2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Rah

CraftyLittleLisa said:

I have a coupon spend to report this week.  I got some lovely brushed cotton in my sewing box for December last year and I decided to make some pyjamas out of them.  Unfortunately, I didn't have quite enough for top and bottoms but I have made some pyjama bottoms and I have found a vest top thing in my drawers which I can wear with it.  I used 2 metres of fabric which means 6 coupons.

No coupons if you already had the fabric I think? I thought you spent the coupons by buying fabric, not when you use it. 😊

Rah

Well would you believe it, I was just looking for an egg-free chocolate cake recipe (Veganuary) and lo and behold, I come on here to catch up with the fashion ration chat instead, and there it is! Thanks @skogar! 😀

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, sorry been mia again, work was manic last week, we have about 50/50 pupils in/ remote learning. My job to look after the remote learning and with being off sick the week before I was swamped. Worked till 10.30 with 2 half hour breaks until Thursday to catch up, then I got the dreaded shielding letter. Dated 7th, delivered 15th telling me to shield from 5th, I just have to smile at the model of efficiency. So I am now working from home which saves me just over an hour commute. Last week I also put other systems in place to make the whole thing easier to do so I am hoping to get finished earlier this week. Yesterday I mostly slept, cooked and did some crotchet but today I got the chop saw out to sort some wood for the log burner and......the new notice board so with a quick lick of paint it will be ready to go. What colour would everybody like? 
@Thriftwizard that rug is absolutely fab. I really am going to attempt one when I retire, it's amazing.
@ Pip, my carpentry skills are quite limited still, something I have been interested in for about 20 years. I love wood and I did a wood turning course in the evenings, then I pestered my old boss who was an old fashioned woodwork teacher to show me a few things and managed to get trained on all the big equipment so I could teach it. That's when I got the chop saw, all the other equipment is much too big to fit in my house, I need a workshop lol.  The great thing about teaching special needs is it has to be broken down into small steps and easy to make. Like any other craft it's about having the right tools and having a go. 
The point you make about my friend's son being brave is interesting, another friend who is a driving instructor tells me that young men do not recognise risks, just the way their brains work, until they get into their mid 20s. Hence why we are able to send them off to do things like the Baltic run and they just get on with it, and why car insurance is so expensive for them.

Liverpool_Anne

@ Dolly84, I do feel for you. Everything is so intense when you are a teen. If it is any consolation know it will pass, though it does seem a bit extreme even for a teenager. If you are concerned about her have you considered contacting your GP? She does sound as if she's suffering from anxiety and if she won't talk to you maybe she could access a councillor. Her school may have one, ours does. Big. Hugs.

Baileys_Babe

@Cherryfudge please would you post the UK quantities for the chocolate cake as I would like to give it a try and I am not confident cooking in cups. Or could somebody let me know the volume in millilitres of an American cup? Thanks

Laura_Elsewhere

Rah said:

CraftyLittleLisa said:

I have a coupon spend to report this week.  I got some lovely brushed cotton in my sewing box for December last year and I decided to make some pyjamas out of them.  Unfortunately, I didn't have quite enough for top and bottoms but I have made some pyjama bottoms and I have found a vest top thing in my drawers which I can wear with it.  I used 2 metres of fabric which means 6 coupons.

No coupons if you already had the fabric I think? I thought you spent the coupons by buying fabric, not when you use it. 😊

@Rah you are quite correct! But we have a few folk who are applying stricter rules to themselves because they want to, so sometimes you'll see someone applying coupons to second-hand clothing or to their own existing stocks... 

joedenise

@Baileys_Babe - a Cup is 240mls - at least the measuring cups I use are but not sure the American ones are the same but I would have thought they are.

With cakes as long as the volume is the same then they should work with any recipe.

Laura_Elsewhere

skogar said:

Given the blank look my Mum gave me when I asked her about the lubricant I don't think she can have lubricated it with anything other than sewing machine oil (if with that - where is the hair standing on end smiley when you need it). My Dad hasn't lubricated it (he would have done if she's asked him) when I asked him. 

I can't help re the motor but the moving parts of the actual sewing machine, yes, you are supposed to add sewing-machine oil in half a dozen places every time you get the machine out to use it - AND every single day if using it frequently...!

I had been using my 1902 Singer treadle since 1980 and only discovered I should have been oiling it in 2015... ummm.... 

They are *very* forgiving machines...!

Oh, and new needles - I'd spent decades only putting in a new needle when the old one actually broke, but you're meant to use a new sharp needle for each new project, different ones for light or heavy fabrics, etc. 

Oops. 

PipneyJane

@skogar, there’s probably an online forum somewhere, dedicated to your particular make and model of sewing machine.  Otherwise, try looking for a nearby industrial sewing machine company, who do repairs to domestic models.  If they are working during Lockdown, they may be happy to service yours.  (I can recommend the people who serviced my machine.  They are in Southall, West London, if that’s doable for you.)

@Laura_Elsewhere - even though my mum trained as a seamstress and pattern cutter, I didn’t learn about the need to replace the sewing machine needle every time you start a new project until very recently.  I have sewn dozens of garments using the same needle, as did my mum.  I am not certain what difference it makes, unless you are sewing very heavy fabrics or leather.

- Pip

PipneyJane

Baileys_Babe said:

@Cherryfudge please would you post the UK quantities for the chocolate cake as I would like to give it a try and I am not confident cooking in cups. Or could somebody let me know the volume in millilitres of an American cup? Thanks

An American cup measure is 8 fluid ounces, while a British one is 10 fl oz (240ml).   As @joedenise said, so long as you use the same measuring cup set for all your measurements, the proportions will remain consistent and you will have a successful result.  (I cook American cake recipes regularly.  Never had an issue.) 

If you are worried about things involving teaspoons and tablespoons, our measures are the same (5ml and 15ml).  Use gently rounded instead of smoothed off and you’ll be fine.

- Pip


PS. To complicate matters, the Australian/NZ tablespoon and the old, Imperial one are 20ml, which is equal to 4 teaspoons.