Comments on: JUNE + THE BUST DIY GUIDE TO LIFE

By: Mary

Mary — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 04:42:51 +0000

Growing up, whenever I would want to buy something, my mama would always say “We can make that.” So she is my original DIY inspiration. When I was in junior high, I saw an ad in the back of a magazine for an amazing “potato clock,” which didn’t use any batteries. And of course, when I wanted to send away for it immediately, my mama replied “We can make that.” So we did and she even taught me the science behind it. I ended up winning a prize in a science fair for experiments in electrochemistry

By: Alabama

Alabama — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:22:47 +0000

Any method that will keep the thread from moving out of the seam is appropriate. I would test any method thoroughly by washing. Since our buttoncraft thread has a coating (and has been loved with the oils of the finger), it is more likely to slip out. Let us know what you find out! We quite like our knots… smile.

By: Jill S

Jill S — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:30:35 +0000

I bought this book and loved it, however, I’m interested in AC’s take on page 108-109, where they advise to NEVER knot your thread, and instead use a “tacking” method (sewing back over the initial stitch 4 or 5 times). Would this work with AC’s patterns, or would you advise against it?

By: Faun Bonewits

Faun Bonewits — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:36:11 +0000

My husband and I had a year of hard luck after 911, we started with a nice apartment and everything fine in Chicago. our car caught fire with our bikes in it, ended up, loosing the apartment & moving north, we ended up living in in 3 season cabin year round, learning about chainsaws and living with out running water when it got cold enough to freeze pipes. wood cracks better when its below 0′F. then we found a house from 1860′s. we re-roofed the place , evicted the bats and gutted and renovated the house using as much found and green building supplies, as we could. I’ve not found bust up in the north woods of wisconsin.
It would be great to have a copy of the DIY guide as we continue to renovate our life.

By: india flint

india flint — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:33:30 +0000

well i’m doing my best in terms of spreading the DIY dye gospel but i think the best story belongs to a friend of mine, living in the Redwoods some thirty years ago. it was a cold winter and he was having a chat about the weather with an old-timer…whose memorable comment was “there’s a lot of warmth in that axe-handle, son”

By: Julie Bowersett

Julie Bowersett — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:05:10 +0000

I wish this was Facebook so I could “Like” some of these comments.

By: Linda Selby

Linda Selby — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:15:36 +0000

Wow. Some great stories here! Must look into making my own soap… Anyway, I busted outside yesterday to enjoy the beautiful weather. I decided to rip the old alarm system wire out of the back windows, pull up the wire trellis from the front flower bed & use them both to build 5 tomato cages. They’re ready for the garden!

By: Amy Hall

Amy Hall — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:07:52 +0000

The evolution of our marriage has brought my husband and me to a place where we are quite self-sufficient. This is a relatively new experience to two people who used to eat out almost exclusively due to our work schedules. I have always loved to sew but had to do it in the middle of the night to have time. We have now slowed down so that we can be busy doing important things: growing almost all our vegetables, preserving many of them for later, providing our neighbors with vegetables, making cakes and candy for others, re-purposing things with life still left in them, etc. We’re always looking for more things we can do to be more self-sufficient.

By: Marisa

Marisa — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:58:03 +0000

This sounds like my life- but I was the one who thought it would be “fun” in an adventurous, life experience kind of way- to live in a 1920′s house with out heat for a year in Alabama, replace a hot shower with a claw foot tub, grow a garden, take apart a dryer, make my own bread, make my first quilt, and/or all of the above- sew a dress to wear 2 days before an event. But in the year 2012, it makes life more interesting! But I could have probably used this book for the dryer…

By: Patti

Patti — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:25:23 +0000

My Bust out moment for 2011 was participating in a local organic farm share. I have enjoyed every aspect of it: touring the farm, farm to table banquets, meeting other folks like myself that were involved, the idea of keeping it local, and mostly, our weekly baskets of freshly picked organic produce. The taste surpassed even our best organic farm stands. It was a delight figuring out how to prepare our grab bag of goodies, different each week (except the ever present heads of cabbage. By week 10 I was stumped).
Next year the farm will be raising Thanksgiving turkeys, selling eggs, and milling their own flours. I can’t wait to keep supporting such a wonderful endeavor.