2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

PipneyJane

Cherryfudge said:

An unplanned no-coupon spend today: a Laura Ashley corduroy jacket from the car boot sale. It's in generally fair condition, thought there's a loose hook and eye fastening which is no problem to fix. Also very comfortable and a good colour for me. The difficulty, which I didn't see till I saw it in the mirror, is that it's been worn with hands thrust into pockets so the front is dragged down as if it were a halter neck. Do you think I can rescue it? I can wear a scarf over, to hide the worst, but would a wash followed by drying on a shaped coat hanger help? Or is there anything else I could try?

(It takes me right back to a cord jacket I had in the 80s!)

It’s possibly rescuable, @Cherryfudge.  The weave has been distorted.  I’d wash it, put it on the shaped coat hanger - to reform the shoulders - do it up and then dry it flat on a table/floor over layers of towels, reshaping it so that the fronts hang evenly with the back, etc.  (Reshaping it as you would if it were a jumper that you were blocking.). 

Fingers crossed.

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

seconding Pip’s wise words- dry flat after pulling and squishing it into shape. 

Sarahspangles

Cherryfudge said:

Would a wash followed by drying on a shaped coat hanger help? Or is there anything else I could try?

Hopefully it’s fixed by a wash and reshaping. If it’s developed a tendency to droop, I suppose you could sew petersham ribbon from shoulder to hem on the inside front edge, to give it a bit of backbone? You sometimes see this on cotton cardigans, or men’s coats where the front edge return meets the lining.

Cherryfudge

Thank you @PipneyJane, @Laura_Elsewhere and @Sarahspangles for the advice. If it's good drying weather tomorrow, I'll try the wash and reshape, and reinforcement with ribbon is something I could try once I see how it hangs when that's complete. I also need to think about my autumn/winter clothes and see what would go well with it. Years ago I had wide-legged trousers that tucked into boots and would probably have worked well, but I'm not sure my modern cream-coloured trousers would be right. Time to get out skirts and try some on.

PollyWollyDoodle

Good luck with this week’s chemo, @PipneyJane and hope you get released in time for the cricket on Saturday. 

Cherryfudge

Thinking of you @PipneyJane x

Laura_Elsewhere

I hope it's going well, @PipneyJane - both the treatment and the knitting! 


No buying of clothes- but I've been busy  

We're finally making progress here- on Friday we're driving Mr E's obsolete computer things to meet with a collector of that type of computer stuff, so it's going to a good home where it will be very much appreciated. We're also dropping off a box of my books to our local second-hand bookshop. Some other books are being posted to new homes too. 
A long way to go but it's progress... 

And in the morning on Friday, I'm meeting my usual swimming-pals with rakes and brooms and we're going to give our changing area at the quarry a good scrubbing so it's a LOT less muddy this winter- two years ago the Council kindly put down several loads of stone chippings, but then last year after the autumn leaves made it all a bit mushy, someone asked the tree-felling people to put down tree-chippings and they've all gone to mush and it's been ghastly in wet weather, really awful! So we plan to rake it back to the stony layer, and try to keep it like that... 

And I've taken the worn-through old rubber soles off my WW2-replica shoes, little tan leather lace-up brogues with a low flat heel- now they have new rubber half-soles glued on well with Klebfest, and Blakeys non-metal segs nailed onto the heels, and I've taken out the cord laces and waxed them well (they last years longer). Tomorrow once all the glue has set, I shall polish them to a gleam  
Dry, comfortable feet this winter! 

PipneyJane

Thanks everyone for the good wishes.  Beyond my sleep being constantly interrupted by the pump of the drip in my arm, I’m OK.  Fingers crossed that I’m out by Saturday morning.  (We have Test Match tickets.)

Laura_Elsewhere said:

I hope it's going well, @PipneyJane - both the treatment and the knitting! 


No buying of clothes- but I've been busy  

We're finally making progress here- on Friday we're driving Mr E's obsolete computer things to meet with a collector of that type of computer stuff, so it's going to a good home where it will be very much appreciated. We're also dropping off a box of my books to our local second-hand bookshop. Some other books are being posted to new homes too. 
A long way to go but it's progress... 

And in the morning on Friday, I'm meeting my usual swimming-pals with rakes and brooms and we're going to give our changing area at the quarry a good scrubbing so it's a LOT less muddy this winter- two years ago the Council kindly put down several loads of stone chippings, but then last year after the autumn leaves made it all a bit mushy, someone asked the tree-felling people to put down tree-chippings and they've all gone to mush and it's been ghastly in wet weather, really awful! So we plan to rake it back to the stony layer, and try to keep it like that... 

And I've taken the worn-through old rubber soles off my WW2-replica shoes, little tan leather lace-up brogues with a low flat heel- now they have new rubber half-soles glued on well with Klebfest, and Blakeys non-metal segs nailed onto the heels, and I've taken out the cord laces and waxed them well (they last years longer). Tomorrow once all the glue has set, I shall polish them to a gleam  
Dry, comfortable feet this winter! 

Well done @Laura_Elsewhere on multiple counts.  Please describe how you waxed the shoe laces.  I’ve never seen it done.

No coupon spends, yet, for me to report but I did manage to go into the belly of the beast on Saturday and not spend coupons!  I had a £5 Hobbycraft birthday voucher to spend before it expired, so spent it on quilting clips for seaming and some buttons for my leather jacket.  (All the buttons are loose, but one was missing.  I’ve taken the jacket to the local dry-cleaners and they’ll do the necessary for me, since it involves creating shanks, etc.) 

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

Glad to hear that the Borrowford Cottage Hospital is doing well with you! 

Waxing shoe laces- only for the round, cord-like ones- all I do is hold a block of beeswax, or a beeswax candle-stub, in one hand and pull the lace over it under tension, in one direction and then the other direction; then put down the wax/candle and just pull the lace repeatedly through your hands, letting the warmth of your hand or fingers melt the wax into the lace. To end, hold the middle of the lace and grip one side between finger and thumb, snugly, and run it through from middle to tip several times; repeat for the other half. Then your laces should run smoothly through eyelets. 
Any time a round lace si starting to show wear, just take it out and wax it- it usually adds ages onto its lifespan! 

I finally need to darn the elbow of my Harris tweed jacket, some 25 years old or maybe over 30, we're not sure... luckily I have cobweb wool that will suffice... 

Nelliegrace

Can you still get suede elbow patches? @Laura_Elsewhere I sewed some on my old Herdwick jumper. I love wool, it is warm but doesn’t make one sweaty like synthetics. My long, navy wool duffle coat is over 30 years old. (£7 from the school uniform department at Beatties where they had racks of them after a school closed. Might be worth a thought.)
I bought another Welsh tapestry waistcoat for £14.99 from eB. My sister liked my grey blue one and asked if I could find one to suit her, but I shall let her try on and choose one of mine. It is colder in Scotland and I am sure she will appreciate it.  


No coupons used, and no new clothes bought.
P.S. There are some good quality, men’s vintage handkerchiefs this week, but keep it under your hat.