2025 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

kiwisavings

Beautiful waistcoat @Nelliegrace, I hadn't heard of Welsh tapestry before and loved the blankets that I saw online  As this waistcoat is vintage, do you think that it would have been made from a blanket?

@PipneyJane , I'm sure it will be lovely to see your suit again on your colleague, always great for your clothes to have another life.

I have some coupons to declare for March, 5 more for another pair of linen trousers - the store that I bought the slate grey trousers last month were having an end of the season sale and so I bought the navy ones too  

Nelliegrace

@kiwisavings, I remember seeing new waistcoats, skirts, and coats in the Woollen Miil shop. They were beyond my budget. 
Melin Tregwynt sell beautiful clothes made from their Welsh Tapestry.

https://melintregwynt.co.uk/collections/clothing

laura_lau

Hello everyone, I'm back to declare a purchase I made yesterday. OH went to buy a few new t-shirts, to replace some of his old ones that are falling apart, and, while I was with him, some leggings caught my eye. I got 2 pairs of leggings, as they were discounted and I bought 2 for the price of 1, which just happens at the right moment, as I've decided to take up pilates again this month, and my old leggings are not fit to be seen in public anymore.
I also got a yoga hoodie, to replace an old hoodie which is also not really fit to be seen in public. I will still be suing the hoodie and the old leggings when I'm home, but will keep the new ones to go to the pilates studio and for travelling.
They also had a set of 2 sport bras, which actually do open on the back, so can be used as normal bras too, and they are quite nice. My bra collection is shameful, as I have a few ancient bras (the youngest of them is probably 10 years old) which I rarely use nowadays, and 2 "new" bras I bought 3 years ago, which I use most of the time. Considering that I hate sport bras, and I only have 1 that currently fits me properly, I thought this would be a good investment, as it can work a bit in both worlds.


So:
2 pairs of leggings, at 2 coupons each = total 4 coupons
1 hoodie: i took the definition from "Blouse, shirt, sports top, cardigan or jumper - 5 coupons" so = 5 coupons
2 bras, at 1.5 coupons each = 3 coupons

For a grand total of 12 coupons used, 46 coupons remaining.

Laura_Elsewhere

Second-hand so won't affect my coupons but I still want to keep a note of what I acquire, regardless- I have a fabulous set of what I'm calling "lounging pyjamas", a la 1930s... midnight-blue drapey soft velvet, in a loose unstructured blazer and wide-leg palazzo-pants...! Obviously intended for wearing to smart evening events, but... 
It's so unusual to see anything that opulent for a size 22, but someone on eBay was selling them, and Mr E encouraged me, so now I have THE most opulent and fabulous 'lounging pyjamas' to wear on a weekend day when I'm not getting up...

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

Second-hand so won't affect my coupons but I still want to keep a note of what I acquire, regardless- I have a fabulous set of what I'm calling "lounging pyjamas", a la 1930s... midnight-blue drapey soft velvet, in a loose unstructured blazer and wide-leg palazzo-pants...! Obviously intended for wearing to smart evening events, but... 
It's so unusual to see anything that opulent for a size 22, but someone on eBay was selling them, and Mr E encouraged me, so now I have THE most opulent and fabulous 'lounging pyjamas' to wear on a weekend day when I'm not getting up...

Sounds like the perfect purchase, @Laura_Elsewhere.  Very glamorous too.

I’ve got no new spends to report.  I’m just very surprised we’ve got to March already.  Been doing a couple of days first aid training in Harrow, so for the first time in years, I’ve caught rush hour Tube trains.  No major new fashions to report.  The only things that caught eye were a backpack and a handbag.  The backpack owner was obviously very MSE, since it had both a Contigo travel mug - they seal and don’t spill -  and a filled, reusable water bottle in the side pockets.  The handbag was big without looking it - perfect if you want to read a book, take your lunch into work +/- some knitting, and not look as if you’re lugging a load.  Sadly, I couldn’t see a brand name and  can’t easily find a photo but, if I spot one in the shops, I will be tempted to purchase it.

- Pip

diminua

I've bought some socks - three pairs of ankle socks and two of walking socks. I think that's another 7 coupons, so I'm now down to 42.5. The ankle socks are replacing some ones I had that always vaguely annoyed me and are now thankfully wearing out - when I bought them I thought they were just white with a black toe and band at the top but it turned out they had slogans on them, and they drove me mad in multiple ways - one was that they shouldn't have needed to be matched but it always vaguely irritated me when I could only find ones with different slogans to wear, another was that only having clean socks that said 'weekend vibes' in the middle of the week was surprisingly annoying, and the last was that 'OK hun' is a tolerable thing for someone to say, and even to text, but not write on flipping socks.  
Sorry, whinge over. It has taught me to make sure all the new ankle socks match, anyway. 

Nelliegrace

We were discussing coats recently. 
I found this in a back issue of The Times 8th, November 1940, page 9.



No wonder there were shortages for the general public when so many warm, uniform coats were needed. 

diminua

@nelliegrace I wonder how many people comprised the 'general public' by November 1940 though? I suspect most of the men and a lot of the women were already in a uniform of some sort. 

laura_lau

I have a new knitting project to declare, just about to be started. OH just announced that, on the weekend before Easter, we have been invited to a barbecue at his cousin's house. They have a baby, whom we haven't met yet, from the video they sent I estimated he's about 10 months, maybe a year max. Obviously this warrants at least 1 hand knit item, maybe two! I have some wonderful blue Donegal Tweed leftover from when I made a hat for my nephew, and this will be the perfect occasion for finishing it. I was thinking to use the same pattern I used at the time: it's perfect for the wool, and it's fun to make, and the result is also fun. The pattern is for the Troll hat, https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/troll-2.

I will be starting it tonight or tomorrow. I am going to knit the "toddler" size, what do you all think? When does a toddler become a child, in terms of head size? I am torn. But I remember that I knitted it in child size for my nephew when he was almost 3, and he started wearing the hat only 2 years ago when he turned 6. 

This will only take me a couple of days to make, as it was really quick and knitted with 4.5 and 5 mm needles. 
Since I have more than a month, I was also thinking about either crocheting a toy or a bobble blanket that he can use to play on, as I do have some chenille yarn which would work perfectly. I am still deciding on the second project, I will let you know, but also let me know if you have any wise words! I have made both blankets and toys for babies in the past, I usually embroider the eyes for safety, and choose items that are all made in one piece, or almost, and, if I need to assemble pieces together, it's usually not small pieces and I attach them very very solidly. Last year I gave one of the toys to my dachshund, to have her test it, and it took her a good couple of days to get the stuffing out. It usually takes her between 3 minutes and 1 hour to disintegrate a dog toy especially made for aggressive chewers, so I am quite confident that a toddler wouldn't have her strength and wouldn't be able to get the stuffing out.

Sarahspangles

diminua said:

@nelliegrace I wonder how many people comprised the 'general public' by November 1940 though? I suspect most of the men and a lot of the women were already in a uniform of some sort. 

And what happened to them all after the war? My grandfather kept his NCB donkey jacket when he retired, and was still wearing it at the allotment fifteen years later.