2025 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

MrsCD

@alicef, your lovely repurposed hat reminded me of when our youngest daughter was very young. Whenever we went to my parents' house, she would make a beeline for the tea cozy and pop it on her head as a hat!

Baileys_Babe

MrsCD said:

@alicef, your lovely repurposed hat reminded me of when our youngest daughter was very young. Whenever we went to my parents' house, she would make a beeline for the tea cozy and pop it on her head as a hat!

My Dad reckons any body that doesn't at some point wear a tea cosy is mad. Obviously you mustn't take it off the tea pot that would be rude and allow the tea to cool. The orientation of the cosy depends if you have your hair in bunches or a ponytail 😄

Diane1276

dND said:

I've finally finished my cardigan 😁😁
I had a bit of a hiatus over Christmas but got my mojo back eventually.  As ever, the arms are far too long for me but at least I can use them to keep my hands warm next winter. 🤣🤣
The colours aren't true in the photo, the background should be lilac but it's the Drops sock wool so 75% wool and lovely and warm while also lightweight.
Thank you all for motivating me to try it.
I'm now on the lookout for a pattern for a sleeveless vest to wear underneath but I'm not in a hurry, it will be an autumn project. 😁 Dx
 

Ooh that's beautiful! What pattern did you use?

@thriftwizard, the cafetiere cozy is gorgeous !

Diane1276

Oops, sorry @dND I've just seen the link to the pattern in your later post!

Diane1276

I haven't reviewed the dispatched here for a little while, being taken up with important war work, but have spent a lovely half hour catching up! 
I also have purchases to declare, having invested in three pairs of sturdy trews recently. Reading the list, they are most similar to mens corduroy or fustian trousers so I calculate that at 15 coupons in total.

maryb

Popping in to have a cup of tea and pass the time of day.  Not buying doesn't leave me with much that's actually relevant to talk about.  Actually that's not quite true - i do buy but then usually end up taking it back again.  Since they never have anything in stock in shops you have to 'buy' it in order to try it on then take it back for a refund. And quality is such rubbish even if I like the look of it that I end up not keeping most things.

I do make a note of how many coupons it is at the time in case I end up keeping it because I would forget otherwise but then credit the coupons back again.  so my list is longer than it would appear for only having spent 7 coupons so far (1 tee shirt and 2 bras)

I'm also dabbling in WW2 rations out of interest.  I had a vague idea I would be OK for quite a lot of things (other than milk because I do like milky tea).  But I'm doing more measuring as I go along to see how much I am actually using.  There's no way the tea ration would be enough if I were on my own but as DH and I have an early cup of tea in bed  and he then drinks coffee for the rest of the morning, it's just about squeaking home. 

Meat was rationed by price and most people who try to recreate 1940s conditions use an inflation converter which doesn't give you very much at all!  Especially with the food price inflation over the last couple of years which the calculators don't seem to recognise. But I'm looking at it from the perspective that it worked out to about 1lb of average meat per person per week.  Sausages weren't rationed, though it didn't do to enquire too closely what was in them, and bacon was a separate ration. 

So I sat down to see if I could manage with that.   We have a roast on Sunday and I usually allow a half lb per person or a bit less. Leftovers next day. If it's chicken I buy a small/medium chicken for 4 of us.  That's about 3lb and it does three days of rubber chicken.  If I cook mince i streeeeetch it with chopped veggies so I only allow 50 g ie 2 oz per person.  Fish once a week, sausages one night and a potato/bacon/cheese dish another night.  Still very tight unless you kept hens and could supplement the menu with your own eggs.  I don't know how they did it.  And for 14 years!!

alicef

@MrsCD & @Baileys_Babe - it cheers me immensely to know that there are people in the world who wear tea cosies.

Well, I resisted the Minerva cotton sale, (woohoo); I did put 3.5m in my basket, but went away to think about it and decided not to buy, as I have so much fabric.  So this thread is weaving its magic. 

I have fished out a, quite ancient, incomplete cushion tapestry - a tapestry of many colours, as I have been using up old bits and pieces of wool.  It shouldn't take long to finish.

Mr Middleton says I should be doing something with my asparagus bed.... 

CapricornLass

Spend to declare - 3 coupons on a new bra.

weenancyinAmerica

@alicef - that tapestry looks beautiful. 
@maryb - that 14 years of rationing just hit me - that was a long long time. I have a collection of cookbooks from the war years, but I haven't really looked into the cookbooks for the last years of rationing (from 1945 to 1954). Will need to look into those. 

thriftwizard

Oh dear, now I have tapestry envy, @alicef! That's gorgeous - Ehrman?