2026 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

PipneyJane

@dND, @maryb and @Laura_Elsewhere I agree with you that some slippers are terrible. May I borrow your soap box? Badly fitting Ugg boots are a classic example. People buy the size that fits today, when the fleece is not compressed but the size you need is actually a lot smaller - and that’s just so you won’t have to shuffle to walk in them and keep your feet on the soles.

(I own a pair of knee-high Uggs. Bought them to wear to the football. Tried it once. Never again. They’re now my long-winter-slippers for the cold days when I work from home. For the football, I wear a pair of sheepskin lined walking boots, that fit properly and support my ankles.)

@Laura_Elsewhere from where do you get your plimsoles? I had an hour to kill this afternoon while getting the battery on my phone replaced. Wandered around all the shops looking for classic plimsoles, and failed to find any.

@Nelliegrace sad news about Juliet Gardiner. I’m certain I’ve read one of her books about living through the Blitz, but I can’t find it. I have added her 1930’s book to my “Must Read” list.

Any comments about Sewing Bee? Some of the garments from Mexico week were “interesting” to say the least. I do wonder who reads the pattern before selecting their fabrics and trims, etc.

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Laura_Elsewhere

@PipneyJane - Shoezone do two pairs for £10, in only white or black. ime, they last well. They are machine-washable and tumble-dryable, although if you do the former, there's a layer of pink cardboard beneath the soft insole which disintegrates and escapes, and if you do the latter it may drive your neighbours mad with the rhythmic thumping!

I tried Sewing Bee several times over several series but found it just… mostly a waste of materials, really. I wish they had a bit halfway where they show viewers useful tips for putting in a zip cleanly, or how to use a stitch-ripper the right way round, or how pins at right-angles to the seam can be sewn over, and all those kinds of useful things- and how to do a Hong Kong bound seam or a felled seam, those useful tips could all be shown in a 3-minute segment that would help everyone from novice to expert… but no, it's really not about getting people sewing, it's about using bizarre materials to speed-make an outfit that nobody could ever wear…
It's not as bad as the knitting one, but it's pretty bad.
Also, I really got fed up with the frequent references to overt, um, how to phrase this… well, the way Joe Lycett made it very very clear what he considered a good Saturday night out… I feel like Mary Whitehouse typing that but I was a bit shocked at some of the refs to, um, well anyway…
Patrick Grant is wonderful though- he is roughly my age and grew up very near me, so I do always wonder if we actually crossed path at some point! It's fairly probable. Esme also rocks. It's just the hosts, the contestants, the challenges and the basic premise that I find unappealing… ;)

Nonnadiluca

@Laura_Elsewhere , have you read Patrick Grant's book 'Less'? It should be a set textbook in schools imo!

thriftmonster

@alicef Thank you for the Minerva heads up. I didn't realise they were based in Darwen

PipneyJane

Thanks for the details re the plimsoles, @Laura_Elsewhere . I will check them out.

Ironically, considering our discussion re slippers, the BBC website has a page about the damage done from wearing sandals and flip-flops. It’s entitled From Flip Flops to Fishermen Sandals, How to Look After Your Feet This Summer.

Re Sewing Bee, I agree with you to a large extent. I’ve only watched the last two or three seasons but it was noticeable last season that, although the host had changed, the scriptwriter hadn’t changed the script and, as a result, much of the host’s dialogue appeared unnatural to them. The producers must have realised because so far this season, the new host’s dialogue isn’t as conspicuously wooden.

Teaching basic skills wouldn’t go astray. I am surprised by the number of contestants who don’t pin down their patterns to the fabric before cutting out, instead they use weights to hold it down. (They did talk in depth about pattern matching in episode 2 of the current season, but it wasn’t really demonstrated.). Also, nobody ever talks about finishing the seams….ARRGGGHHHHH….

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82096974#Comment_82096974

I totally agree @Nonnadiluca .

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PollyWollyDoodle

I agree about the daft time constraints, not what sewing is about in my opinion, and I wish that they would explain some of the techniques or demonstrate them in more detail. I also don’t understand why all these shows have to have a ‘comedy’ host - it adds nothing to it.

However I think there are some exceptionally talented sewers this year - Anna’s hand-printed 18th century style dress a couple of weeks ago was amazing. Also, I am a convert to using pattern weights - pins often distort the fabric, unless it’s especially slippery I find weights very successful. Mine are usually unopened sardine tins!

daisy_1571

I couldn't believe they were cutting those oil cloth table cloths with fabric scissors 😱, wouldn't be me !

alicef

@thriftmonster no probs - if you manage to get to the Minerva one, do tell about it. I'm too far from these venues, so the cost of the petrol would negate any saving. I did however, manage to visit a yarn store that I've read about - Black Sheep Wools - a couple of weeks back, as I happened to be nearby. I didn't buy anything as I'm stocked to the gills on yarn, but it had a gorgeous Rowan section with a leather sofa, and a little cafe area, (tea & cake mandatory) - oh I could have moved in.

I'm trying to be more organised and visit some yarn festivals in 2027.

thriftmonster

If anyone is going to BSW it's handy to know that the fishing lake next door has a good cafe for more lunch type toasties, chips and other food. And there are pubs in Culcheth as well.

PipneyJane

BSW do all the knitting shows. Love them to bits - they are responsible for a large proportion of my stash. I have vivid memories of one of the team emptying a pallet of yarn onto the floor in the middle of their space and dozens of women diving into the pile to bag bargains!

They also have an excellent relationship with the big mills and sell their old stock for them. (I remember asking Jaeger about a yarn and was told “We don’t make it any more…[BSW]… are selling our clearance stock”.)

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