2020 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

CapricornLass

Hi everyone, reporting back in again, not having been around for a few days!  Not done much, apart from weeding and pruning for England, but the two people in the family who we think have caught the virus now appear to be on the mend, and everyone else seems to be well, including the aged parents. Naturally, not done any knitting or sewing.

I'm sorry to hear about your niece, Laura, I hope that she continues to get better.

PipneyJane

@catherinekate - you are a hero, juggling a toddler and your job!  I know it’s not easy - I witness it daily on a team conference call, where several of my colleagues are working from home with young children.

Re sewing with machines vs by hand, the thing I hated most about sewing classes at school was that you had to tack everything together.  My mum trained as a pattern cutter and dressmaker.  She taught me to use a sewing machine before I started school and never tacked.  She just pinned things together; so do I.  The fact is: there isn’t a right way or a wrong way to do most things, although sometimes there is a “better way” to cut out a garment.

The biggest lesson I learned from sewing is that “clothing sizes lie”*.  A size 10 pattern isn’t the same as a size 10 from M&S, which isn’t the same as a size 10 from Ms Selfridge.  The only thing you can do is measure yourself, then measure a close fitting garment that looks good on you and record both sets of measurements.  Before you cut out the pattern, measure the pieces and work out which cutting line suits you best for that part of the garment.

HTH

- Pip


*Yes, I learned this the hard way.  Back in my student days, I foolishly sewed a pair of trousers that were far too small for me, because I assumed that the pattern sizing was consistent with my normal clothes.

keepcalmandcraft

Checking in this morning after what seems like a very long week.  I’m hoping to get on with some sewing. I agree with you Pip about pattern sizing.  I have been doing a pattern cutting course but this has obviously had to stop. Our tutor has challenged us to make something so I will be looking through my patters and fabric today.
i was booked in for a haircut next week and my hair feels so long so I’ve taken inspiration from the land army girls and tying a scarf around it so it takes it away from my face. I think it looks good! 

dolly84

My mum has a Singer, it is a piece of furniture in itself, the table top folds out sideways on hinges and the machine lifts out from a sort of well.

basketcase - a reconditioned older machine might be good, if you identify some places in your area that sell them then ring when you can or even contact via email now, they might have taken older machines in part ex maybe. 

basketcase

dolly84 said:

My mum has a Singer, it is a piece of furniture in itself, the table top folds out sideways on hinges and the machine lifts out from a sort of well.

basketcase - a reconditioned older machine might be good, if you identify some places in your area that sell them then ring when you can or even contact via email now, they might have taken older machines in part ex maybe. 

Hi dolly

Yes, that's the one we had!  I miss that machine still and it's mumblety years since it disappeared from my life...

Good plan about seeing if they have older machines, I'll go online and check later.  I know they deliver - or they did before The Great Shutdown

basketcase

keepcalmandcraft said:

i was booked in for a haircut next week and my hair feels so long so I’ve taken inspiration from the land army girls and tying a scarf around it so it takes it away from my face. I think it looks good! 

I was booked for a haircut today.   I'd been thinking in terms of maybe knitting myself one of the fancy wide headbands, but my hair's at the short-but-shapeless stage.  Some of the Land Army/factory worker styles might be better.  Maybe take a look after my machine hunt...

PollyWollyDoodle

Laura_Elsewhere said:

My "lockdown challenge" to myself is to locate and organise and catalogue all my needlework supplies. I have literally got more haberdashery than our local Hobbycraft does, and I think about four large boxes of fabric, and I mean big cardboard boxes, the sort of thing you have to edge through a doorway. And two cupboards of yarn. And the rest... I want to know what I have, how much, and where. 

And I can weigh my yarn at last and when I have the total weight, it can go on a diet and see how much weight it can lose this year  

I'm joining you Laura, well sort of.  I dragged out all the UFOs, you know, the ones that lurk in the cupboard and make you feel guilty.  I made myself face the pain, and got each one out and then wrote a note on what needs doing.  So far, I have a cardigan (child size) which just needs me to knit the ribbing for the buttons, I loathe sewing up and that's probably why I put it off.  Another cardigan which needs a sleeve knitting and then ribbing, making up (see above!)  Both were intended for my friend's son and I failed to finish them before he grew out of them.  Luckily for me, he now has a younger brother so if I can get a move on, they will still be useable.  Probably a couple of evening's work, if that - so why have they sat in the cupboard for at least two years?

There are various other unfinished projects, one of my worst tendencies is to keep clothing thinking 'I could make something out of that' - I have been honest with myself, and the bag for the charity shop is now full, as is another bag of clean but unsaleable stuff for rags.  So, start with the knitting - that's for the evenings while I am watching TV, and then I am going to find a couple of sewing projects and spend an hour a day on each one.  I'll report back - I'm going to make this time worthwhile, although (thank goodness) I have now got some work to do as well. 

Laura_Elsewhere

@PollyWollyDoodle - I'm knackered now and I've only done the wool - not touched the silk yarns, the cotton yarns, any of the WIPs (I have an entire box just of WIP socks!), any of the crochet threads, etc., etc...! 

I've weighed sorted and catalogued just over thirty-two miles, 25lbs, of wool, though, and got it all into the cupboard ANd with space left for the silks! 

PipneyJane

Wow! @Laura_Elsewhere that looks beautifully organised.  I am stunned, though, at the 25lb of wool.  (Really, I shouldn’t be.  I probably have about the same.)

@PollyWollyDoodle I’m the same.  I hate sewing up seams.  I think the anticipation of hand-sewing is actually worse than doing the deed.  Don’t know when that started, since I used to happily sew stuff up and was, at one point, big into embroidery.

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

PollyWollyDoodle said:

 I loathe sewing up and that's probably why I put it off.  

I have no idea how to sew up knitting - I just knit everything in the round so I never have any sewing to do!