2018 Fashion on the Ration challenge

PipneyJane

You know how we've been discussing buying classic clothes and looking out for items that enhance our wardrobes? What's the worst possible thing you can think off clothes-wise, when you turn up to an event? How about finding the woman sitting next to you is wearing the same top?

Seriously, I went to see The Feeling perform last week and, in the next row, were two women, sitting side-by-side, wearing identical outfits. I think they were part of the same group, too.

Laura_Elsewhere wrote: »

I have a load of really nice black and grey striped heavy cotton jersey, barely stretchy at all, which I've used for two really useful t-shirt type tops - the only drawback to my 1903 Singer treadle is that I can't sew stretchy fabrics properly on it! But my black-and-grey stripey tops are really useful, and I should make more, especially as I already have the fabric for 2-3 more! About 115cm per top, and I believe I have 3 or 4 metres...

Thanks for reminding me!

I am so jealous of your sewing machine! I have wanted a treadle for years.

Have you tried using a "jersey" needle? My 1990's Brother machine struggled with a t-shirt I attempted to hem for someone. It was only after I consulted a Brother specialist that I discovered such things exist AND they do make a difference.

I'm off to New Zealand next week to attend a wedding and have been considering what I'd do if I discovered the perfect suit or coat while I'm out there. (Seriously, I had a dream that I'd find a branch of Fletcher Jones out there*. They'd sell classic woollen suits all year round, back in the day.) I've decided that, if that happened, I would borrow from next year's rations.

- Pip


* Highly unlikely. Their website only shows shops in Victoria, Australia. If I could be confident of fit, I'd be tempted to buy a suit off their website and get it delivered to my sister's.... (I'm meeting my sister in Auckland.)

Laura_Elsewhere

Ah, if you want a treadle just keep your eye on Gumtree, and suchlike, and charity shops - they turn up fairly often. They are usually cheap to buy, sometimes only 25 quid, but a full service may be 75-100 quid - but then you do all the tiny maintenance yourself so will never need to spend any more on it ever again
I had to buy one new spring for mine early this year - it cost me £9 inc postage, first new part, and I've had my treadle since 1984! It was a fiver then...

I doubt a jersey-needle would help! The problem is the old machines only sew a straight stitch, ie in a straight line. In order to sew a stretchy seam or hem on stretchy material you need a zig-zag stitch... there are attachments but I've never got round to it - never felt enough of a need to! And if you sew a straight line of stitching on stretchy material then as soon as you stretch it, the stitches rip because they don't stretch like zig-zag ones do...

New Zealand sounds wonderful! I think if you did find the ideal wool suit out there then you could always buy it on 2019's coupons and regard it as in transit until January, being sent over from NZ by ship! Have a wonderful time...

(Maybe the identi-women were doing it deliberately because they thought it looked good? People have the oddest ideas of what looks good (she typed, grinning at memories of some of the more, er, idiosyncratic (!) past home-made outfits...!)

Laura_Elsewhere

Heh heh heh... the local spiv, Mr Sainsbury, hadn't got any black market pyjamas in my size that I liked, but the shop had some gents' pyjamas I liked very much so we got them on my chap's coupons, all legit!

(Two rather nice pairs of (distinctly not gents'!) knickers fell off the back of a lorry, mind... )

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere wrote: »

Ah, if you want a treadle just keep your eye on Gumtree, and suchlike, and charity shops - they turn up fairly often. They are usually cheap to buy, sometimes only 25 quid, but a full service may be 75-100 quid - but then you do all the tiny maintenance yourself so will never need to spend any more on it ever again
I had to buy one new spring for mine early this year - it cost me £9 inc postage, first new part, and I've had my treadle since 1984! It was a fiver then...

I doubt a jersey-needle would help! The problem is the old machines only sew a straight stitch, ie in a straight line. In order to sew a stretchy seam or hem on stretchy material you need a zig-zag stitch... there are attachments but I've never got round to it - never felt enough of a need to! And if you sew a straight line of stitching on stretchy material then as soon as you stretch it, the stitches rip because they don't stretch like zig-zag ones do...

New Zealand sounds wonderful! I think if you did find the ideal wool suit out there then you could always buy it on 2019's coupons and regard it as in transit until January, being sent over from NZ by ship! Have a wonderful time...

(Maybe the identi-women were doing it deliberately because they thought it looked good? People have the oddest ideas of what looks good (she typed, grinning at memories of some of the more, er, idiosyncratic (!) past home-made outfits...!)

