2022 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere

TwibbleDee said:

Laura_Elsewhere said:

TwibbleDee said:

Laura_Elsewhere said:

The very simplest apron has always worked brilliantly for me - you take a piece of fabric the width and height you want, fold it lengthways, and then cut out the curve to make the top part narrower. Then you sew the wide ends of those tow cut-off pieces together, put a hem along the long straight edge and sew that on as the pocket in the front, with a curved seam all round the side-bottom-side, and a short vertical seam up the centre-front seam, so you have two large shallow pockets. 

Zero-waste cutting  

Googling for a diagram, I find nobody seems to make these - what?! why?? It has to be the simplest sewing-pattern in existence for any item of any kind  

Is that the sort that uses the ties?

Yes... Like this. So it's very like your second pattern link, only instead of square pockets it has the big curved one made from the cut-off bits - easy enough to make square ones of another fabric if you prefer, but folding along its long axis and cutting the curved bit off is definitely the easiest way to make an apron! 





EDIT: aha, I see both yours are the X-backed sort... I've never made one of those. But every one of these I've made, I've made the ties long enough to go round and tie at the front, same as waiters' aprons do. 

I’m looking at the x-back ones because halters tend to pull on my neck and shoulders if I use the pockets at all. 

Ah right... that's one of the reasons I always do the longer ties, because then that takes any pulling from the pocket, and the neck-halter is just sitting there, unstressed. I'd find the X-backed ones uncomfortable because they'd be hanging from my shoulders!  
But as the saying goes, if we all liked the same thing, then they'd sell no tins of mixed biscuits  

nannygladys

Laura_Elsewhere - it's a 29K. I'd love to able to use it, my grandma had a treadle machine which my mum then had, but it was anywhere when we cleared her house when she died, so she must have got rid of it. It's nice having something that old that I could bring back into use again. 

Laura_Elsewhere

nannygladys said:

Laura_Elsewhere - it's a 29K. I'd love to able to use it, my grandma had a treadle machine which my mum then had, but it was anywhere when we cleared her house when she died, so she must have got rid of it. It's nice having something that old that I could bring back into use again. 

Blimey!

Right... well, I';m not sure how much you'll actually use it if it's a 29K, because that's one of their specialist machines - it's a shoe and boot patching machine! 

Here's Alexander Dyer (who is another of the great serious experts on old sewing machines)

Is this what yours looks like? I've never explored the specialist machines - it's entirely possible that you can use it for ordinary sewing - but it may be that you find it's not really suitable for sewing material rather than leather, plus it's designed for quite a niche technique of sewing curved objects rather than flat iyswim... 

(EDIT: if you find it's not so useful for you, here are the eBay listings for ones which have sold, and they go for hundreds, so you certainly could sell it and buy a more usual sort if you wanted! I'm wide-eyed at these prices, I must say! https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=singer+29k&_sacat=3118&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1 ) 

But anyway, have a look at this video - and the manuals are available here, if you scroll aaaaaall the way down to the 29s! https://ismacs.net/free-sewing-machine-manuals-list.html#S

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oqmmPugdcA

PipneyJane

@Laura_Elsewhere and @nannygladys - all I can say is "Wow!"

No wonder you were stumped, NannyG.

- Pip

nannygladys

Laura_Elsewhere - it definitely isn't one of those and looks very much like a 27 or 28 (can't remember), so I went on the tube and found a video of one being threaded, filled the bobbin and got it going!!!! When I looked at the 29k I was very surprised but the numbers were definitely right and the plate looked original so goodness knows where it came from!!!! Anyway it's a lot prettier than the above and definitely looks like a normal sewing machine, and she chugs along lovely   had to play a bit with the tension but got there in the end, just need something to sew now!! Thank you for all the help, I must admit I kept trying to put my foot on the pedal though, thanks again

Thank goodness January is nearly over, I'll be first in line for the cs!!!! But until then I will keep going through my dress patterns.
Nannyg

nannygladys

Crikey, I almost wish it was that machine!!!!!!!! 

PollyWollyDoodle

Glad you have got it going, I love my hand crank machine and would not part with it although I don’t use it as often as the electric one. 

nannygladys

PollyWoolyDoodle - I feel as if I'm having a really good year so far

Cherryfudge

That machine looks wonderful, even if the uses are limited I imagine the village would have been be trudging up you path with our footwear and handbags!

I would love a treadle machine, and whichever model your is, I hope you have lots of fun with it. My wedding dress was made on my Mum's treadle (a Jones) by my sister who now owns it - though I daresay I could borrow it when we borrow her house. So steady and reliable, and such a feeling of connecting with past generations.

My little bit of make do and mend today has been to tidy up some ends on the back of the knitting and use the trimmings to darn a sock. DH tells me he doesn't notice the thicker bits! I'm not bothering darning lightweight socks: if a needle and thread won't mend them, they go into textile recycling but nice chunky socks get rescued. Come 1945, I may regret the dress socks.

OldWomanWhoLivesInAShoe

I am having a particularly good day. A present arrived from my mother in the form of crochet work gloves, which will give my poor hands a break from freezing while I do most things. Also in the parcel was a bar of dairy milk, EACH!

Being gifted that's zero coupons and almost a kilo of chocolate without using our food ration. (We're the odd family going all in this year for hose who haven't met us yet!) 

So to end January my declaration is minimal. I've only bought one pair of tights for myself, 2 vests for hubby, 1 jumper for DD1(15), 1 cardigan and 1 pair of boots for DD3(5) and nothing at all for the other 3 children.