Bad to the bone!

Doreen in Alabama

...

I have shelves and drawers and bags and tubs full of lovely things like that :-(

Mary

Well, if you don't want it... ;)

I collect such things for the kids to play with when I make bags and Christmas stockings with them. Anything like this that is dirt cheap and turns out to be much too nice just goes into the stash and gets used for a costume or fantastic frock somewhere down the line. :D

When we're both in the same place.

Ah - you've just reminded me of some curtains from my mum's bungalow. I was going to give it to a costume maker friend and I'd forgotten, thanks.

Mary

To add to my own post, I just pulled a pair of M&S cords out of the dryer, and although they're a couple of years old, they look like new. For the first time, I noticed that on the back hem of the legs there is a strip of seam binding or hem tape stitched across the width from seam to seam, just in the back, on top of the hemmed part. I guess it's to keep the bottom of the pants from catching on shoes. But such a fine detail on a pair of cords!!! Blows my mind.

Normal for M&S! And they aren't all that expensive for the UK. I usually buy all my T shirts and a lot of undies there because they are well made. Two years is nothing for M&S cords. I'd be complaining if they wore out in five! When James was little some of his M&S baby clothes went through at least five babies before they hit the charity shops with a lot more wear left in them.

'S funny how attitudes change. M&S used to be my preferred source for clothing until we moved to Norfolk. We now have Lathams - but you need to know Lathams to realise the significance.

Ah, but Latham's isn't everywhere! M&S is... I somehow don't see me travelling to Norfolk just for T shirts, knickers and socks! :D

Lands' End are pretty damned good on the far side of the pond (and here!), though they don't carry some undies in my sizes.

My experience is that if you want quality, you pay. The USA does some very fine things in the clothing and fabric production line (or they did until Malden Mills went to the wall. What a shame that is! I somehow don't think the new owners will have quite the same production and staff-care values... ). And (never off topic in a sewing group!), they produce some of the finest chocolate in the world, once you can get past the Hershy Bar. Scharffer Berger Drools, OK? ;)

I guess that's the bottom line with somewhere like Lathams. The prices are so cheap it encourages a throw-away philosophy.

Unfortunately I never develop an attachment to any items of everyday clothing, so the idea of buying an expensive pair of slacks that will - or could - last for several years doesn't appeal.

That's brought forward a big grin from the depths of my memory. Had a visitor from the US a year or two back, and never having tried a Hershy, I asked for some, and was given a box full. A couple of mouthfuls was enough. We even tried giving them to friends' kids, on the basis that kids will usually eat anything in a sweet wrapper. They were turning noses up as well......

They're not all that expensive for the U.S., either. He now has a fair assortment of underwear, socks, shirts, trousers, and a blazer, all from M&S. The styling and fit is really good for him, the fabric quality is outstanding, and the workmanship is astonishing. I can buy name-brand examples of each here, for about the same price, but not the same quality. It would be a really expensive way to shop, if he weren't going to London for other reasons.

That's true of everything in life.

The only thing we don't economise on is food, little else is as important :-)

Mary

I economise on the price of food, but not the quality. Fresh local seasonal stuff where possible, the best bargain at all times, cheaper cuts of meat rather than fillet steak... Fill up on vegetables, and bulk things out with them as well. It's surprising how far a pound of mince can stretch with the addition of things like grated carrot! And when we need to eat lean and tighten belts, a few more veggie meals get added to the menu!

I'll buy bargain shoes only if they are comfortable and fit well. Everything else is negotiable! :D

Only local and seasonal - for foods which can be grown here. Pineapples, for instance, can't :-)

We're lucky in that we have a daughter who has a Welsh organic rare breed sheep and cow farm, we buy whole sheep or half a cow from her and pigs from a friend who has a local organic farm. We butcher them ourselves, that way although it's top quality meat the cost is far lower than the cheapest retail meat.

Indeed. And lots of bread (always home made, sourdough usually).

I can't buy commercial shoes because my feet are too wide - not fat, just unbelievably broad. Spouse makes our period shoes anyway so he started making my sandals too, with soft veggie-tanned leather. They're fine through all but the very coldest months, when I wear expensive sheepskin boots (but have saved on bought footwear!). Since we never go anywhere which would demand smart footwear I'm fine.

