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2020 Fashion on the Ration Challenge
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Evening All
Firstly a finished object. Here’s proof that our foremothers could knit a short sleeve jumper for as little as 5 coupons. This is Hand Knit Charm and, including the swatch, it used 234 grams of 4-ply.
Love the plant pot covers @CAFCGirl.
@RicardaRacoon, well said re the face masks. Profiteering like that isn’t good citizenship. But, like you, I don’t know what I’d have done in the war, when the cold and hunger kicked in. Probably would have bought the rabbits from some dodgy bloke in the pub. (Also, I hope the coat is perfect for you.)
FWIW, face masks aren’t the protective panacea that everyone thinks. A good quality, filter face mask only lasts for 3-4 hours and is rendered useless if any part of it gets wet or greasy. The thin, paper masks that have elastic that hooks over your ears last less than 10 minutes. You are far better off washing you hands properly and learning not to touch your face. To remember the vectors of cross-infection, just remember the Five F’s: fingers, face, food, fomites (things you touch) and faeces.
(OK, I’ve put my Nurse cap back on the shelf. You can come out now.)
I took my sewing machine to be serviced today. Last weekend, I’d tried to zig-zag over a row of straight stitches at the bottom of pockets that I was mending, and it didn’t zig-zag. (Both pockets on a suit jacket had gone/torn across the bottom seam.) No angry grinding, just running as usual but giving uneven stitches. I have a vague memory of fiddling around with the tension last time I used it, but that was quite a long time ago and getting it serviced has been on my “I’ll get around to it eventually” list. It was also very dusty and the lovely lady at the sewing machine repair shop said that might be a contributing factor. It’ll cost £80 plus parts but that will be worth every penny. In the meantime, the pockets were mended well enough that I’ll be able to wear that suit jacket again, without anything more fall through to the bottom of the lining.
- Pip"Be the type of woman that when you get out of bed in the morning, the devil says 'Oh crap. She's up.'
It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it - that’s what gets results!
2025 Fashion on the Ration Challenge 66 coupons - 25.5 spent.
4 - Thermal Socks from L!dl
4 - 1 pair "combinations" (Merino wool thermal top & leggings)
6 - Ukraine Forever Tartan Ruana wrap
8 - 4 x 100g/450m skeins 3-ply dark green Wool Local yarn
1.5 - sports bra
2 - 100g/220m DK Toft yarn6 -
Oh Pip, that's lovely! Well done! And short sleeves, as our foremothers knew, are very much more useful than you think - under cardigans, even under long-sleeved jumpers in very cold weather, over sundresses or camisole tops in cooler summer...2025 remaining: 37 coupons from 66:
January (29): winter boots, green trainers, canvas swimming-shoes (15); t-shirt x2 (8); 3m cotton twill (6);
.
2025 second-hand acquisitions (no coupons): None thus far
.
2025 needlework- *Reverse-couponing*:11 coupons :
January: teddybear-lined velvet jacket (11) & hat (0); velvet sleep-mask (0);5 -
My new dark green-blue skirt is finally at the stage where it only needs the 5 yards of hem levelled by my chap and then hand-sewn by me, and the lining hem ditto... I'm pleased with it, though!2025 remaining: 37 coupons from 66:
January (29): winter boots, green trainers, canvas swimming-shoes (15); t-shirt x2 (8); 3m cotton twill (6);
.
2025 second-hand acquisitions (no coupons): None thus far
.
2025 needlework- *Reverse-couponing*:11 coupons :
January: teddybear-lined velvet jacket (11) & hat (0); velvet sleep-mask (0);4 -
Laura_Elsewhere said:Oh Pip, that's lovely! Well done! And short sleeves, as our foremothers knew, are very much more useful than you think - under cardigans, even under long-sleeved jumpers in very cold weather, over sundresses or camisole tops in cooler summer...Laura_Elsewhere said:My new dark green-blue skirt is finally at the stage where it only needs the 5 yards of hem levelled by my chap and then hand-sewn by me, and the lining hem ditto... I'm pleased with it, though!
Thank you!
Yes, agreed re sleeve length. I remember stories and photos of the Herring “gutting girls”, who wore thick, handknit gurnseys which had elbow-length sleeves for practical reasons. They didn’t want their sleeves getting covered in fish guts, for obvious reasons. They stood on the quay side in the cold, gutting fish all day, and their hands and forearms would be covered in fishy bits.
I’m glad to hear the skirt is going well. Hand sewing is my least favourite task - I tend to procrastinate for ages about it - so I hope you don’t suffer from the same problem.
- Pip (Tonight, I will take up my new trousers. Honest...)"Be the type of woman that when you get out of bed in the morning, the devil says 'Oh crap. She's up.'
It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it - that’s what gets results!
