Make Do, Mend & Minimise in 2025 (and 2024)

MSE_Ciara

Cherryfudge said:

Hi @MSE_Ciara, I will give some thought to the cords, are they cotton? The type of fabric can make quite a difference to what you can do. You could also ask on the Fashion of the Ration challenge, where there is quite extraordinary knowledge on these things.

I've repaired jeans using embroidery, which did help extend their life. I also have a reprint of a wartime booklet on Make Do and Mend (from the Imperial War museum) which suggests reinforcing on the inside with a lighter form of the same fabric when things start to wear thin.

Hi @Cherryfudge, thanks so much for all your helpful replies, I wouldn't have known where to begin. I've checked and they are 100% cotton, hooray! So I'll consider dying them where the less-noticeable patches are as @Sarahspangles suggested, will look into this.

I love the idea of embroidering the more prominent bits like in the photo as well - though I'm more of a cross-stitcher - it'll be fun to find funky patterns that could go over them (and lining underneath I imagine!) .

Really grateful to you for your advice, this sort of stuff isn't my bag but I'm on a mission to not buy any new clothes that I don't absolutely need this year, and hopefully keep it up beyond that!

Cherryfudge

I hope some of the ideas help, @MSE_Ciara. Fashion on the Ration might be just the place for you as we're all trying to restrict buying textiles as per Government wartime restrictions.

The fact your cords are cotton will make them much easier to dye, though it also means that eventually the fibre will simply wear out, but it's a great project to play around with and hopefully give the cords a new lease of life.

Sarahspangles

MSE_Ciara said:

I love the idea of embroidering the more prominent bits like in the photo as well - though I'm more of a cross-stitcher - it'll be fun to find funky patterns that could go over them (and lining underneath I imagine!) 

There are some interesting results if you Google ‘Sashiko corduroy’!

MSE_Ciara

Sarahspangles said:

MSE_Ciara said:

I love the idea of embroidering the more prominent bits like in the photo as well - though I'm more of a cross-stitcher - it'll be fun to find funky patterns that could go over them (and lining underneath I imagine!) 

There are some interesting results if you Google ‘Sashiko corduroy’!

This made me go "Ooooohh" out loud! 😄 That's my evening rabbit-hole sorted!

YorksLass

I've not posted on here for a while but the MMM'ing continues, albeit more slowly since there's less to get rid of now!    I no longer dither about what can and can't go and actually feel good about things leaving the house, a real sense of lightness and calmness and a better appreciation of what stays.

Anyway, recent things: 

Clothes wise, nothing new has come in but a pair of ankle boots has gone out as they've cracked across the top.  

The food stocks on my list of past best before items are gradually being whittled down.  I've used the last of the ground almonds for a cake, a bag of plain flour with added baking powder when I ran out of SR flour, a nacho kit found its way to DS and of course past their best bananas turned into banana bread. 

Freezer stocks are stubbornly refusing to go down, not because I keep buying more, but because of taking out something that occupies a small space and returning it in its cooked form that takes up a much larger space.  On the plus side, there's a varied choice of h/m ready meals.  Pantry stocks are also being used up more frequently, especially tins of F&V in place of fresh.  The budget for grocery shopping has been drastically reduced too, always a plus.  

I'm planning on decorating the living room soon and yesterday I had a rummage through the big walk-in storage cupboard to remind myself what decorating supplies I already had to minimise the overall spend.  I was able to cross some things off the items needed list and - bonus - binned a few bits and pieces along the way.

This last week I've used up some CS fabric from the stash to make two re-usable and washable shopping bags, always handy to keep one in your handbag or pocket.  This was prompted by the fact I had to buy a carrier bag the other week - oh the shame of it!     I had to buy herringbone tape for the handles (I could have sworn I had some) but even with the cost of that, I have two new bags for just over £1 each.  They're simple to make and don't take long so I'm thinking about making more to donate to our local hospice to sell at their summer fair or in their shop.

