2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere

@Luciecat63, I'm another one who's more rotund than I like, but I had it pointed out to me that if I think I don't look nice then surely it makes sense to wear the very nicest clothes I can, to improve what is there...! And it does make sense to me now - if I feel shapeless and lumpen, then wearing horrible old clothing is a pretty good way to make sure I really *do* look shapeless and lumpen!!! Instead I now am much better at wearing colour and nice fabrics, and clothes that are big enough instead of squeezing into old too-tight clothes, and as a result I look an awful lot better, and feel it too... 

Also, Much Mending has quite a few folk who like going for a walk, and that's the very best way to start losing a bit of excess, very very hard to injure yourself or really cause problems, so for a starting-place, I would definitely go for walking every time! 

Nonnadiluca

I love to read your posts, you are such a lovely and talented group of people!
I don't count coupons as I rarely buy new clothes, 2019 saw one new dress, bought in December, and 2020 a new jumper - I wouldn't have bought that, but DD had ordered a jumper from Seasalt in the sale and it was a bit big, so she asked me if I wanted to try it on before she sent it back. It was really cheap for a wool jumper and looked really nice, so it seemed rude not to 😐.
I do hit the charity shops from time to time and have a wardrobe full of clothes, so shouldn't need anything much. 
Looking forward to seeing your amazing creations again in 2021
Actually, I will count coupons this year as I will need a couple of bras, and possibly some socks. It will be interesting to see exactly what I buy.

Betharooni

Hi

Can I join in again this year? I didn’t buy anything in the way of clothes last year, just wool, but not sure how much and what coupons it would come to, so I’ll just start 2021 with the basic 66 coupons.

I have no plans at the moment to buy any clothes, wool or fabric. I’m hoping to lose some weight in 2021 but I have plenty of clothes that I’ve kept hold of so I shouldn’t need to buy much, if anything,  then anyway.

B x

Cherryfudge

I'm in again please! I have quite a lot of coupons left over from this year - will check and update my signature in a  bit - as my work went into uniform. I consequently have two or three year's worth of casual clothes that would have been worn at work, a wardrobe of 'nice' clothes that have hardly been worn since March, and a wartime-worthy passion for making do and mending.

Actually I doubt it was a passion for many: Mum was a teenager in London at the time and told me tales of only having one dress throughout the war. While clearing the house after she passed away, I found a couple of dainty 'shirt fronts' that she would have worn to the office. They only take a smidgeon of fabric and buttoned into jackets or sweaters so it looked like a new blouse. She also told me how knitting became more colourful as people utilised scraps of coloured wool to supplement salvaged wool. After the war and throughout her life she bought pretty dresses galore, to make up for it.

Off to count my coupons...

Rah

Hello! Thanks for welcoming me to the group.
This is the first year that I haven't done a big clothes shop in the sales after Christmas, and I haven't bought any clothes for several months other than one pair of pyjamas, so it got me thinking, let's see if I can keep this up!
Big fan of the Great British Sewing Bee, and occasional sewer, but I haven't really made clothes other than one skirt once and a couple of children's things. Made quite a few bags and cushion covers! Not done much sewing lately though. 
My motivation for joining this group is not really to save money but more about saving resources, as very conscious of the environmental impact of fashion. 
One question, I note that a yard of woollen fabric is 3 coupons. Am I reading it correctly that a yard (or metre) of cotton or other lightweight fabric is 1 coupon? Thanks 

thriftwizard

Oooh, please do count me in again! I'm sorry I missed the fun run, but a lorry had - fallen over - down on the main road & I needed to go and investigate anything that might have fallen off the back... there'll be some nice Edwardian chairs on my stall next week!

Oh, and I appear to have 33 coupons left...

tryingtoavoiddebt

Thanks for the tip @Laura_Elsewhere. I did think about a nosy on ebay. Hopefully the charity shops will open here again soon and I can start hunting!x

Baileys_Babe

Hello, I feel humbled to be invited to join you in Little Mending on the Borrow. I would like to join in the 2021 coupon challenge. Unlike the majority of residents, I do not have any craft talents. Every few years since I was a child I have tried to learn to knit without success. My parents moved nearby, only a mile away, about a year ago and our plan was once a week we (ds15, dd11 & and myself) would visit them specifically to stitch and natter with my Mum who is a very talented knitter as well as accomplished with a sewing needle and machine. I am embarrassed to say that any repairs or alternations that need more than a button reattached get sent to my Mum. Unsurprisingly our plans have yet to come to anything and are currently just pipedreams.
I have a couple of craft challenges for this year:

• to loom knit a pair of thick of socks
• to loom knit a pair of socks on the fine loom

These are both stash-busting projects as I have everything I need to complete them already in the house, I just need to stop feeling scared I am going to do it wrong and get started.

I have enjoyed being here listening to all your wisdom and learning so much.

Baileys_Babe

Laura_Elsewhere said:

@Luciecat63, I'm another one who's more rotund than I like, but I had it pointed out to me that if I think I don't look nice then surely it makes sense to wear the very nicest clothes I can, to improve what is there...! And it does make sense to me now - if I feel shapeless and lumpen, then wearing horrible old clothing is a pretty good way to make sure I really *do* look shapeless and lumpen!!! Instead I now am much better at wearing colour and nice fabrics, and clothes that are big enough instead of squeezing into old too-tight clothes, and as a result I look an awful lot better, and feel it too... 

Also, Much Mending has quite a few folk who like going for a walk, and that's the very best way to start losing a bit of excess, very very hard to injure yourself or really cause problems, so for a starting-place, I would definitely go for walking every time! 

Thank you@Laura_Elsewhere for reminding that just because I am not happy with my appearance I shouldn't need to be compounding the problem by wearing unflattering clothes.
Over several years, I have added many unwanted pounds to my body, these are doing me no favours physically, mentally, financially, nor healthwise. I plan to shift the excess and get down to a more reasonable weight, which will have a positive impact on my overall health, which is my main motivator, as excess weight is a symptom of and a complicating factor in one of my medical conditions. I have accepted that the loss will be at a snail's pace and in the meantime I need to accept me for me. 
As well as flattering clothes two other areas which will help me, but have been neglected, are improved posture and properly fitting bras.

PipneyJane

Rah said:

Hello! Thanks for welcoming me to the group.
This is the first year that I haven't done a big clothes shop in the sales after Christmas, and I haven't bought any clothes for several months other than one pair of pyjamas, so it got me thinking, let's see if I can keep this up!
Big fan of the Great British Sewing Bee, and occasional sewer, but I haven't really made clothes other than one skirt once and a couple of children's things. Made quite a few bags and cushion covers! Not done much sewing lately though. 
My motivation for joining this group is not really to save money but more about saving resources, as very conscious of the environmental impact of fashion. 
One question, I note that a yard of woollen fabric is 3 coupons. Am I reading it correctly that a yard (or metre) of cotton or other lightweight fabric is 1 coupon? Thanks 

Your motivation is similar to mine, @Rah.  The most valuable piece of advice I’ve heard in years was Sir David Attenborough answering a question from a teenager about what we can do to save the planet:  “Don’t waste”.  He elaborated that into “don’t waste resources” and “don’t waste energy” but I’d extend it into “Don’t waste your opportunities” and “Don’t waste your life - get out and do”.    The money we save on not buying millions of clothes can be spent on living a good life.

That’s a really good question about fabric and I’ll amend the first post to encompass it.  If you read the fine pint of the announcement, non-woollen fabric is 2 coupons per metre.

- Pip


PS:  For the record, my own weakness is yarn.  I have a huge stash.