This year we're going on an Arctic cruise, I'm having to think of clothes for that. It's the first time I've been concerned about them since I was a teenager, fifty years ago, and I'm not looking forward to it. Jeans, men's shirts and sweatshirts and one frock for weddings and funerals have seen me through everything since then :-)))

Do we still have pattern shops?

Seriously!

And there's the problem that I'm losing weight - deliberately. What size do I get?

Mary

I wish we could do that! Sounds lovely.

Mine has to be gluten free. Pain in the proverbial, that it! Does NOT make goo bread!

Mine are incredibly wide too, and not at all fat. In kids shoes I take a UK 4G!

Loads of good on-line pattern places. Sounds like you'll need warm smart casual stuff and a posh evening frock. I'm sure your very talented hubby can manage a pair of soft Mary Janes to go with the posh frock.

How fast are you losing? You might want to wait a bit and see where you get to a bit closer to the time. And look for bargains in fabric. You don't want to spend a fortune on fabric and shrink out of it. I use saris for evening fabric quite a bit as I can get them cheap.

If you are going soon and need to make now, make for the size you are now and it won't matter if things are a little big when you come to wear them. Keep styles simple so there's not too much work involved in taking them in.

ALWAYS buy patterns according to your measurements, not your RTW size! They are sized differently!

I lost 70 lbs, so I know what you are going through, and there's no guarantee that you'll end up the same shape you were when you were last that weight, especially if you've had kids in the meantime! I have bigger boobs, and a tummy where I used to have a hollow! :(

Here are a few suggestions from on-line pattern places,

?itemID=28&colID=9 (I have this, but haven'y yet made it up) (I'm making this for a sister: fabulous in a Windbloc fleece!) (I also have this pattern: dressier than yer average fleece!) (A wrap skirt is great for a shrinking waistline! Just pull tighter... ) (A simple dress and jacket from the plus size range)There's loads more in the Kwik Sew range, and the patterns come in a good range of sizes. I like them.I also like Pavelka: bit more funky than yer Big Four! 's patterns are a little more traditional, but come in a great range of sizes! ordinary Big Names!The McCalls group covers Butterick, McCall's and Vogue:

Juno

Thanks, I have some wool trousers but I really don't think that it's going to be cold at that time of year. It wasn't when we were in Iceland - twice. People were sunbathing in the street :-)

Mary

Kate, thank you VERY much, I've saved the ones I like and shall report on what I do - but it might not be soon :-) Knowing me it will be at the last minute ...

Mary

No, I tried, for a friend. She doesn't like the Terence Stamp stuff.

Mine are off the width scale :-(

In July??? It will be 24 hour sunlight!

er - Mary Janes?

The best way - slowly. I expect to lose another stone by July, bringing me to ten stones.

Yes.

I have a sari but it's dated. We live in the immigrant area of Leeds so we have lots of Indian and Pakistani shops - and neighbours to advise. It's a thought ... I've worn saris since the 1970s. In fact there are some beautiful fabrics in the Indian shops ...

I was told by the captain of the ship that the sea air shrinks one's clothes ... !

What's RTW?

Since I'm much older than you and my five were born in the 60s the pregnancies don't have much effect on my present shape. I have a hole in one breast,. the result of a lumpectomy (and the more I lose the more obvious it is) but I doubt that I'll be wearing plunge necklines!

Leeds always was a centre for patterns and fabrics, the older shops have gone but I'm sure they'll have been replaced by others. It's comforting to hear those names, I'll look next time I go to town.

But I hate going to town, hate shopping, I'm not normal :-)

It will have to be done.

Not tomorrow though, our river is flooded along its length, which means that many places in Leeds will be flooded or impossible to get to. I was going to go to a yarn shop tomorrow but that's not going to be possible either and that's a REAL blow! It's in Holmfirth but I'd have to go through Huddersfield which is inundated.

Expect to see more of me on-line :-)

Thanks very much for those links. I'll look at all of them, I promise. I had thought of using my C18th kit for one evening ... :-)

Mary