Esmeralda2662

Hi, please can i join you? I need a bit of help with MMM ideas but i've made a start. 

Make do: Found some edamame (soya) beans in the freezer and used those up as I'd run out of frozen peas. They look and taste like baby broad beans. Also saw 3 rather sad bunches of daffs in the village shop for 10p each so brought them home and they are gradually reviving in some water (and smelling lovely).

Mend: Sewed ribbon hanging loops onto 3 miniature C-mas stockings to go to the shoebox appeal. At least they're ready well in advance!

Minimise: 5 books to the local CS. 

X

Esmeralda2662

Was pleased with what we got done this morning. Always good to see some progress.

Make do: Cooked a Thai red curry using ingredients I already had rather than go out for a meal. Used up 2 garlic flatbread from the freezer.

Mend: Changed a bulb in the wall light. Not sure if this counts as a mend!

Minimise: Did a tip run to get rid of a rusty/broken bbq and incinerator, a leaking water butt and a bag of assorted broken pots and trays from the garden. Also dropped 2 cd's and 3 bags of clothes at the CS for my niece that had been stored at ours.

In the afternoon we went to see a musical performed by a local amateur theatre group and they were fantastic!

X

Cherryfudge

Make do: Planted up some garlic cloves that looked past the point of safe eating. Also used up a bag of sweet potatoes in a stew but resisted the temptation to buy one more to make weight. Stews can take a bit of variation!

Mend: two small repairs on winter jumpers before I pack them away.

Minimise: Potted up a few cuttings that have been sitting in jam jars, and am donating them tomorrow. I also have a box of toy bricks to give to our son for when his nieces visit, but we're storing that till we see him.

I went to the car boot sale and came back with lots of stuff... the stuff is still winning.

YorksLass

Make Do/Minimise has mainly been of food stocks; I've recently reduced my food budget quite drastically (a change of circumstances dictated it was necessary) and now have just one delivery each month with a small weekly top up shop on other weeks for fresh food stuff.  It's working out well so far and has the advantage of prompting me to use up what I already have.  I just have to make sure I plan carefully with the delivery to make sure I don't run out of anything, especially the bulky and heavy stuff.

Yesterday I made a dozen peanut butter bars and topped them with a drizzle of chocolate (half a bar of cooking chocolate that was on the Must Use Up list) and today I've made 4 individual fruit & jelly desserts.  The tablet of jelly may well have gone past its BB date - it's been in the cupboard so long I couldn't read the date on it.    I'm sure it will be fine. 

Today's dinner is a sausage casserole (sausages plus some chopped celery from the freezer along with fresh veg from the fridge) and no doubt there will be enough for another dinner too.  Used the dregs of a jar of garlic paste for garlic mushrooms that I had on toast one morning for breakfast and the remaining two sad looking mushrooms have gone in the casserole.

Another Minimise was yet more paper shredding and - ta-da - it's finally all done.  It's taken such a long time to dispose of years of paperwork that I'll definitely be keeping on top of it.  It should be easier as so much is now electronic, although that can present its own hoarding hazard in a way.

One thing I've been looking at sending to the CS is a pretty set of 6 china cups and saucers that belonged to my DM but I've decided they're staying, I'm not ready to give them up just yet.  I used one yesterday instead of an everyday mug when I had my mid-afternoon ginger & lemon tea so maybe they can be in daily use after all.  

Mend: Nothing but I have washed some fabric remnants in preparation for making more shopping bags that I'll donate to the local hospice or the CS.

@Cherryfudge - For me the tide has turned on "the stuff" and I'm winning!    

Green_hopeful

@YorksLass i have tea cups from my first wedding and i was going to send them to the charity shop but i started making puddings in them. Trifle or chocolate mousse or lemon posset. They look so nice and if you have a biscuit with the pudding you can put it on the saucer. Everyone is always charmed by the look of them.