2025 Fashion on the Ration Challenge 66 coupons - 25.5 spent.
4 - Thermal Socks from L!dl
4 - 1 pair "combinations" (Merino wool thermal top & leggings)
6 - Ukraine Forever Tartan Ruana wrap
8 - 4 x 100g/450m skeins 3-ply dark green Wool Local yarn
1.5 - sports bra
2 - 100g/220m DK Toft yarn3 -
Oh, I'm lucky - I love hand-sewing! I am pathologically incapable of leaving anything simple, though - so I'm decorating the pocket-tops with the tiniest size of teensy glass beads
I popped the raw-hemmed skirt through a cold-water quick wash, 1400rpm spin and half an hour in the tumble dryer with some towels today, before hanging it overnight prior to the hem being cut, and the beading I'd already done didn't lose a single bead - I had expected a few to go just from impact, but no, it seems beading is more resilient than I thought
2025 remaining: 37 coupons from 66:
January (29): winter boots, green trainers, canvas swimming-shoes (15); t-shirt x2 (8); 3m cotton twill (6);
.
2025 second-hand acquisitions (no coupons): None thus far
.
2025 needlework- *Reverse-couponing*:11 coupons :
January: teddybear-lined velvet jacket (11) & hat (0); velvet sleep-mask (0);5 -
Thanks for the tips, ladies, next time I'm helping at our Repair Cafe I'll remember those! But it does astonish me how little confidence people have to even try to stitch something by hand; we had a lass with a sofa cushion cover with a broken zip come to the last one. The zip was beyond repair; misaligned & broken teeth, plus the connector just fell apart when we tried to move it, so we suggested she just remove it & sew the opening up by hand. Whereupon she turned pale and started muttering about buying a new sofa... it would have taken 5 minutes, so we could have done it for her - we're only supposed to take on mends that take less than 15 minutes - but she had only brought the cover, not the whole cushion. Poor girl! But I do despair that people think that something like that is so terrifying...Angie - GC Jul 25: £225.85/£500 : 2025 Fashion on the Ration Challenge: 26/68: (Money's just a substitute for time & talent...)5
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thriftwizard said:Thanks for the tips, ladies, next time I'm helping at our Repair Cafe I'll remember those! But it does astonish me how little confidence people have to even try to stitch something by hand; we had a lass with a sofa cushion cover with a broken zip come to the last one. The zip was beyond repair; misaligned & broken teeth, plus the connector just fell apart when we tried to move it, so we suggested she just remove it & sew the opening up by hand. Whereupon she turned pale and started muttering about buying a new sofa... it would have taken 5 minutes, so we could have done it for her - we're only supposed to take on mends that take less than 15 minutes - but she had only brought the cover, not the whole cushion. Poor girl! But I do despair that people think that something like that is so terrifying...
It’s the fear of screwing up and making something worse/ruining it. I’ve felt this fear and have argued with myself that since I won’t wear it in its current condition, how much worse off will I be if I ruin it? And I have skills!
- Pip"Be the type of woman that when you get out of bed in the morning, the devil says 'Oh crap. She's up.'
It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it - that’s what gets results!
2025 Fashion on the Ration Challenge 66 coupons - 25.5 spent.
4 - Thermal Socks from L!dl
4 - 1 pair "combinations" (Merino wool thermal top & leggings)
6 - Ukraine Forever Tartan Ruana wrap
8 - 4 x 100g/450m skeins 3-ply dark green Wool Local yarn
1.5 - sports bra
2 - 100g/220m DK Toft yarn4 -
You are a wealth of information on here and very skilled too.My mum could knit, sew to a high standard and cook and bake very well too but she never taught me how to do anything as it might have made a little bit of a mess and she hated mess with a passion - never should have had children really.I can do a basic knit stitch but have never actually made anything, I would love to though. I went to nightschool to learn how to make soft furnishings so I have a machine and can use it but have never made clothes, I will always have a go at repairing things and do have pretty good success with that.Debt Free and now a saver, conscious consumer, low waste lifestyler
Fashion on the Ration 28/665 -
dolly84 said:My mum could knit, sew to a high standard and cook and bake very well too but she never taught me how to do anything as it might have made a little bit of a mess and she hated mess with a passion - never should have had children really.
I wish you lived near me - I would love to get you knitting and sewing things for yourself!I'm not really a pusher, honest, guv... I mean, just a little summer top, you could give it up any time you liked...!
2025 remaining: 37 coupons from 66:
January (29): winter boots, green trainers, canvas swimming-shoes (15); t-shirt x2 (8); 3m cotton twill (6);
.
2025 second-hand acquisitions (no coupons): None thus far
.
2025 needlework- *Reverse-couponing*:11 coupons :
January: teddybear-lined velvet jacket (11) & hat (0); velvet sleep-mask (0);3 -
A very poor photo of my Rowan sweater, taken on the tablet, which will not play nicely with MSE, resorted to mailing it to myself, saving for a new tablet I think! The colour is paler than shows on my screen,The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time. (Abraham Lincoln)4
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