Reconstructing Clothes for Dummies offers inspiring projects and savvy tips on how to salvage those tired old clothes in your closet and turn them into a one-of-a-kind wardrobe. It shows craftsters, DIY enthusiasts, budget-conscious fashionistas and people from all walks of life how to unleash their inner fashion designer and transform outdated duds into hip new clothes. Featured projects include making good use of old scraps; reviving shrunken sweaters; finding redemption in that bridesmaid dress; decorative repair and embellishment of existing pieces; and creating unexpected home décor with what’s hiding in your drawers.

This volume begins with a short introduction by Else Ostergard to the amazing finds of garments from the Norse settlement of Herjolfnes in Greenland. It then features chapters on technique - production of the thread, dyeing, weaving techniques, cutting and sewing - by Anna Norgard. Also included are measurements and drawings of garments, hoods, and stockings, with sewing instructions, by Lilli Fransen. A practical guide to making your own Norse garment!

As the economic pendulum swings, it’s time to start living smart Living Well in a Down Economy For Dummies offers ideas for keeping more money in your pocket during a topsy-turvy economy. With more than 100 tips, it shows you how to tighten your belt without feeling a big pinch in your day-to-day life. Discover innovative and effective ways to cut expenses and boost your income in today’s economy. It isn’t about making sacrifices. It’s about setting priorities. Gain the skills you need to take control of your spending, make smarter choices, and stop the financial drain that can accompany a downturn in the economy. Inside, you’ll find practical advice on how to live and thrive when prices creep up or your income falls. Get tips for spending less in all areas of life—utilities, groceries, pet care, entertainment, and beyond. And figure out how to slip in some self-care without breaking the bank. You can do this, thanks to this no-judgment For Dummies guide. Reduce your expenses by cooking at home, doing your own car maintenance, cutting your own hair, and more Discover creative ways to increase your income, interview for better-paying jobs, and continue to save for college or retirement Save money on home maintenance, insurance, and other reoccurring costs Minimize your tax bill, improve your credit, and avoid foreclosure If you’re looking for practical tips on how to make ends meet that you can implement today, this For Dummies guide is for you.

Minimize your impact on the world and enjoy a green lifestyle Whether you want to repair, restore, or reuse, this practical guide is packed with realistic ways to help the environment and create a better home for you and your loved ones — from reducing energy use and waste to scaling back reliance on your car to making a difference in your diet. Open the book and find: Ways to work greener transportation into your lifestyle The best ways to eat locally and organically How to rid your life of clutter Tips for conserving water and energy in your home today

Green Your Home All-in-One For Dummies empowers readers to make ecologically-friendly improvements to each and every area of their home. At $29.99 and 696 pages, this package is a real value and a true source book for readers looking for a substantial breadth of information and solutions yet unwilling to invest in four, five, or six books on the wide range of content that they seek.

Want to do your part to reduce energy consumption, waste, and pollution; clean up the environment, and save the planet? Green Living For Dummies is packed with practical suggestions you can follow to make your lifestyle greener by doing as little damage as possible to the planet and the animal and plant life that depend on it. This practical guide delivers an array of realistic practices and changes you can undertake to help the environment and create a better home for yourself and your loved ones. You’ll discover easy and innovative ways to make a difference by reducing energy use and waste, scaling back reliance on your car, and even making minor adjustments to your diet. You’ll also find how to live green at work and in your community, and you’ll develop a deeper understanding of how these changes benefit both the environment and your own health and well-being! Discover how to: Go green gradually Make eco-friendly home improvements Work greener transportation into your lifestyle Save money by going green Eat locally and organically Raise your children’s environmental awareness Reduce waste by repairing, restoring, and reusing Become a green consumer Invest in green companies for fun and profit Complete with handy lists of things you can do to make a difference right away and down the road Green Living For Dummies is the resource you need to start taking steps toward shrinking your footprint.

Get smart about spending and saving -- and ride out a recession! Looking for practical ways to make every dollar count? This savvy guide gives you expert tips for tightening your belt and saving cash in every area of your life -- from your house and car to dining and entertaining to banking and managing debt. You get realistic solutions for making smarter choices and living well in this time of economic turmoil -- without extraordinary sacrifice! Bump up your take-home pay-- spiff up your resume, find a good job fast, explore telecommuting, or start a home-based business Get your personal finances in tip-top shape -- create a budget, pay down debt, save on insurance, and protect your retirement funds Develop recession-proof habits -- use coupons and rebates, extend the life of your wardrobe, utilize community resources, travel on a budget, and save on utilities and fuel expenses Decorate on a dime and entertain on a shoestring -- plan parties, celebrate the holidays, and give gifts without losing your shirt Bounce back from bad financial situations -- improve bad credit scores, and negotiate with creditors or the IRS Open the book and find: 125 tips for making changes in your life that allow you to continue to live well Ways to stand out on paper and in an interview when looking for a job Tips on managing debt -- from working with credit counselors and consolidating your debts to boosting your income Smart solutions for weathering financial emergencies, from bankruptcy to foreclosure

One of the century's most spectacular archaeological finds occurred in 1921, a year before Howard Carter stumbled upon Tutankhamun's tomb, when Poul Norlund recovered dozens of garments from a graveyard in the Norse settlement of Herjolfsnaes, Greenland. Preserved intact for centuries by the permafrost, these mediaeval garments display remarkable similarities to western European costumes of the time. Previously, such costumes were known only from contemporary illustrations, and the Greenland finds provided the world with a close look at how ordinary Europeans dressed in the Middle Ages. Fortunately for Norlund's team, wood has always been extremely scarce in Greenland, and instead of caskets, many of the bodies were found swaddled in multiple layers of cast off clothing. When he wrote about the excavation later, Norlund also described how occasional thaws had permitted crowberry and dwarf willow to establish themselves in the top layers of soil. Their roots grew through coffins, clothing and corpses alike, binding them together in a vast network of thin fibers - as if, he wrote, the finds had been literally sewn in the earth. Eighty years of technical advances and subsequent excavations have greatly added to our understanding of the Herjolfsnaes discoveries. Woven into the Earth recounts the dramatic story of Norlund's excavation in the context of other Norse textile finds in Greenland. It then describes what the finds tell us about the materials and methods used in making the clothes. The weaving and sewing techniques detailed here are surprisingly sophisticated, and one can only admire the talent of the women who employed them, especially considering the harsh conditions they worked under. While Woven into the Earth will be invaluable to students of medieval archaeology, Norse society and textile history, both lay readers and scholars are sure to find the book's dig narratives and glimpses of life among the last Vikings fascinating.