Would like to chat about Less

[WhitegreeNcandle]

So, I’ve just read Patrick Grants book Less and found it really thought provoking. I’ve never bought from places like SHEIN but I had been trundling along thinking I was doing ok. Since reading it I’ve realised how much tat we are surrounded by and I don’t want to be a part of it any more. I hadn’t realised how insidious it’s become really. It’s not just the quality of stuff it’s about how the economy could work on a quality scale.

Would love to just chat about easy swaps to make. Preferably cheap ones and it is a more expensive lifestyle I think. I went into our local refill shop yesterday and found there is a local company who do cleaning refills. Manufactured within 20 miles of where I live, reusable glass bottles etc.

@Mischance Many of the points you make are made on assumptions. For example, his wardrobe isn't stuffed with clothes he doesn't need. He goes into great detail about how he only has what he does need and that much of it is old, inherited and in once case I remember a sweatshirt his granny bought him at the charity shop in which he worked. He's still wearing the shirt and his dad's old dinner jacket years later.

I didn't get any sense from the book that he'd made his money from fast fashion. For example, he designed a range for Debenhams for many years and the basis of it was that clothes would be affordable, long lasting and enjoyable. He doesn't want people to not enjoy clothes, he just wants people to enjoy better clothes/things and for the people who make them to be well treated and well paid.

Honestly, if you are interested in clothes and ethical consumption then the book really is a good read. I borrowed it from the library.

I just saw this mentioned on another thread and the entire concept sums up the problems with fast fashion and the clothing industry.

Who needs seven vests in very similar colours? What is the person who makes these vests paid if they cost £3. How long will they last? Will they all even be worn?

www.next.co.uk/shop/brand-theset-0?p=3#1532.3500061035156

The thing that also struck me about the book is how much more economically valuable a pound spent in your local area is than a pound spent with a huge company like Amazon. We’ve lost so many jobs that give us pride in our work and one of the other arguments in the book is that this is having a hugely detrimental affect on our society.

he goes into quite a lot of numbers about how many clothes people had over the decades. It made me think of my next door neighbour farmers. They were born in the 1920’s. When I used to pop in to see them in their 80’s they were still eating mostly veg from their garden cooked in steel pans on a stove that had been there since at least the 1950’s. When I visited them in their 90’s and they were bed bound I saw their bedroom. Simple bed, one small chest of drawers which I assume had underwear and bedlinen in. The. There were two pegs on each side. One for their day dress (or trousers and shirt) and one for their Sunday dress. They’d clearly lived their whole lives in immense frugality. Whether that was choice or necessity the huge difference between my wardrobe and theirs is just a bit mind blowing. They were incredibly happy peaceful people.

I don’t even know how many dresses I own. Doubt it’s made me any happier than she was.

So we’ve now done a week without a pvc tablecloth as I can’t find a linseed oil coated one to replace it. I hated the wood ag first but it’s grown on me and the kids are being more careful than normal. I’d normally have just rocked out and bought a cheap pvc one.

I’ve also cancelled the dog groom at Pets at Home and rebooked a local independent trim for him tomorrow. Whilst that’s being done I’m going to investigate our local fruit and veg store, take a top to the dry cleaners to see if they can rescue it when I’d normally have just put it in one of those clothing banks

@WhitegreeNcandle I tried to do some research into oil cloths for you without success. We use a wooden table and bought some rush tablemats in a charity shop so that it's not damaged by hot dishes.

@SeaAndStars merchant and mills were mentioned by another poster upthread. It looks like they do a petroleum based oilskin and a beeswax one. I’m likening the beeswax one but it’s very expensive and I’d have to sew!

cant find any linseed ones at all. I wonder why? We used to grow linseed on the farm. The only use I’ve ever heard for it was treating lacrosse sticks!

I was in the post office earlier and a woman in the queue was saying her last washing machine lasted 28 years, her new one has lasted 2 and a half.

This is completely on a tangent but I’ve done down a massive rabbit hole tonight. Has anyone watched Too Long a Winter on You Tube. What a life they lead - and that was only in my parents time. Hannah looks 67 not 47. Her £5 per week on food is about £52 today - I though it would be less than that for the paucity of what she could buy.

This is my region and I remember growing up in the 70s and 80s seeing Hannah on the local news a lot. I've read her books and watched all the documentaries over the years and her lifestyle is totally fascinating thinking back now. (And was even at the time) Also, despite her harsh life, she lived to the grand old age of 91. Her farm is now a nature reserve as it was purchased by Durham wildlife Trust when she died.

@RainbowZebraWarrior I’m going to search out her books and other documentaries. I just find it absolutely fascinating how different our lives must have been 500 years ago and she offered a little glimpse into that.

Little changes I’ve made this week:
tried our local market for veg. No plastic and such better service. A tad more expensive but I felt good adding to our local economy not a huge conglomerate.

