Monday 4 November 2013

Time To Reinforce Your Knickers Girls !...


Hello there ....
we've had a few busy days .. dashing about .. couple of nights way ... a wedding... and stock buying trip ...
back to normal now ... in our quiet little backwater.

I found this whilst out and about ...



 Of course I had to get it and have a good old read ... just love all the old wartime hints and tips on Make Do and Mend ... fascinating stuff.



 A paragraph in the introduction made me smile .. it talks of reinforcing knickers ... I think it is intended you should do this to extend the life of children's ... girls knickers .... but .. well ... they thought of everything didn't they!



I cant imagine anyone doing this nowadays ... a lot of people cant sew a button on .. but perhaps we should all try a bit harder with the mending and whatnot ... clothes can cost such a lot to buy .

Earlier in the week I was looking through my wardrobe ... that sounds rather grand ... rather through the few things I own .. to find something to wear for the wedding. 
We  don't do much dressing up here in the wilds of Wales ...
no posh do's and the like ...
anyway I found something reasonably clean and tidy.

But I did that classic panic thing .. you know the one .. where you immediately think  Ahhhhh ... nothing to wear ... I must BUY something ... and end up buying something totally uncomfortable, impractical and totally not you!
Anyway ... stopped myself in time ... and reasoned with myself ...
its just one day ... all eyes are on the Bride etc ... and in the end I felt just fine ... comfortable ... and my feet didn't hurt.

Whilst I was at it I turfed out the back of the wardrobe and decided that the clothes I hadn't worn for months .. that I really wasn't going to wear ... I will either sell on (some are like new) or dispose of some other 'useful' way. 
It feels good to have a clear out .. and perhaps all the clothes in the wardrobe will get worn ... its not half so crowded now. 



Some haven't been worn because they need something doing to them .. a skirt that is just a tadge too long etc ...
So I shall up the 'Clothes Doctor-y' bit ... Make Do and Mend

... but I think the reinforcing of the knickers may be a bit on the wild side ...

So how about you .... we all are mad keen on frugal recipes and meal planning.. 

 ... who has tips on making clothes last?

.... anyone out there reinforce their knickers?

xx



19 comments:

  1. Hi,
    I have this very book and it is a jolly good read.

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  2. I think that the worst thing you can do to your clothes is tumble dry. It knocks the stuffing out of everything, all that fluff that collects used to be part of the clothes that went in there.

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  3. I love the look of that book! I reckon many of us in frugal Land quite like the title of "Clothes Doctor" However, reinforcing knickers might be a stitch too far!
    Gillx

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  4. I do the same thing, panic when I have to get dressed up, then end buying nothing!!I have a pretty small selection of clothes but I now that hanging my clothes to dry makes hem last a lot longer, electric dryers eat our clothes, one need only look in th lint trap to see that! I spend as little as possible on clothes, lol, it shows too!!My day is always brighter when I see you have a new post!

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  5. I don't buy winter clothes, I simply wear my other clothes in more layers. Mind you, I don't buy clothes full stop. I have plenty, many bought from charity shops and they will last me for many years to come!

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  6. I'm another woman who spends very little on clothes and what I do buy is usually from a thrift shop. I am frugal but I don't think I'll go as far as reinforcing my knickers!!

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  7. Love the Make Do and Mend ethos, Victoria, but I don't go as far as reinforcing knickers!

    Need to sift through my wardrobe too xxxx

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  8. I am making my knickers!
    I tried to find some French knickers, but they are very expensive, so I thought I would have a go. Made my pattern but over estimated - bit large, so I will have another go but a bit smaller.
    Easy to do when you know how
    Sue

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  9. I have read that book it was great laugh in some places , I too don't spend much money on clothes all my housework and gardening clothes are years old , if i need anything else i buy if from a jumble sale mainly 50p an item , my knickers i always buy from marks and spencer in their sales or from a clearance shop , the ones i have now are 4 years old and still look really good , nearly always opting for black as they keep their colour, my bras, i always wash by hand as this prolongs their life, especially white ones. xxx

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  10. Since I started with Project 333 (33 items of clothing for 3 months), I find that I wear all the clothes that I have hanging in the wardrobe.

    I don't feel tempted to buy more when I'm out and about, and as I wear all the clothes they all actually wear out eventually and get replaced by a well thought out similar item.

    It's also helped me define my style, what I'm comfortable in and the things I have all fit well and (in my opinion ) suit me. I always make sure I have one choice that would be suitable for a smart evening out or a wedding.

    And ..... I would never ever patch my knickers :-)

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  11. I recently bought a load of new knickers & instantly felt guilty!! - Especially as my friend then proceeded to show me all the pictures of upcycled knickers she'd made from her old t-shirts etc. they were brilliant, so she's going to teach me!! :-)

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  12. Yes you're right, there isn't much call for dressing up on this island. Dressing for the weather is far more important! Lovely post, thank you. Karla xxx

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  13. Have had this book for years. According to a very old book of my mums boys short trousers wereknown as knickers in those days. There is a very funny story about me spending a good hour before an appointment to see my very young bank manager, darning my knicker pile. He was congratulating me on my frugal mamgement of my account and I just could not tell him what I had been up to. I did however offer to give him tips on frugal domestic living which he has yet to take me up on.

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  14. I like to make my clothes last... one of my favourite skirts is a Laura Ashley, bought in 1986 and still looking good with no fading. And it's not a case of being frugal or mean, it's just that when I find something I like, I usually have two of them in different colours and wear them until they are no longer wearable. And if I get bored with the look of say, a cardi, then I add colourful buttons, or a bit of felt patching here and there.

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  15. I wear my favourite clothes until they don't pass as smart enough to go out in, then they get worn around the house, and finally end up being worn for gardening or painting in. I always look for bargains at car boot sales - many charity shops being over-prices these days.

    Whilst I don't reinforce my knickers (yet!!) I have always mended my favourite bras when the wires poke through. Having just broken them in, I don't like to then have to chuck them away!

    I spent this summer trawling the car boot sales for 100% cotton dresses, blouses etc to unpick and turn into material for making patchwork quilts. It got quite addictive and I always had a stitch ripper and small scissors in the glove pocket for the journey home!

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  16. Oooh heck! reinforcing knickers? lol .. what a thing to do.. just love your blog..
    AFM xx

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  17. I have that book. I love all things WW2 Homefront and have a vast collection of books on the subject and original leaflets, knitting patterns and women's magazines. In this day and age we could do with going back to some of the old values regarding reusing and not wasting anything. Not sure about re-inforced knickers though; I buy from M&S and they last pretty much forever anyway.

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  18. I have a book from WW2 about growing your own, cooking, mending, it really should be republished for all struggling today. Nothing about knickers tho.

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  19. P.S. Forgot to mention, I have that book as well!

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