Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

Lynplatinum

Evening all

My domestic science teacher was a wonderful fierce Scots woman called Miss Blair.She would not put up with messing about or excuses. Having said that she was totally fair. My Mum was in various forms of the forces and did not cook or wash her own clothes until she was 34 (when she had me!) Mum was not a good cook and used to swear that I learnt to cook out of a self preservation survival instinct!! Miss Blair was one for frugality and taught budgeting and using up dishes as well as sponge cakes! She also taught nutritional balance - which was how I first managed to get to a decent weight (at age 11 I was 13 1/2 stone and 4ft 8 inches tall - circular in other words!) She saved my life in so many ways!

Now the needlework teacher was the moo from hell! constantly picking on me and making me undo stuff - no one realised that I had been prescribed the wrong glasses and so could not see what I was doing!! Luckily my Mum sewed and embroidered - I still cant use a machine but make everything by hand - curtains/kids clothes/ tops for me etc etc.

Now the PE teacher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are they bred somewhere special?????? And taught to have not an ounce of sympathy for kids whos parents bought them up fat????? I have loathed sport ever since! She really was a nasty piece of work. Any one else have that experience?

Back to MM&M - have eaten out of store cupboard again today - courgette Chinese rice! Yum Yum! Bacon roll (frozen YS rolls :T) As fridge is fairly empty because I am going away this weekend the challenge is on to create some food from nowt tomorrow! I ll let you know how I get on!

kittym

Morning Peeps

I to had a dreadful needlework teacher. Again being a left hander I was always getting wrong for not doing everything right handed:(
and don't get me started on the p.e teacher :mad:

The weather has been fab, so lots of gardening has been done. The sun seems to have brought all my lovely new neighbours out and about so it has been lovely getting to know them. Where I used to live the neighbours lived in total darkness with their curtains closed all year round, and couldn't even give you a polite hello when they saw you.

Hope you feel better soon prinzessilein, and Howmuch I glad all went well for DH. You will be glad of a slow pace for a while.

Today is going to be aonther lovely day so DD and I are off to have a picnic in the park.

Hope you all have a lovely day what ever your doing. xx

[Deleted User]

Gosh seems to be a running thread about housecraft/needlework teachers my needlework teacher inststed that my seam on a blouse I was attempting to make were wrong and every time I took it up to show her insisted that the seams were undone, and redone. It took me two years to make a plain sleeveless blouse as I was permanantly sewing those blurry seams.I have loathed sewing ever since, and only hand sew by necessity.I was really cross as she said until you could sew a 'proper seam gels ' then we were wern't allowed to proceed to using a machine.The stitches had to be almost invisible, and I can say that if I have to, I can sew a very good seam but have never learned to use a machine. I admire anyone who can though.Both of my DDs also detest sewing and I get their sewing jobs !!! as my hand sewing apparently is perfect

Prinzessilein

Morning! It is bright and cold here, but I slept much better than the night before!


Yes, meals with Mum are (generally) cosy! Neither of us expected it, but we are both in sheltered housing. And as luck would have it we have flats in neighbouring buildings. So, whilst we have independence from each other we are close enough to pop over when we want....This helps with Make-do, Mend and Minimising, cooking for two is often cheaper than cooking for one! And we can take advantages of BOGOFs.


The lamb dinner yesterday was delicious...and Mum and I both stared at the size of the steaks on our plates - and promptly cut them in half and put some aside for a second meal.....so no need to cook today!


I went to a number of different schools (Forces brat)...my first Grammar School did not teach us needlework - we were academic young ladies and would presumably never need such skills! No Cookery lessons there either!.....Then we moved and the school gave one lesson a week in Home Economics, one term Cooking followed by one of Needlework. Everyone was accomplished apart from me! We were supposed to make a pinny for cooking and then a summer frock for ourselves with frilled sleeves and a zip. Most girls finished the pinny in week one! Me, I simply sat in class doing nothing. The teacher ignored me as I was so far behind everyone else and severe dyspraxia meant I was super-clumsy. Each week I would take my bag of sewing back home untouched and Mum would do some work on it - by the end of the term 'I' had made a pinny, a frock and a skirt!.....Then another 'no HE school... we moved again and I had a lovely teacher who understood that I was very much a beginner. Again we did one term of cooking followed by one of needlework. In cooking we had recipe cards and were supposed to work through from simple ones to more challenging recipes...I spent my first term doing every single variety of 'sponge cake'! (Jam sponge....jam-sponge-with coconut...chocolate sponge...fairy cakes....butterfly cakes..) and when I moved across to the sewing area next term (same lovely teacher worked both areas) I did 'felt' all term! I made 2 nightie cases (an owl and a monkey) and then I made a felt wall hanging (of a squirrel)....as a result I slowly gained confidence in my limited abilities and each term had a record of work that I had managed to complete myself! (I was 14 at this point.....academically in top set 1 for everything....decidedly 'remedial' in everything practical!...Sports/PE I was actually excused)....after this every school we moved to offered HE but only as an 'option' and it was made quite clear that only the 'less academic' girls took this as an option.