Tried a new farm shop. Fab veg but dear lord some farmers don’t have social or marketing skills. I asked what was grown by them as no signs up anywhere saying the provenance - person working there kind of grunted and thrust a hand over a bit of the shop! Again, like the concept and will carry on but not such a nice experience as the market.

Yes I was surprised to discover in the 2010s that

1. Hannah Hauxwell was still alive
2. She had only been in her 40s when the first programme was filmed.

It was lovely to hear that she had a comfortable retirement in a warm cottage and by all accounts the last years of her life were very happy ones as she really appreciated the things most of us take for granted. She’s a good reminder to not romanticise the simple life.

I had the opposite shopping experience to yours @WhitegreeNcandlethis week. I wanted to buy an a bit of lunch to share with friends at their house. I went to the local small supermarket and got bread, cheese, cucumber and coleslaw. The bloody plastic though. I felt really guilty.

i do love to use the local greengrocer
plastic wrap fruit and veg and so wasteful
bring back the greengrocer

i think you have the wrong idea @WhitegreeNcandle
the farm shop doesnt have social and marketing skills
good for them, continue to use them regardless
it doesnt all have to be Marketing - that puts the cost up

‘Buy less!’: why Sewing Bee’s Patrick Grant wants us to stop shopping | Sustainable fashion | The Guardian

not sure if anyone has linked to this review

A smile not a grunt isn’t much to expect!

It’s a difficult one though, isn’t it?
I have a snotty bookshop near me. The staff are always far too busy to serve me until they have finished their long conversations. They once snatched the book I was about to buy for DH’s birthday and said it had been put out in error before the publication date; the owner acted like I was being unreasonable when I said no I wasn’t going to come back and buy it 3 days later because it was a birthday present and no there wasn’t another book that would do instead. Another time the assistant didn’t believe the book I wanted to buy was one of theirs, weirdly. To make matters worse they have a website which blathers on about how they believe in customer service. I would love to support them more and I don’t actually mind paying a few quid more than on Amazon but honestly some small shopkeepers don’t make it easy.

I read the book a few months ago, I’m very glad to find this thread.

I don’t really buy an awful lot of clothes, but the book has made me think more about whether or not I actually need to buy the things that catch my eye. I’ve just been to the Lake District and saw a nice coat in the sale which I really liked, but I don’t need another coat. Previously, I would almost certainly have bought it.

One thing that really bothers me is the fact that the UK produces so much wool, but farmers get next to nothing for it. They pay more to have a sheep sheared than they will get for the fleece. I just don’t understand why it isn’t used. I know a lot of the wool isn’t suitable for clothing, but it’s suitable for carpets, rugs, insulation, padding for various things. And, as a knitter, if I want to buy yarn with some actual wool content, it’s insanely expensive!

It has made me determined to make more of my own clothes, including salvaging useable parts from worn out garments - I made a T-shirt for DS, and the contrast neck band was fabric from a pair of DD’s leggings that had developed a hole. There was enough of the T-shirt fabric left to make a pair of knickers for myself, and they are super comfortable (although not my first choice for “date night” 😂).

I certainly am thinking a lot more about buying quality, and stopping to consider whether I actually need the thing I’m thinking of buying.

Intrigued about the knickers! Did you use a pattern? What elastic did you use?

I did use a pattern for the knickers, from an Etsy seller called SewjoBox. The pattern doesn’t use elastic, instead you make leg bands and waist band from stretchy fabric, so you can either use the main fabric or a contrasting one. I had the remainder of the leggings to use, so I went for contrast.

I had my doubts about whether they’d last, or if they’d go baggy. So far they are still good, although I’ve only worn them four or five times.

@TeamToeBeans i am in awe of your skills! Great fun!

Both my grandmothers were proper farmers wives that made most of their clothes, had spectacular gardens and a homemade treat on the table for unexpected visitors. My mum rebelled against that and had a full on career and brought me up not knowing how to do any of those things. I’ve recently started to learn to sew and have a had a lady come and show me the basics. I can not see in a name tape and take up a pair of trousers and am rather proud of myself!

I also don’t get the wool thing. It was the foundation of much of this countries wealth. When and why did that change?

For your oil cloth could you buy a nice piece of fabric (made in UK) and cover with beeswax like you do with beeswax wraps?
I used pinking shears and beeswax pellets to make my own wraps etc.
Tablecloth is just same on a larger scale?
When did M&S stop using UK manufacturing for clothing? Normal working people bought clothes in the 80’s.

I love laundry sheets - I have the ones by Home Things. Ocean saver for dishwasher

I think pure beeswax would be a little too stiff for a tablecloth. And you really need to soak it in the wax rather than just paint it on, so you'd need to be able to heat a very large container.

Ah I just sprinkled tiny beeswax pellets on my fabric, greaseproof paper and a hot iron!
But I have stopped buying sandwiches plastic bags and cling film.