2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Cherryfudge

Thank you @Laura_Elsewhere, that's fascinating and you are welcome to share the photos. I couldn't think why my Dad would have had naval clothing but DH has reminded me he might have needed it on the voyage home from being stationed in Egypt, or could have bought it as 'army surplus' later.

I would love it to have a good home - I will need to check around the family to see if that might be one of us but if not, I will certainly look into whether a museum might use it. It's in amazing condition if it really does date from 1945.

P.S. I didn't realise 'one swell foop' was a David Niven saying, but I like the sound of it too much not to use it.

Laura_Elsewhere

@Cherryfudge - my mouth is hanging open as I type in amazement - it seems you have indeed got a 1945 Royal Navy Submariners' Jersey... 

Scroll down this forum and you'll find Paulgo253 giving really clear descriptions of his original garments, bought with good provenance. His final one is a 1955 S.D.Stretton. 

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/white-raf-roll-neck-sweaters.11051/page-25

Laura_Elsewhere

Re "one swell foop" - decades ago I saw David Niven interviewed and he was reminiscing about being in 'the Scottish play', and I can't recall the details but it involved someone thinking it would be hilarious to put a load of vodka in the fruit juice at lunchtime, thus everyone being half-cut.... Niven played Macduff and had to come on and exclaim in horror about the massacre of his whole family "in one fell swoop" and it came out disastrously mangled as one swell foop and just corpsed the entire production  
I've had to concentrate really hard ever since if I need to say the proper version...  

I've sent a PM to the chap asking about your jersey... 

Cherryfudge

Wow, @Laura_Elsewhere, that's pretty amazing, as are your research skills. The square neck and squarely-set-on sleeves are absolutely right.

It's currently drying gently having come through the wash admirably (phew). Maybe that should be 'Admiral-ly'.  

Lol to the swell foop. Shakespeare missed a trick there.

Cherryfudge

My apologies for the abundance of photos but I wanted to sort the whole bag at once.
Here are two lady’s sweaters which I think would have been my mum’s. The blue one makes my eyes go funny but I really wish I could wear the lilac one, it’s very sweet (and small, and the wrong colour).

CraftyLittleLisa

Hello all.
I am really with you in respect of WIPs.  I don't have many as such because I now discipline myself to only starting one when I have finished one.  However, I do have a huge plastic box full of "projects" I want to start and get finished.  I'm beginning to wonder whether they will ever get done in my lifetime though.
I recently had a big declutter of my whole craft cupboard and fabric stash as I was starting to get a little overwhelmed by it all.  I have decided that some fabrics I will never use so I may try and sell them on.  I also have some fabric that no-one will buy but they may take them for free.  I felt a lot better when I did have a clear out.  I'm currently making a pair of trousers out of a pair of pyjama bottoms.  I made the pyjama bottoms out of some fabric I bought but decided it was too good to use for nightwear so I took them apart to remake.  I have cut the pieces out so as it will be raining most of tomorrow I will get the machine out and do the sewing up of the garment.  I would love to be able to wear a new pair of trousers next week instead of just jeans.
Other crafting I have done recently is I have made some new cushion covers for my newly decorated lounge.  Other than that I did give myself a bit of a break as I was getting a bit fed up with doing crafting over the last few months because there was nothing else to do and I didn't want my joy of sewing ruined.
Have a good weekend all.

PollyWollyDoodle

Amazing - to both the jumper and Laura’s research skills! My first thought was that it looked like a naval jumper.  What a treasure!

@CraftyLittleLisa I guarantee if you put “bag of fabric” on Freecycle or similar it will be snapped up. Ask me how I acquired most of mine… 🙄 As I have had to declutter in preparation for moving house I put together a black bin bag full, some of it was polyester stuff I had wombled and didn’t think I’d ever use. I made sure to add in a few bits of printed cotton and some lace and trim to make it a nice mix, I had it taken in no time.

CraftyLittleLisa

Can I ask you all.  I also have a huge amount of fabric scraps that I don't like to throw but I will never use it all.  How would you go about giving them a new home/recycling?

Cherryfudge

@CraftyLittleLisa, if you Google 'scraps made into fabric', people have literally made new fabric out of their tiny scraps, but if you aren't wanting to try that yourself, you could use them to stuff cushions, etc.
I think you could possibly Ebay them too, because I imagine reusing fabric becomes addictive and there will be people out there who have used up all theirs and need some more!

Wraithlady

CraftyLittleLisa said:

Can I ask you all.  I also have a huge amount of fabric scraps that I don't like to throw but I will never use it all.  How would you go about giving them a new home/recycling?

The V & A have a pattern section on their website, one of the patterns is for a Sashiko tote bag.