2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

PollyWollyDoodle

 Well, that is fascinating Laura. I vaguely knew about the hose but I didn’t know about the shirttail being used instead of underpants. Doesn’t sound very attractive! 

TwibbleDee

Laura_Elsewhere said:

I googled for a pic and found this cheery Viking chap, demonstrating why it's "a pair of" leg-coverings! 

Scandalous!  

SezzaF

Wow, I always learn something new here. Who knew about Viking (and other historical types) Undergarments!
Laura, thank you for pointing me to the Broken Mugs box. I'll top it up when I get the chance
I am really pleased with myself in that I have manged to not mindlessly spend coupons on clothes or "stuff" from the Black Market. I know I am just trying to buy my way out of this thing we're all going through but it's so easy to click and buy if you don't pay attention. 
I have fabric and there are lots of UFO's around these parts - maybe that is something to do with the airbase! I think my February challenge needs to be to see off a UFO or two!

SezzaF

I have just used the dye I bought many moons ago to refresh a jumper. It was white with thin navy stripes and a thin red line at cuffs and hemline and cherries made of red sequins but I think the navy cannot have been very colourfast as it went a funny grey colour the first time I washed it. I used bright red dye in the washing machine and I wasn't sure how it would turn out but it has come out a sort of lovely raspberry colour so the navy and bright red stripes show up and the sequins still sparkle!
At least it's wearable now. Before, it just looked a bit grubby! A white t-shirt I put in at the same time has come out a beautiful bright red!

Laura_Elsewhere

I've decided to make a table. No, not a wooden one to eat off - I think I need to make a list of all my skirts, tops, cardigans AND grade them on how often I wear them, OR if they have Special Justification for being kept even though I don't wear them often (ie ballgown does get worn once a decade or two, and lives in a box only about 8" square and 6" high, so worth keeping).
I want to work out what I really really wear, and what I don't.... AND I think maybe a star rating for how nice I feel in them! 

If it's 3-star and I wear it a lot, then should I make more of it?
If it's 3-star and I hardly wear it, then what's stopping me? Does it not go with anything else?
If it's 2-star and I wear it a fair bit then can I change anything to make it 3-star?
If it's 1-star, or even 0-stars and I wear it a lot, then why on earth am I wrapping my one-and-only precious self in anything that horrible???

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

I've decided to make a table. No, not a wooden one to eat off - I think I need to make a list of all my skirts, tops, cardigans AND grade them on how often I wear them, OR if they have Special Justification for being kept even though I don't wear them often (ie ballgown does get worn once a decade or two, and lives in a box only about 8" square and 6" high, so worth keeping).
I want to work out what I really really wear, and what I don't.... AND I think maybe a star rating for how nice I feel in them! 

If it's 3-star and I wear it a lot, then should I make more of it?
If it's 3-star and I hardly wear it, then what's stopping me? Does it not go with anything else?
If it's 2-star and I wear it a fair bit then can I change anything to make it 3-star?
If it's 1-star, or even 0-stars and I wear it a lot, then why on earth am I wrapping my one-and-only precious self in anything that horrible???

What a clever idea, @Laura_Elsewhere.  I shall watch your progress with interest.

SezzaF said:

I have just used the dye I bought many moons ago to refresh a jumper. It was white with thin navy stripes and a thin red line at cuffs and hemline and cherries made of red sequins but I think the navy cannot have been very colourfast as it went a funny grey colour the first time I washed it. I used bright red dye in the washing machine and I wasn't sure how it would turn out but it has come out a sort of lovely raspberry colour so the navy and bright red stripes show up and the sequins still sparkle!
At least it's wearable now. Before, it just looked a bit grubby! A white t-shirt I put in at the same time has come out a beautiful bright red!

Sounds lovely @SezzaF.  I have to say that one of the best laundry habits I have is that virtually every wash gets a colour catcher.  And they work!  This lesson was learned by bitter experience.  Even my handknits get a colour catcher, if they're washed in the washing machine.  I have a lovely red jumper that I knitted in commercial sock yarn and, after at least 6 washes, the colour is still running. This one:



- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

Before you use them, cut the colour-catcher in half - I have never had any colour-run problems using half a sheet... I used to cut them in long narrow strips, by snipping them as they come out of the box, folded, but now I open them and fold them so I get two nearly-squares. 
Them I keep those and use them for all the 'dirty' kitchen spills that I used to use paper kitchen-roll for. Once used, they go into a jar of water with washing-up liquid by the sink near the washing-machine, and then when I do a 60-degree biological-detergent wash (ie bedlinen, all bathroom and all kitchen) in they go. I just smooth them flat on he worktop, wet and clean, to dry, and keep them in a little open tin to just grab one-handedly when I splash fat or drip raw meat-liquids, etc. 

Laura_Elsewhere

This clothing-catalogue is making me feel rather embarrassed. I have a column for Type and Name, ie 'Skirt' and 'Green Linen', then four columns just to tick for the four seasons for when it's for, and then a column for 0-3 stars for how it makes me feel when I wear it, and a column for whether it is for Occasions, or whether I wear it Frequently/ Sometimes/ Rarely and finally a column headed "....but...." which lists why I don't wear it more, if I could. 

I have a fair number of skirts I don't wear often, and I am a bit sad that three of those are ones I really love and feel really nice in BUT which make me look like Two Ton Tessie... 

I shall keep going, though. I want to catalogue every major garment I own, and work out what I wear, and what I don't wear and WHY. 

Then I can do several things. One is to try on the skirts I love but think are unflattering and see why I think that. Are they actually fine, or are they really unflattering? If the latter, why? If the former, why did I think they were awful? If unflattering, can anything be changed? 
And so on. 

I think My Intended will be of great help as he has a good eye for colour and line. 

I shall be a while, though. I've just listed 13 skirts from memory, never mind the rest of them...!!!!! 

Baileys_Babe

That is a beautiful jumper @PipneyJane shame the colour is still running.

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

Before you use them, cut the colour-catcher in half - I have never had any colour-run problems using half a sheet... I used to cut them in long narrow strips, by snipping them as they come out of the box, folded, but now I open them and fold them so I get two nearly-squares. 
Them I keep those and use them for all the 'dirty' kitchen spills that I used to use paper kitchen-roll for. Once used, they go into a jar of water with washing-up liquid by the sink near the washing-machine, and then when I do a 60-degree biological-detergent wash (ie bedlinen, all bathroom and all kitchen) in they go. I just smooth them flat on he worktop, wet and clean, to dry, and keep them in a little open tin to just grab one-handedly when I splash fat or drip raw meat-liquids, etc. 

So after they've been a colour catcher, you use them as a cleaning cloth instead of paper towel?  How long do they last?

- Pip (Intrigued)