To start a 'Make do and Mend' thread

[SquashedSpring]

Inspired by the food threads, I thought I'd start a thread on ways people are making do and mending stuff. If this is an unreasonable thing to do here though, feel free to tell me!

So, to kick off, so far I have done the standard chopping the legs off some too small trousers to make shorts. I stuffed the legs with some bits of rags to make strange rectangular balls, which the DC have had an unusually good time playing with.

Since I'm almost out of shampoo, I thought I'd save the bit I had and try a tip I once heard about washing hair with bicarb dissolved in water. This wasn't so successful, I still have greasy hair and it irritated my already irritated skin.

That's a fab idea
My daughter did that with some jeans last year.

Not sure if it counts, but I spent yesterday afternoon turning an old paddling pool and broken sand pit into a duck pond for my feathery children (the human children tell me they are too old for suck things). It gave me a huge amount of pleasure!

Tagging in my husband has been wearing these awful old jeans around the house for weeks and there is a huge rip down the inside seam at the thighs. It's indecent! I'm going to sew them up today.

In a pinch you can use washing up liquid as shampoo but it will dry it out a bit.
Does anyone know how to clean an oven without the special oven cleaning products?

Oven cleaning: do you have a dishwasher? If you put the shelves in the dishwasher & take them out half way through the cycle, then scrub them with a green scrubber, all the black stuff comes off really easily.

You can clean the inside to some extent with a dishwasher tablet - wet it and scrub.

I realise if you don’t have a dishwasher these tips are useless, sorry - I’d probably try a thick paste of biological washing powder if I didn’t have any MrMuscle.

Thanks @NiteFlights, yes I do have a dishwasher so I'll try that.

I've ordered some fabric and thread so that I can make DC some clothes and adjust them when they don't fit.

I never understood the fashion for ripped jeans but I did a diy job on my son’s using a chopping board and a carving knife. This would work for old ones too.

I've been making scrub caps for the local hospital from fabric in my stash.

My 5yr old currently has a box and my bag of scraps and is making a crib with a wadding mattress, wadding pillow coloured in with a felt tip and square scraps as blankets for her imaginary baby Leo.

@Izzabellasasperella the ease with which the black comes off the racks is immensely satisfying

I am crap at sewing but I have a couple of holey jumpers to darn, which I will attempt later.

How can I get a white tshirt back to white? Its a horrible shade of grey now 🙈
Help me save it!!

I’m not sure you can @Bramble88. How about dying it another colour? Dylon sell really good kits you can do in the washing machine. (I’ve never needed to fix a washing faux pas, oh no 😉)

Fabulous thread, needs to be moved out of AIBU cos obviously you aren't

I'm attempting to make face masks for us for when we go shopping and walk the dog. I'll make one for the 8yo do he doesn't feel left out! If I find the link to the pattern and instructions, I'll post it here.

Mostly we've been making Mission Impossible assault courses with my balls of wool!

Turning jeansbinyo shorts reminds me I have about 5 pairs of DS' jeans with gaping knee holes which I need to adapt into shorts, now summer is on its way. He's in jogging trousers now we're on lockdown, so no needs for full-length jeans. I usually lop the jeans off at the knee and see a cuff on with interesting fabric - Kermit green with white stars, blue with fun nautical pattern, diggers!

I've converted my wheelie bin into a gym bench so that I can carry on training. Does that count?

bramble, if you wash the T-shirt in bio powder with any Napisan if you have it. Soak it if possible.

Then get it out in direct sunshine it should brighten up. But don’t leave in the sun for too long as it might yellow.

A paste of bicarbonate of soda is good for ovens.
Here is my saga, I got my sewing machine out after 30 years and was excited that it worked. That was until the footpedal set the thing off sewing when my foot was nowhere near it, Before I could switch it off it had broken the needle and stinking smoke was pouring out of the pedal, a bit of excitement for the day! I have manage to source a replacement pedal on ebay. Wont be able to get a service on the machine for a bit

Thanks everyone! Going to give it ago 🙈 i think i should stop doing the washing all together!

For whites I use a large pot, fill it with hot water and soap powder and put it on the stove and boil it.
My mum still uses a boiling pot from when I was a baby, to boil my nappies in. I'm 49 this year. I don't wear nappies now you understand .

I'm quite good at sewing and up cycling and am seriously considering adding pockets to my dresses and skirts.

Pockets in dresses and skirts

When you pay people to come and clean your oven, they claim to do it with just hot water and elbow grease.

I'm not sure I believe them. I think it's magic.

Made face masks from some leftover fleece I bought to make pouches for our ratties and an old duvet cover of DD's.

Impressive sewing!

Fleece face masks won't protect against corona though!

Well they will if you count limiting touching your face and stopping your own droplets from reaching others Stompy

The last research circulated at our hospital suggested fabric masks were 3% effective. Surgical masks are better (as, weirdly, are masks made from vacuum cleaner bags) and around 50% effectiveness.