2023 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

thriftwizard

I'm not a pyjama fan - for some reason my knees overheat wildly - but have made my own nighties, as well as kn1ckers. I don't have the engineering skills to construct a bra in my size, but DD2, a slender creature, has made herself several pairs of pyjamas from old duvet covers & a number of "bra-let" sets from discarded t-shirts. I've also made myself Japanese-style jackets from old curtains, lined with bits of old duvet cover; IMHO, reclaimed fabric is the way to go! You've hardly lost anything if it doesn't work out right, whereas brand new fabric is a horrendous responsibility...

2Scratters

Notice and a post from me long overdue
2 inbound under skirts from different sources 1 gifted from friends mum who now only uses a full under slip. The other was a find from parents house made of cotton but not hemmed as yet. I might get away not hemming it at all as my dresses are a lot lot longer than the under skirt. I think I may be keeping it authentic and just cut the odd stragglers of thread  I'd priced up a new waist slip and was £40 ah ah ain't going there. Recycled is definitely the way. 

2 Scratters xx

Cherryfudge

2Scratters said:

 Recycled is definitely the way. 

2 Scratters xx

Definitely the case! £40 is a ridiculous amount to pay for an underskirt (said she, humbly), and inheriting things is coupon-free, good for the environment and gives the donner back some space.

PollyWollyDoodle

@thriftwizard and @2Scratters I couldn't agree more, it's the first time I have tried sewing with duvet covers and I was astonished at how cheap these were. The other advantage is that they are well washed, so no worries about shrinkage and nice and soft. 

For anyone wanting to learn to sew or to refresh their skills, pyjama trousers are a great place to start, they are very straightforward and don't really need 'fitting'.  I made the first pair by just drawing around an existing pair, the first time I've ever done that, but then I bought a commercial pattern to make the kimono-style bathrobe.  

I want to have a go at making some trousers next, I will probably buy some new fabric when I've got the pattern sorted out but I'll be using thrifted fabric to make a muslin. When I was a teenager I made my own clothes to save money but these days it's cheaper to buy new, albeit very poor quality clothes. 

Baileys_Babe

Thanks @PollyWollyDoodle for the suggestion of pyjama trousers. I haven't sewn anything in years and when I did I wasn't very confident. I at least feel I want to try making a pair out of an old duvet cover because as you say the fabric is cheap if it is a disaster or I am successful and I have a new pair of pyjama trousers. Either way I will have tried and learnt something 😀

flamingo747

It's definitely much cheaper to buy crappy clothes, especially if you know you might ruin something you try to make 

Does anyone have good suggestions for blocking crocheted granny squares without a board?

Laura_Elsewhere

flamingo747 said:

It's definitely much cheaper to buy crappy clothes, especially if you know you might ruin something you try to make 

Does anyone have good suggestions for blocking crocheted granny squares without a board?

I pull the covers and sheets up to the top of the bed, and put a towel over the bare mattress and use ordinary sewing-pins to pin my crochet out. 

I don't do squares, but it's the same principle... First thing in the morning, I just soak the thing for 20 minutes in tepid tapwater (or rosewater if it's a present!), squeeze it well, wrap it in a towel and squeeze a bit more, if it's a big thing I then roll it in a bath-towel and stand on the cylinder to squeeze more! 
Then I just pin it out, roughly into shape, in the middle with room round it, and just keep coming back over half an hour to move all the pins a bit further out and apart, to really open up the structure. Once I'm happy with the shape and openness I just leave it all day to dry and by evening, I can remove all the pins (definitely make sure you get them all!!) and that's the thing dry and blocked. 

Here's a shawl I made a friend, taking almost all the length of the bed:
(obviously I didn't bother with the towel for this one!)

Laura_Elsewhere

@PollyWollyDoodle, I'm a huge fan of duvet-covers for sewing - I made a full skirt and top, years ago, and quite a few linings (one skirt was a curtain lined with a duvet-cover, total price a fiver iirc!), and they really work well.

It's fabric intended to be machine-washable, tumble-dryable (important in our tiny top-floor flat!), designed not to fade quickly... I often recommend people try duvet-covers for experimental sewing  

flamingo747

Thanks Laura that's gorgeous!

Laura_Elsewhere

flamingo747 said:

Thanks Laura that's gorgeous!

Thanks- it's a free pattern called 'Edlothia' that I've made quite a few times now in different sizes/weights, from DK down to cobweb... I love it, and it has nothing that isn't in a granny square- in fact it's really just two-sides of a granny-square