2020 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere

PollyWollyDoodle said:

 A lot of my friends are working from home at the moment, and I’m going to try and arrange a walk with them in their lunch hour. 

Oooh, that's a good idea - of course, all the people you normally couldn't meet for a lunchtime walk are not out at work! 

I think I'm going to try to work out a specific time/day when, if it's dry, I shall be out in the garden at that time/day. I know I have one or two older friends who may like knowing they can plan to pop round and have a chat as I potter about sorting the long-neglected guerilla garden corner of the communal car-park area! 

CapricornLass

Someone else in the 'have to stay confined for 4 months' camp.  Just pondering which little project I should start first - adapting the summer dress into a summer skirt, or tackling the new curtains....

Just heard from my son, the co he is working for at the moment, all the work has dried up.  Unfortunately he's an agency worker. I have a horrible feeling that he will be let go.  I think any money I save from staying in will be used for food parcels for him.

PollyWollyDoodle

It’s a worrying time isn’t it. I have got an emergency fund, but I think my plans to take early retirement next year have probably been shot full of holes. Time will tell.

Laura, you are the Queen of Makeovers, advice please.  I really need to tackle some of these handmade items. Would it be better to unpick them completely and then re-cut from the original pattern, or just try and take them in?  I think it’s fear of failure that is preventing me from starting, but I either have to adapt them or donate them, they have waited around for too long. We are talking a couple of dress sizes down, not just a bit more room in the waist. 

PipneyJane

@CapricornLass, I am so sorry to hear about your son.

@Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire and @CAFCGirl, I’ve worked from home a lot over the last few years. (“WFM”)  My rules are simple:  get up and dressed before you start work.  (Never work in PJ’s.)  Always start work at/before the start of your contractual day (I usually start at the time I’d leave to drive to work).  Where possible, work from a set “office”.  (Mine is the study.). Don’t have the television on when “working from couch”.  (I broke my foot in 2016 and “worked from couch” for 6 weeks.  The only time the TV was on was when I was having lunch .  I watched Bargain Hunt.). For calls/meetings, plug your headphones into the laptop so that when your MIL phones up and leaves a message on the landline, nobody else can hear it.  (Yes.  She did.  And no, my I didn’t have my headphones so was very embarrassed.). It’s OK to put the washing on but do it while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil for your coffee.

All of my department and most of my project team are now WFM, as is my husband.  My department have 3 daily catch-up meetings scheduled using MS Teams.  It’s an organised, communal coffee break.  (Two of the team now have sick children, both sent home today.) 

I have to go into the office because a colleague and I are thrashing out rules for data migration - it’s all extracted from reports - and it’s easier face-to-face with a big screen.   He only flew in on Sunday - he’s from Sydney and comes over for a month or so, then heads home for a fortnight.  He’s monitoring the advice from DFAT (the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade), and may head home earlier than his scheduled time.  Until then, we’ll both go into the office because, if we didn’t, we’d be spending the entire day on SKYPE. 

- Pip

CAFCGirl

Some fabulous suggestions there everyone - thankyou.
I'm a creative, and sell physical products I have made so my 'working from home' is a little different and currently makes very little difference to the household pot - but still, I have to build its success and starting as I mean to go on with some of the tips given here will serve me well in the future I think.
I am having a 'workshop' out up in the garden (read - shed) so the physical separation between home and work will be easier, as I wont be around all the itty bitty distractions - I procrastinate enough with my own thoughts, let alone 'just give the hoover a go round' 
But I'm actually doing better in quarantine than I was before. I still have to walk the dog, and do post box drops etc. I've done some recon this morning to learn the collection times for the local boxes and I'm marking those up for my noticeboard for future information, and that helps me deliver a better service. I probably wouldn't have done that if all this wasn't kicking off.
There are so many in perilous positions with these ghastly zero hour contracts, and the such like. Hard enough when you're self employed but to treated in such a throwaway manner hurts my soul. I've been thinking away on things I can do to help anyone I might encounter in this position...

dolly84

CapricornLass said:

Someone else in the 'have to stay confined for 4 months' camp.  Just pondering which little project I should start first - adapting the summer dress into a summer skirt, or tackling the new curtains....

Just heard from my son, the co he is working for at the moment, all the work has dried up.  Unfortunately he's an agency worker. I have a horrible feeling that he will be let go.  I think any money I save from staying in will be used for food parcels for him.

So sorry to hear about your son, this is my biggest fear in this whole thing. 

DH is in a key role so he is now being told holidays may be cancelled and he has to work overtime including weekends, so financially we will remain the same but I don't have an 'I'm alright Jack' attitude so I will be doing my best to help others.

catherinekate

Probably no projects for me whilst social distancing - both my partner and I have got to keep working, him full time, me nearly full time, mostly from home, and nursery has been cancelled so we will be trying to do this whilst also looking after a young toddler.

At least there's no temptation to go shopping.

And at least I have the cooking skills to make a meal for three out of bits and pieces . . . many of my colleagues are not so lucky.

Incidentally thank you to all of those who advised about sewing up my tights. I've mended a couple of pairs and so far they have held. Doing them at an early stage, rather than when the hole is as big as my head, is probably helping.

Laura_Elsewhere

PollyWollyDoodle said:

Laura, you are the Queen of Makeovers, advice please.  I really need to tackle some of these handmade items. Would it be better to unpick them completely and then re-cut from the original pattern, or just try and take them in?  I think it’s fear of failure that is preventing me from starting, but I either have to adapt them or donate them, they have waited around for too long. We are talking a couple of dress sizes down, not just a bit more room in the waist. 

You are kind!   

I think I would experiment with the one you like least, and measure the garment all over and compare against you, measured all over. It is rare for anyone to lose weight really evenly, and few people are one size all over, so you may find it's certain areas more than other that need altering. I would put the dress on, with the undies and shoes you'd wear, and see how it looks on you, see where it sags and where it simply skims pleasingly - then you can work out where *on you* it needs taking in. 

PipneyJane

PollyWollyDoodle said:

It’s a worrying time isn’t it. I have got an emergency fund, but I think my plans to take early retirement next year have probably been shot full of holes. Time will tell.

Laura, you are the Queen of Makeovers, advice please.  I really need to tackle some of these handmade items. Would it be better to unpick them completely and then re-cut from the original pattern, or just try and take them in?  I think it’s fear of failure that is preventing me from starting, but I either have to adapt them or donate them, they have waited around for too long. We are talking a couple of dress sizes down, not just a bit more room in the waist. 

Maybe we should have a daily check in to see if everyone is safe?

I like Laura's suggestion, Polly.  I'd add to it that, since you have the patterns, perhaps you could compare them to where your measurements have changed and adjust the paper pattern to fit the "new you".  Only then would I consider unpicking and re-cutting the original garments.  It may be that your waist has shrunk down three sizes, but your hips are only 1 size smaller.  The last thing you want to do - and this may be why you are procrastinating - is to create a garment that fits your waist size but is too small for your hips.  

Another thought is:  while you will need to unpick the seams to adjust them, rather than recutting the garment, sketch out the new seam line in chalk and sew to that, leaving bigger seam allowances.   That way, if you do make it too tight, you will have the additional fabric available to correct the error.

HTH

- Pip

PollyWollyDoodle

Thank you Pip and Laura, some useful suggestions there. I think I would like a daily check-in to be accountable for the fact that I’m actually doing some of these outstanding projects! I have two weeks stretching ahead with no work, no social activities and no appointments. I really need to use the time productively to take my mind off things.