Radical Cross Stitch

Goodness, seen the news recently? I’m mildly enjoying the irony of all the free marketeers crying out for state assistance. It reminds me of the old Mussollini quote “Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.”

So given that we’re rapidly heading towards a global depression of a level never seen before, it’s time for you all to be thinking a little bit more about making your lives a bit more self-sufficient. Luckily for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the best time to be planting a whole heap of stuff, so we’re gonna have cranking vege gardens soon. I’m super excited that my tomato seeds I carefully saved from our last harvest are sprouting on the bathroom window sill. And since we have a cranking grey water flow from the washing machine out to the back garden, all our shower water is now going straight to the vege garden out front so it’s humming along.

But it’s also a good time to think about the items you use in your daily life that cost you a bit to replace that you could just as easily make. So I want to recommend a couple of crafty economic crisis projects for you.

Firstly, every one needs knickers. And given most knickers are badly made from cheap and boring materials, it makes a whole heap of sense to custom make your own. LUCKY FOR YOU the ever inspirational paintergirl has got the Kaotic Kraft Kuties DiY Knicker pack for sale in her etsy store.

You get the pattern, instructions and fold over elastic (which I am now quite convinced, is indeed awesome), all you need is an old tshirt or stretchy fabric and scissors, thread and a sewing machine and you are sorted. It says you need basic sewing skills and that’s pretty accurate. I hadn’t used a sewing machine in months, and I’m far from good at using one, and I handled this project beautifully. Although my knickers turned out more art project than functional undies..

But you could make some that look like this!

How hot is that?

And the best bit is that if you get this kit, you can make as many knickers as you desire, you just need to get a bit more elastic and fabric somewhere along the way. This is a perfect project for getting together with a bunch of your best crafty buddies to make. If you do make some, make sure you share with the Kuties so we can all purr over your creations.

And of course a good thing to go with knickers is making your own cloth pads. The last thing you want to waste your scarse dollars on during a global depression is wasteful throw away bits. Plus, cloth pads feel so much lovelier, your body will love you for it, I promise. There’s a great pattern list on the Goods 4 Girls website and while you’re there you might want to get inspired to make some to donate to them while you’re at it.

So, anyone else out there got any hot crafty tips for surviving a depression?