I had totally forgotten about the straight-stitch-only aspect of a treadle. Hmmmm..... I wonder when zigzag came in? Maybe when the revolution comes, we can make our way in the world manufacturing treadle sewing machines with zigzag.

I’ve never used one. My mum gave hers to the school when I was a child; she hadn’t used it since she sewed a large canvas tent together on it in the Fifties. I learned to sew on her first electronic machine, a Japanese model from 1959. I think the brand was “New Home”. The manual was hysterically funny and obviously translated into English by a non-native speaker.

- Pip

RicardaRacoon

Laura_Elsewhere wrote: »

Heh heh heh... the local spiv, Mr Sainsbury, hadn't got any black market pyjamas in my size that I liked, but the shop had some gents' pyjamas I liked very much so we got them on my chap's coupons, all legit!

(Two rather nice pairs of (distinctly not gents'!) knickers fell off the back of a lorry, mind... )

Well, the black market isn't what it used to be...


I still have 5 coupons left, enough for a pair of winter shoes. I actually also need some knickers, but will try and turn an old dress with some holes in it into underwear. Using the bits that aren't damaged it should give me 4 or 5 pairs... If I fail with my limited sewing skills I'll get the points from my Mum who, since she retired 1 1/2 years ago, didn't bought many clothes so would have a few coupons to spare.


News on the jumper knitting front by the way... Almost finished the White Horse Jumper and still have tons of yarn left over... In the pattern the jumper is slightly croped with sleeves going just over the ellbow. According to the pattern my size would need 1200 yards of yarn. I wanted it to be long sleeves and hip-lenght so I guestimated I might rather need something along the line of 1500 yards which would be 12 50g skeins. Well, I'm now on the last 3-4 inches of the sleeve and on skein 8... I will probably need a tiny bit of another skein... So the whole jumper actually required only 400 g which I think is quite good for a long, thick jumper in size 16....


I have a treadle too, got it from my granny who got it from her sister... It is a German brand, delivered in September 1954. I love "Miss Bird" - yes, I name things... - dearly btu we often struggle... She can do a zigzag but can only deal with rather heavy fabric, on anything stretchy we struggle with tension...



have a lovely weekend everyone! And stay off the black market on black Friday! :rotfl:

Laura_Elsewhere

Does it count as black market coupon-avoidance if what I buy is a tablecloth?

And turn it into a festive green-red-gittery-silver-tartan Xmassy halterneck full-skirted frock, to wear with a bright red little short-sleeved fitted mohair cardi, a la 40s?

PollyWollyDoodle

Interesting - I wonder what the rules were with regard to curtains, sheets, tablecloths etc - did they need coupons? I think it sounds too good to turn down!

Laura_Elsewhere

Ah, the tablecloth has morphed overnight, as my chap pointed out that it would be less adaptable for wearing year-round for going-out clothes, and so he is giving me his coupons (he doesn't know this yet) for several yards of green satin instead As yer do...

We realised I've stopped dressing up so much when we go out - we often go to live music and I love dancing, and I wear black or dark muted colours, and we both think it would be lovely to have a really nice frock to wear to dancey-gigs, full-skirted, halternecked, basically the stuff sold nowadays as "pin-up or rockabilly" which always makes me smile... The ones you can buy are mostly cheap, shoddy fabric and very very short if you're tall like me, unless you spend a fortune.

Although I'm definitely bearing the tablecloth in mind for next year!

I think there were limits on household linens, but can't think what they were...

monnagran

I seem to recall that household linens came under the same heading as bed linen, and therefore did require coupons. I do know that army blankets were in great demand, not only to use as blankets but to be turned into dressing gowns and winter coats.

Did anyone see BBC Breakfast this morning? They were talking about the WW2 Make do and Mend project to save materials going into landfill.They showed a hilarious clip of a film where a family were being given suggestions .about how they could reuse old clothes.

Laura_Elsewhere

I can't keep up with myself... halfway through a concert last night, I suddenly remembered I have boxes of fabric and maybe I should check in there before using my chap's coupons to buy more... from memory I have enough spruce-green crushed velvet to make a lovely long full skirt for everyday (I have a possibly odd version of what is suitable for everyday wear, with good boots and a jumper, to scramble through hedgerows, along woodland paths and over open heathland ), as well as enough cherry-red crushed velvet to make a dance-frock suitable for wearing to gigs...!

So that would be no coupons at all! I amaze myself at times with my idiocy...