2020 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

catherinekate

dolly84 said: I can honestly say that going to the post office to post them was pretty much the same experience as it always is, no fuss, no drama.

Lol Dolly84 there is always drama of some sort going on at my local post office, lockdown or not!

Laura_Elsewhere, I have a copy of that book, haven't looked at it in a long time. Might have to have a re-read! I recall it having baby knitting patterns in the back, of the most approximate sort - "cast on some stitches and knit a sleeve" sort of stuff leaving a good deal to the imagination!

CAFCGirl

I tried on my dungaree shorts I bought way back as its now suitable weather for them.
Alas it was seem the Covid Calories have upset the natural order and they're not very comfortable to wear on the hips LOL

Laura_Elsewhere

CAFCGirl said:

I tried on my dungaree shorts I bought way back as its now suitable weather for them.
Alas it was seem the Covid Calories have upset the natural order and they're not very comfortable to wear on the hips LOL

Oh no, how frustrating! (I love the term Covid Calories!) 

Are the dungaree shorts nice enough to inspire you to do ten minutes or so each day specifically for them? you could hang them on the sitting room door and dance really energetically for a whole ten minutes by a timer, and when you flag, look at the lovely dungaree shorts and keep dancing! It's surprising the difference ten minutes of energetic activity can have - or try the Active Seven workouts around online, the idea being 7 minutes of really applied effort in non-stopping star-jumps and lunges and sit-ups and what-have-you is effective at improving fitness. I'd prefer the dancing myself - but really go for it and wave your arms, wiggle those hips, hop about, use as much of yourself as you can for the whole ten minutes (choose the music wisely...!) 

I'm lucky as I seem to have dropped quarter of a stone. I keep going back and forth at present over the same few pounds, but I remember a month or two back i was doing the same over a few pounds about 4-5 pounds higher up, and before that over a few pounds a bit heavier than that, so I'm just keeping on doing what I have been, and trying to do a bit extra each week. I'm trying very hard to cut back on treats too - not least because I am really scared of unfamiliar dentists and of course my own dentist is not available for now, so I should be really looking after my dreadful, fragile, feeble teeth! 

I've spent the morning making adjustments to an oversized green cotton shirt I bought second-hand which I like but it's always been so shapeless, baggy and tending to crease annoyingly, so I've now shortened and narrowed the sleeves, with narrow turn-up cuffs, narrowed the button-band and buttonhole-band down the front, unpicked the entire collar and made it symmetrical as it was infuriatingly crooked! Also I've made the corners closer to neat right-angles, instead of the slightly flared angle they had which always curled unattractively. Finally, I've unpicked the depressing grey tape on the inside collar which was very visible when wearing it open-necked, and sewn on a much nicer length of 1/2-inch ribbon in a tiny gold and white gingham check. I've nearly finished it and then will give it a wash and hang it to dry and I hope it won't need ironing ever again! 

Laura_Elsewhere

My green shirt looks MUCH nicer now! Sleeves shortened and angled with new turn-up cuffs; collar made narrower and squarer-cornered; ugly grey tape replaced by narrow yellow gingham ribbon; front bands narrowed to prevent folding-up. the whole thing is so much nicer now! 



And we kept the drawers and glass shelves from our old fridge-freezer, and two drawers are now holding about twice the amount of guddle and muddle that was loose on the upper shelves before! Easily lifted down from above head-height, with the built-in handle, and very lightweight, plus of course I can see what is in there! they project slightly but at about 6'6" off the floor that isn't a problem, and they are completely secure and can't tip  

CAFCGirl

Well.... they were second hand from ebay and whilst I regaled DH with my dungaree woes when he came home from work this morning, he chimed in with 'But did you try them on when they got delivered?'
Erm No...
His response was 'well the chances are they wouldn't have fit you then, before all this happened, because you're no different in size and everything else still fits fine'
I have decided to keep him and not the dungarees LOL

CAFCGirl

OOOOh I love that green!

Laura_Elsewhere

CAFCGirl said:

OOOOh I love that green!

Me too - and it was second-hand off eBay too! £2 a few years back, I think...

I think you're right to keep the chap in preference to the dungarees  

CapricornLass

Oo-er - Corvid calories!  I know all about them and the extra flabby bits.  Despite all my best efforts, it all seems to be going on round my waist-line and things are definately feeling tight....

I've been making face masks over the past week, which have proved to be slightly too small (in spite of following the instructions!) and no use for anyone with a beard, like my OH, DS1 and 2, and my dad, so having to think again about that, and continuing to work on my rainbow wool blanket.  However, I've got a spend to declare!  A very nice navy and white striped rugby top, which is certainly not strong enough to survive a game of rugby.  I don't precisely need it, but I had a £50 voucher which I decided to use just in case vendor didn't survive the virus crisis.  So 5 coupons spent.

I'll have to look through and see how many coupons I've spent.  I've lost track rather as I'm not buying very much.

CapricornLass

Just worked it out - 15 from a total of 85 ( 66 this year and 19 carried over from last year)

Laura_Elsewhere

CapricornLass said:

I've been making face masks over the past week, which have proved to be slightly too small (in spite of following the instructions!) and no use for anyone with a beard, like my OH, DS1 and 2, and my dad, so having to think again about that, 

I used this pattern, with adaptations, and it fits me and my bearded chap well. 

1. I used the "man" size for us both, as the pattern is from Malaysia (it's actually the original anti-pollution mask many of the current patterns are copies of...) and Eastern women are more lightly built than European women, so I didn't bother with 'woman' size! Try it on at the earliest chance; you want it well up your nose, well below your chin and almost as far as your ears each side.
2. I added a 6" length of pipe-cleaner (you could use the wire ties from binbags, fuse-wire, any bit of bendy wire will do) and after sewing the top edge, I shoogled the wire into place tight up against the top edge, in the middle, and then stitched along its lower edge to hold it snugly in place. That allows you to mould it round your nose. 
3. I made the sides into drawstring channels, with t-shirt-ties; I firmly stitched the ties to the mask at the top of the channel each side but the lower part runs free so it can slightly gather the mask at the sides by the ears, which gives you a better fit below the chin without pulling on your nose-bridge.

I wear  mine in supermarkets. I don't believe it does a damn thing, myself, but I wear it because I'm expected to. 
I would say:
a) breathe a few times wearing specs or sunglasses, and use those as a test of positioning; if they steam up then that tells you the mask is NOT stopping your moist breath coming out! I find I always need to move it further up my nose than I expected in order to stop this leaking of moist breath.
b) never, ever ever ever EVER EVER EVER rely on a homemade mask for bio-security. Wear them as much as you feel you want to, but NEVER believe it will keep you safe - what keeps you safe is staying away from people whenever you possibly can, and never touching your face with unwashed hands... 

https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/#face-mask-pattern