them. The baked cottage cheese was one such recipe.

My Mother's Baked Cottage Cheese Dish

Many, many years later, my mother would make something very similar. In the 1970s, my mother tried the Atkins diet. One of the popular Atkins' recipes at that time was for a cottage cheese faux cheesecake. It called for cottage cheese, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and artificial sweetener. My mother pureed the ingredients in the pitcher blender, then poured it all into a baking dish and baked till set. It was at this time that she told me about the baked cottage cheese that her own mother would make when she was a girl. 

A decade later, shortly after my mother passed away, my grandmother and step-grandfather offered me a place to live while I went back to school. One evening, my grandmother was setting dishes of cottage cheese with fruit on the table for dessert. The sight of the cottage cheese prompted me to ask my grandmother about the baked cottage cheese. We stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, talking and laughing about all of the ways she and my grandfather had contrived during the 30s just to keep their heads above water. She also got out her recipe card tin. She gave me the card for Baked Cottage Cheese, as well as a couple of others. And she made baked cottage cheese for dessert later that week. It was actually very good. If one were expecting the richness of cheesecake, they might be disappointed. But for a light dessert, it was really pretty good.

What I found fascinating at the time is many of my grandmother's handwritten recipes were more like a list of ingredients, sometimes with no other instructions, sometimes with very vague instructions. Amounts might be listed as "enough" or "to form a dough," or worse, "to make thick as syrup." She knew what she meant as she wrote these recipes down. I believe she thought only she would ever access these cards and papers and wouldn't need as many specific details, but more of prompts to her memory as she put together meals.

Depression-Era Wedding Luncheon Entree

Another story from this period in my grandmother's life revolved around a wedding luncheon for the daughter of a friend. Wedding receptions were rather modest in comparison to the big do's we hear about today. A popular option was a light luncheon that followed the ceremony. My grandmother's gift to this friend's daughter was providing the main dish for the luncheon. My grandmother bought 2 cans of salmon and ordered bread, eggs, and milk from the dairy (the no-cost items for her). She made a large salmon loaf that she later laughed about, saying, "that loaf was more bread and eggs than anything else." I believe she said the luncheon was for about 50 guests. Two cans of salmon for 50 people -- that's pretty frugal.

Bartering in the 30s

Out of necessity, bartering was a common form of payment between individuals and/or small businesses in the 1930s. Food, medical attention, housing, clothing, furniture, or tools might be offered in exchange for what someone might need. Sometimes, the exchanges were simple transactions, one item or service traded for one needed item or service. Other times, bartering resembled what my great-grandfather worked out with the local dairy farmer. An account was set up that allowed my great-grandfather, or anyone he determined, to "purchase" foods up to the amount of the account balance. This meant that my great-grandfather would not need to take possession of the full dollar amount of perishable foods in one swoop, but instead could spread out these purchases as they could be consumed. 

So, that's the story surrounding my Grandmother's Baked Cottage Cheese.