2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

CapricornLass

Did you use a war-time recipe, Nelliegrace?  Only I seem to remember Marguerite Patten saying that  that war-time Christmas cakes couldn't be made too far in advance, but a week or two before.  I think it was something to do with the amount of fat in the cake.  

In which case, your cake has been made at the right time!

Mind you, Delia Smith has a Christmas cake recipe which could be made on Christmas Eve!

Laura_Elsewhere

I usually use St Delia's cake recipe but I could try my Gran's Min of Food recipe leaflet, posted out to her home during the war...

Nelliegrace

I used Delia’s recipe but with mixed dried fruit. I made a Christmas cake once with a jar of mincemeat. For some reason I didn’t save the recipe. 

Nelliegrace

I have been thinking about coupons for slippers, @Laura_Elsewhere, and found details of these 1940s sewing pattern.
There were quite a few British, Economy Design patterns available in the online second hand shops. 

Nelliegrace

I hunted for 100% cotton lingerie too @thriftwizard. It has gone colder and I am wearing my old, short sleeved, plain cotton camisoles, which were labelled as T-shirts. I have some which were labelled Men’s, which have higher necklines, long sleeves, and longer bodies. They are warmer than my strappy cotton vests. I found 100% ladies lingerie, cotton vests and camisoles or spencers, (and 100% cotton, thigh length panties, and long johns,) on eB and Amazon, by Gabrielle, Snowdrop, White Swan, and Slenderella/Vedonis.

M&S do cotton for men and children under 14, and some skinny sizes. Women of an age to appreciate cotton have to sweat in synthetic junk. “Cotton Rich,” means really that it is cotton poor. An advertisers con.

PipneyJane

Nelliegrace said:

I hunted for 100% cotton lingerie too @thriftwizard. It has gone colder and I am wearing my old, short sleeved, plain cotton camisoles, which were labelled as T-shirts. I have some which were labelled Men’s, which have higher necklines, long sleeves, and longer bodies. They are warmer than my strappy cotton vests. I found 100% ladies lingerie, cotton vests and camisoles or spencers on eB, by Gabrielle, White Swan, and Slenderella/Vedonis.

M&S do cotton for men and children under 14, and some skinny sizes. Women of an age to appreciate cotton have to sweat in synthetic junk. “Cotton Rich,” means really that it is cotton poor. An advertisers con.

Well said @Nelliegrace.  I totally agree.   (As does my DH, who has been known to complain loudly - in store - when he can’t find 100% cotton tee-shirts or boxers or dress-shirts.)

Also, I am in awe of your skill at finding wartime sewing patterns.  It never occurred to me that there would be any available secondhand.

- Pip

Nelliegrace

We are going to see a film at a local village Memorial Hall this afternoon. There will be an interval, with tea and a biscuit. (Someone had made mince pies to have with our tea.)



It was his first film after gruelling years flying bombers in WW2.

https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/jimmy-stewart-ww2-mission-air-force/

Nelliegrace

@PipneyJane, I don’t sew much now, so I left the patterns for others to buy. 
There were 1940s dress patterns too, but rationing gave many children a better diet so a lot of us are bigger built, bigger boned, than the patterns allow. 

https://the1940sexperiment.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/mof-10-your-childrens-food-in-wartime.pdf

On the other hand, following ration quantities, cooking from scratch, and eating my greens, has got my weight and waist back to normal. 

This was an interesting programme, BBC 2, Why We Can’t Stop Eating, presented by Dr Chris van Tulleken.

Laura_Elsewhere

Nelliegrace said:

I hunted for 100% cotton lingerie too @thriftwizard. It has gone colder and I am wearing my old, short sleeved, plain cotton camisoles, which were labelled as T-shirts. I have some which were labelled Men’s, which have higher necklines, long sleeves, and longer bodies. They are warmer than my strappy cotton vests. I found 100% ladies lingerie, cotton vests and camisoles or spencers on eB, by Gabrielle, White Swan, and Slenderella/Vedonis.

M&S do cotton for men and children under 14, and some skinny sizes. Women of an age to appreciate cotton have to sweat in synthetic junk. “Cotton Rich,” means really that it is cotton poor. An advertisers con.

Being both female and these days a size 22, sometimes 24, means undies are a nightmare- all manufacturers are quite certain that I a) must want constricting thus most is Shapewear, b) must want lycra-heavy jersey-knit stretchy stuff... 
I have ended up wearing shorts as knickers- actual shorts, sewn in woven viscose fabric, sold by Primark and Morrison's ('Nutmeg') as summer outer garments! Their size 20 shorts fit fine as undies on me. 

For camisoles, I have several I have made, using rectangles of pure linen and crocheted yokes, one from a 1919 pattern, others just made up and more simple. 

It makes a huge difference wearing loose woven material that doesn't have any synthetic, not even a few per cent. My hot flushes were a frequent occurrence but not at all unpleasant, and I put that down to wearing 100% linen camisoles and blouses (secondhand M&S on eBay), and loose woven-viscose knicks... 

@PipneyJane - yes, vintage patterns are a huge thing inc wartime ones- but all in teensy sizes. I'm cheeky and look for images showing the pattern-pieces laid out in the cutting diagram, and then I can draft my own, knowing the construction... haven't done that in quite a few years but I do hope to draft myself a pair of 1930s-style tailored shorts for the gym next year... 

Nelliegrace

Mum said they all had to make a pair of pants to learn to sew the different seams, in their first sewing lessons at senior school in the 1930s. She learnt how to adapt a pattern to fit well, and made her own suits. She made our wedding and bridesmaid dresses. 

@Laura_Elsewhere, One frugal blogger mentioned that she found boys cotton underpants were better quality and far more comfortable to wear. 
One could stitch up that pocket on loose fit cotton boxer shorts.