The Home Front meets Covid-19

basketcase

jinny - feel free to take over the thread any time you like! Hope you get the washing sorted - I'm fascinated by the idea of letting it drain through a washing basket - something to bear in mind.

thriftwizard - hello. Was that you I was quoting about the tee shirt knickers?

monnagran - I know I wasn’t very clear. I didn’t mean to give the impression that they fluttered around looking like a 1950s soap powder advert!  My mother used to be in 'old stuff' round the house and then change to go out. I find I do the same, even now She didn't wear make up but, if she did have them in, her curlers definitely came out before she went through the door.

Since I've been reading about the times, I've realised that a lot of the things I just took for granted as' what you did' (like you said earlier) were 'hangovers' from rationing etc - the button jar, saving hooks and eyes, zips, lace and lengths of elastic.  The way clothes went 'down the chain' of use. 

Ours went:

Sunday Best/holidays etc

Tidy - Wearing outside, but not special events

School

Playing outside

Making into something else (dresses into skirts/shorts that sort of thing)

My mother's dresses chain was:

Best

Tidy

Around the house/shopping - but only under a coat!

Housework - under a pinny

Made into the pinny!

Dusters

Hopefully, we won't be locked down long enough to see the entire cycle!  rofl

BTW - Apologies in advance if this post comes out without paragraphs etc.  I've tried to post it several times and was having problems.

Sayschezza

Firstly be careful about putting too much strain on your taps or you may have plumbing problems
i was born 44' so although I don't remember the war I did grow up in the immediate aftermath. We had no running water and the toilet was in a little hut at the end of a garden path. It was bucket and chuckit  for the man in the household (first GD and then DF) on a Sunday morning. Big hole down the bottom of the garden concealed the evidence. 
We didn't have completely clean sheets every week, they were topped and tailed. The bottom sheet was washed and the top sheet became the bottom. Saved on laundry but I suppose now we are in the days of duvets the only way this could be done is to turn both the duvet and the bottom sheet over for the second week.
I have likened today's shopping with the wartime story that you joined whatever queue was forming even if you didn't know what you were queuing for. A bit like that at the moment in that we don't know what will be left on the supermarket shelves so you buy whatever is available and make a meal out of it.

Sayschezza

And I have an old household book too. It explains how to replace the gusset in knickers when worn out. But as they suggest replacing with a knitted piece I will give that one a miss.

Pyxis

Sayschezza said:

And I have an old household book too. It explains how to replace the gusset in knickers when worn out. But as they suggest replacing with a knitted piece I will give that one a miss.

😱😂😱😂


That reminds me of reading about knitted woollen swimming costumes. Well before my time, thank goodness! 
But how on earth did that work? Surely the costume would be around your knees by the time it was water-sodden? 😱

jinny

Sayschezza said:

Firstly be careful about putting too much strain on your taps or you may have plumbing problems

I was thinking that.  Sheet been steeping in bath overnight.  After draining i will hook a loop through a rolling pin  stand on it and twist.  Will let you know how that ends.  Imagine i will get soaked so may have to strip off to my homemade knickers lol
NO I haven't made those yet but theres time.  I certainly wont be using wool for the gusset - oooh hate that word.  One good thing I'm using less detergent and no leccy and getting used to the process.
Im an urban off gridder aren't I 
Is anyone having strange dreams i am and apparently thats a sign of mild ptsd. 

Stay safe all x

[Deleted User]

Knitted bathing costumes were fine if a little itchy when you were just making sand castles BUT as you say when you ventured into the water they just stretched and stretched with the weight of the water and did indeed end up with the bottom level with your knees and the straps stretched so much that the neckline was the waistband.....not a good look even on a child!

monnagran

Yes Pyxis, thats exactly what it did, and I speak from bitter experience.
I still have a photo of myself aged about 9 or 10, sitting on a breakwater wearing my mother's latest creation, a tasteful dark blue swimming suit with a white seagull on the front and twisted strands of blue and white wool for the shoulder straps.. The swimsuit still fitted, so the photo must have been taken before I entered the sea.
We all had a new 'costume' knitted by Mum for our holiday every year.  Dad must have met these creations before because his was always thoughtfully held up by a belt. 

Nargleblast

That reminds me of when, as a child (around 11 or so) I attempted to make my father some swimming trunks out of blue and white towelling material. I gave them to him, he examined them and said they were ok but "You haven't made enough room for me how's-yer-fathers!"
I never was much of a dressmaker.

jinny

Ha ha those knitted swim suits they weighed a ton in the water.  I have a photo of me very young with one of those bobbly elastic type ones.  I was still wearing it years later when my friends  had the stretch bri nylon ones. It must have cut me in half. I wasnt allowed a bikini either my mam said they left nothing to the imagination.  

Pyxis

jinny said:

Sayschezza said:

Firstly be careful about putting too much strain on your taps or you may have plumbing problems

Is anyone having strange dreams i am and apparently thats a sign of mild ptsd. 

Stay safe all x

Yes, I have!
I rarely, normally, remember my dreams, but just lately I do, and they are the perturbing sort.
Had a very ‘funny’ one last week or so, which was all mixed up as usual, but towards the end of it there were two MI5 agents searching my house, in separate rooms. I wasn’t fazed by the fact that there were two MI5 agents in my house, (😂) but I was distraught by the fact that they kept moving to within two metres of me and so I kept having to yell at them to keep back! 

Edit.......I never did find out what they were searching my house for! 😂