Away from school, working at my own pace, learning my own limitations and without the worry of incurring the wrath of a teacher, I actually learned various skills ....my cooking was surprisingly good (much better since I have aids with things like chopping!), and embroidery became a passion!......I can hand-sew tolerably well, simple mending was taught from an early age at home....but I have never mastered a sewing machine!


When Mum was here yesterday she crocheted the flowers to go on the bags I have knitted for Operation Christmas Child....so I will be able to finish those today...and yesterday I finished the first of the knitted hats - that needs sewing up, and I have enough of the two shades of pink to do another in the same colour scheme.

vhalla1478

Morning, Everyone,

At last beautiful weather here, so will try and whizz round all my chores - ironing, cooking, baking bread, cleaning (because I have a girl friend staying tonight) and finish removing all those chalk lumps from my newly dug flower bed. I might even be able to sit outside and do some of my rug.

The attitude did used to be at grammar school that you were destined for 'higher' things than domestic science (as it was called in my day). We had one whole term of it and learnt really useful things (!) like how to lay a breakfast tray, complete with flowers, traycloth etc - very Downton Abbey. And on one memorable occasion we were shown how to make sandwiches for workmen - leave the crusts on and serve in quarters, not eighths.

I've loved cooking and sewing all my life, (even though, until I retired I ran my own business full time) and really enjoy embroidery; I even collect eighteenth and nineteenth century English and Chinese embroideries - they are all so exquisitely fine. Two of my prized possessions are a minute pair of monotone oval embroideries, embroidered with single strands of hair - they look like etchings until you look under a magnifying glass; and that was done in the days when there was no electricity, only natural light, oil lamps if you were lucky, and candles. We've lost so many skills.

Just realised it's 7th April so that's a whole week without spending and still plenty of things left.

Have a good day, All.

Viv xx

oldtractor

I dont sew never interested me. can put a button on if it comes off thats all.

cheerfulness4

Hope you get better soon daxdog.

What things have you bought, Viv. (Assuming that you clicked the buy button)

Its interesting how we can be influenced by teachers for good and bad. I'd have hated a teacher like yours Mary as I was shy anyway and had little confidence. I was left handed and mine took pains to suggest easier ways for me. That said, she was a lefty too.
we had double HE on a Friday afternoon so it was a lovely way to end the week. We used to sit and sew, even taking the seats to the windows in the summer so we could enjoy the breeze and watch those doing sports on the playing field while we sewed.
I grew up to love handcrafts.

Garden coming on very nicely. Border edges nearly all in place, just need to stain two more lengths. DH just arrived back with ghe shingly stones so best go give him a hand... well, in that I mean directing him where I want them to go.

THIRZAH

I enjoy sewing now but hated it at school.My needlework teacher had been at school with my mother. Mum was brilliant at sewing so I was expected to be good at it too! Fortunately I also went to a Grammar school and since I was in the top stream had to drop Domestic Science early . We did about a year of needlework but it was pretty basic stuff and Mum helped me out at home .

Did anyone else have to make a gingham tray cloth?

good_advice

Good afternoon money savers

Thirzah, just been decluttering our loft and found x2 aprons my daughters had made at home from a pink/white check dress. The top/strings and wide pink ribbon. The squares have embroidery on.

good_advice

Try again! We have had people popping in so every time I start a post on MSE today it has been cut short.
Lovely to have visitors :0)

This morning I went into town. looked around what I thought was a new craft shop, only to be told they had been trading for 3 months.
Just shows how often I walk around the shops.

Went into M&S outlet store.
I find this store I pop in and sometimes find clearance items I love and other times come out with nothing.
Today was jack pot. I bought x4 tops @ £5 each. x1 chunky jumper for next winter £ 8.99 and a pair of blue cord trousers £7.
Bought OH some things too! At low cost (he is happy not to shop himself).

Then went to Iceland to minimize the grocery shop this week. I had £12 of vouchers from survey sites. Had them a while and wanted to use.

Our visitors took some of our unwanted STUFF from our loft clearance. Happy someone can use it.

No knitting done today. Just x1 baby sleeve to do and button band.
I think it is too nice, we have been sitting in the garden this afternoon.