General Chat

Don't forget Kirsty's prog Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4

I can recall being stopped by a gmother and asked where on earth I had bought proper shirts for my 3yr old son. I told her I had a pattern and they were made out of his grandad's poplin shirts!!

Oh I love this, I used to make things over when my children were young, and when "new look" went out there were lovely full skirted dresses in jumble sales, unpicked,washed and ironed, enough fabric to make a dress for me and my little girl.

Rita, the wooden reels were handy for doing french knitting on too, you could knock four small nails in the top and away you went lol

It was quite therapeutic actually, wonder if I can do some now lol

Lizx

That's me to a T Angelsong, I hang on to so much stuff !

Jean, I am the same with threads etc

x

Coloured cottons last so long. I asked my son for some ccccoloured sewing cottons for Christmas when he was 16 and he bought me a dozen, with black and white . That was in 1985, and I still have some of them! No wonder it looks as if we are hoarding.

When my dear Mother in law died six years ago, we had to do the necessary clearing out. What a hoarder. Polystyrene boxes which had contained flowers from Jersey! The wrappers from blocks of margarine, all in a drawer! All the usual wool, cottons, needles and sewing materials - she had been a dressmaker.

I am afraid I am nearly as bad.

Bless her!

I would have bought those doll's clothes patterns too, Rita. My Nana used to make wonderful doll's clothes for my dolls and I'd love to do the same for my grandchildren. (Don't know if they'd be interested these days, mind you.)

I think that's why I am a bit of a hoarder, I keep things to use later for whatever, I used to say I would do all these things when I retire but not in a position to do them here so not happened yet.

Kirsty's prog is on next Tuesday but I can't remember which channel.

Lizx

Rita, you make me laugh. I'm like that! I sometimes wonder, if I were to pop my clogs tomorrow, what they'd all make of the 'bits and pieces' I've kept, just in case!

I have a sad confession to make. I cannot bear to throw away his lordships's socks when they have a hole in them, I have to darn it.

Have I got the time? No!

Darn it!

I've got two patchwork bed covers I made 25 years (?) ago from old material and dresses, each square has a bit of history attached really, mum's dresses from the '40s, the dress I wore when I went to my first disco lol, brocade curtaining from the '50s :)

I always keep string and 'bits' that might come in useful lol
xx

From previous threads it is obvious that many of us do this by compulsion because we have always done it. The rug in front of my dressing table is made from old hand knitting, pulled out and cross stitched on canvas. Has been there for nearly forty years and no wear at all.

The story of my life!!!I still do this and can't bear to throw good material away.I have a small cupboard with odds and ends,all my cottons,darning wool,pins,button boxes,elastic etc in and the number of times they have come in useful!!!
I think we appreciate things more when we make something for almost nothing and it shows creativity.

I think we are losing skills in this throwaway society and future generations are just not going to know how, which to me is a great pity.

Story of my life Rose, lol I love making something out of a discarded item and was impressed by the young woman in Falmouth who showed the same liking for recycling old furniture in her lovely house she had built - Grand Designs last week. She got lots of things off ebay etc and repaired, recovered them etc

I used to get jumpers from jumble sales and pull them out and reknit the yarn into other things, and have even done it twice over. There is something very therapeutic about unravelling a hand knitted item and winding the yarn into a ball or skein. I even used to enjoy winding the skeins of yarn into balls when I first started knitting and the wool would come in skeins sometimes.

Kirsty Allsop has a new programme on soon about reusing furniture and things I think, similar to her previous homemaking one.

Right up my street, that!

Lizx

i mend lots of things and also, reduce,reuse and recyle. i once took a jumper apart and got someone to re knit a brand new one for me with the wool. i also made a skirt out of a long cotton dress. all i had to do was put elastic in a waist band and hey presto new skirt.
its amazing what you can do if you have the time.

I've had a peep at it Rose , I make do and mend all the time , it looks interesting : )

Just came across this little site and thought some of you might like to have a look :)

http://www.makeitandmendit.com/