2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

florianatwobob

@Laura_Elsewhere thank you for the warm welcome and such a lovely dog too. I shall give him a scratch behind the ears by way of apology for stealing his seat!

A very late evacuee,  I’ve been doing ‘war work’ for the local government but I’ve been able to come up for a breather and fortunately been able to bring my wardrobe with me! 

22 coupons sounds right to me which should be fine for the remainder of the year (providing there are no wardrobe emergencies). 

PipneyJane

florianatwobob said:

Hello!!! I came across the idea of ‘Fashion on the Ration’ on a FB page. Would it be too late to join for this year? I was thinking I’d reduce my coupon allowance for the remainder of the year?

Welcome @florianatwobob .  Cup of tea?  Piece of cake? As @Laura_Elsewhere said, you'll have 22 coupons for the next four months.  We'll get our new tranche of 66 on New Year's Day.  Any coupons that are unspent this year, get rolled over to next year and have to be spent first.  (Don't let that spiv, Del, in the market tell you otherwise.)

Do you craft?  You may have gathered that I knit, crochet and sew.  My perpetual weakness is yarn.  I have a stash that's large enough to open a wool shop and still I can't resist the stuff.  (I am hoping to get to 2022 with my remaining 12 coupons intact.  Famous last words...)

- Pip

florianatwobob

Oh a cup of tea would be lovely, thank you. I do craft, I’m a cross stitcher and crochet-er. The crochet generally being more practical than the cross stitch but below is one of my works in progress! 

Next year I also intend to do some more ‘Digging for Britain’ as this years plans went awry, although my asparagus was a real treat. 

Excellent, I shall attempt to maximise my 22 coupons which should hopefully be relatively straightforward as I’m also a fan of pre loved items.  

PipneyJane

That cross stitch is beautiful, @florianatwobob.  When it is finished, what are your plans for it?

- Pip

Liverpool_Anne

@florianatwobob, welcome that cross stitch is lovely. You will find a wealth of useful information here, everyone is very generous with their help and advice and I have learned loads from them all. I knit and crochet and have plans to try different things. I haven't yet mastered the art of posting pictures yet though

TwibbleDee

Arrrgh!  I didn’t check the pockets in the NEWER style of jeans that I bought 1 and ordered 3 of.  They shorted the pockets to the point where my pocket knife won’t go in all the way.  I guess the other 3 are getting returned as soon as they arrive, ‘cause I’m not dealing with things falling out of my pockets. 

Hmmm…maybe I should just stitch the pockets closed and add a pouch to my belt…

CraftyLittleLisa

Another month has gone by and I am pleased to say I have not spent any more coupons - just as well given I have spent them all.  Last year I managed to carry 18 over so not sure what has happened this year.

I have got two new garments though.  My Mum has knitted me a jumper to my requirements - I like lightweight jumpers with 3/4 sleeves and slightly fitted.  Mum had a pattern she wanted to try so I said to her to go for it.  The pattern wasn't printed correctly so she had to re-work it.  I'm really pleased with it and am super impressed.  Mum has more than once knitted family members things to their design requirements.  As that was a present though that is nil coupons.

I have also recently made myself a wrap skirt for the winter (because it is a dark colour) and I am rather pleased with it.  I just need to find a button to finish it and then its done.  I used fabric from my stash so again nil coupons.  Next I want to make a winter dress again with supplies I already have.

At some point this month I need to move my summer clothes to the awkward part of the wardrobe and move my winter clothes to the easy part of the wardrobe.  I will go through them all before I do so to see if any repairs need doing or decide if I still like them/wear them.

My aim currently is to try not to spend any money on frivolous things.  I wonder if I can keep that going until Christmas - might be a bit of a challenge for me.

PipneyJane

TwibbleDee said:

Arrrgh!  I didn’t check the pockets in the NEWER style of jeans that I bought 1 and ordered 3 of.  They shorted the pockets to the point where my pocket knife won’t go in all the way.  I guess the other 3 are getting returned as soon as they arrive, ‘cause I’m not dealing with things falling out of my pockets. 

Hmmm…maybe I should just stitch the pockets closed and add a pouch to my belt…

Send those jeans back with a note complaining about the pocket size!  I'm not certain about American consumer law - and I know each state is different - but could you return the original pair, too?  (Under the British Distance Selling Regulations, you'd have had 14 days to return items purchased on a website.)

That's the problem I have with mobile phones getting larger and larger, while pockets on women's clothing have got smaller.  My current one, an iPhone SE from 2016, just fits the pocket of my M&S jeans.  When it dies, I will upgrade to the new 2020 SE but that is a couple of mm longer and wider.  I think I can get it in my jeans pocket - I've tested using DH's work phone (an iPhone 7) - but it was a much tighter fit.

- Pip

joedenise

What annoys me is the number of ladies trousers that have NO front pockets, just a line of stitching to make it look like a pocket!  Then a couple of pockets on the back but who wants anything lumpy in their back pocket?  Not me but no other option really!

PipneyJane

joedenise said:

What annoys me is the number of ladies trousers that have NO front pockets, just a line of stitching to make it look like a pocket!  Then a couple of pockets on the back but who wants anything lumpy in their back pocket?  Not me but no other option really!

Perfect for pickpockets.

- Pip