Sources of handy German words for clothess

 In hotels I check the multilingual laundry lists for names of clothes. The words are handy when you are shopping. Use them to ask for items you need.

You can also find useful words on the washing instruction labels inside clothes.

 German - English

Gurtel - belt (like girdle)

die Krawette - tie (tie die, die Krawatte; pronounced like cravat, but written with a w like wursht sausage)

Schal - scarf / like shawl

Steifel - boots

English - German

belt (like girdle) - Gurtel

boots - steifel

scarf / like shawl - Schal

 tie (tie die, die Krawatte; pronounced like cravat, but written with a w like wursht sausage) die Krawatte 

To sum up

1 Laundry lists

2 Clothes labels and packaging

3 Shop windows, signs and displays

Useful Websites for learning German

Duolingo.com

translate Google

  Where can you learn and practise speaking German? 

Flag of Germany

Flag of Austria

Flag of Switzerland

You can use German in Germany, Austria and German-speaking parts of Switzerland.  Also Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and parts of Belgium and Italy.

Flag of Luxembourg.

Flag of Liechtenstein.

-ends-

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EASY DIY CLOTHING! NO SEW! + QUICK 2018 video

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Iron on Patches? Ribbons, bows and ties?

Iron on patches can be expensive if they are large like this one, showing the umbrella.

You might also want to sew the outside of the patch in case the glue fails. Hm. What if you want no iron as well as no sew?

SEWING

No needle? No machine? Never mind. the internet has videos showing how you can create and re-purpose clothes. As I contemplate two weeks in lockdown quarantine, with not enough clothes, I am wondering what I can do. Watch videos for answers.

Fabric extension belt

You can cut the fabric for a skirt so that the belt is an extension of the fabric's waist line. I have a skirt cut like this. On one side, the fabric is short, the width of my hand, sticking out like a thumb, just long enough to tie to the long piece on the other side of the wrap skirt. 

The same system can be used to extend the cut of your cloth to make a shoulder strap. The shoulder strap can lie flat, or be twisted and twirled onto a rope. or plaited. I prefer flat 'ribbons' which don't rub and are wider.

Fabric Glue

If you have a fabric glue, that helps. 

You can also use: 

If you are looking at glueing shoes, you need shoe glue. I wondered if shoe glue was even stronger and firmer than the strongest glue. No. On the contrary. Shoe glue sets softer, so that you can flex the soles of the shoe when walking without the pieces pulling apart.

Patches

Think about quilts from patches. Think about iron on patches. Most hotels can supply an iron.  Two pieces of fabric can overlap with a patch holding them together. A large patch can be cut into strips.

Ribbons

Ribbons can make ties. Alternatively, ribbons can be glued or stapled, or folded under a pleat.

A ribbons can make a an ankle fastener, belt, a cuff tie, a bow, or a bow tie, or a long necktie.

Safety Pins

If staples and pins seem to dangerous, use safety pins. Small ones are easy to conceal. Large ones can be concealed by tying ribbons over them.

Safety pins can be a feature. Do you remember the Liz Hurley dress?

 

Staples

Staples can attach two pieces of cloth or ribbon, the cloth or ribbon can be folded, so that the staple is not visible and does not touch your skin.

Tie Pins

Tie pins can be used to fasten two pieces of material. You could use two or three or more to form a line. Conceal them or display them.

Tie Up

Alternatively, do what they did in the old days with togas and sarongs and sarees. Wind a long oblong of material around your body. You can tie it at the waist or tuck it over. Tie it above the bust or tuck it over. Tie it over one shoulder. Alternatively throw it over to drape or hang at the back like a shawl or tail. Tie it behind your neck.

A thin fabric is easier to tie up using the pointed ends.You can tie a knot or a bow.

Tuck In

You can tuck fabric into itself, like a sarong.

You can also tuck fabric into underwear, such as pants (Americans say underpants), a bra, or a vest or a tank top, or a half slip or long slip.

Wear A Cover-up

Wear a Jacket

An open back can be concealed by wearing a bolero or jacket.

Wear a Scarf

A thin scarf makes a belt. A scarf conceals an untidy knot.

A scarf can be twisted into a rise and pinned on with a safety pin.

Useful Websites

https://www.wikihow.com/Tie-a-Sarong

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Versace_dress_of_Elizabeth_Hurley

YouTube video about no sew

About the Author

About Angela The Author

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President.

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg . Also educational on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meeting, Wednesday evening, May 5th, 7 pm Singapore. Next meetings 1st Wednesday evening and third Saturday afternoon, Singapore time.  

Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

Please share links to your favourite posts. 

Quick Ways To Learn Welsh for: new, school, hat and more

Problem
I am already learning Welsh on Duolingo. How can I go faster?

Answer
List the words - with a memory aid. Then practise.
Go back and redo the lessons every couple of days to reinforce them.

Here are today's words:

English - Welsh
(Spaces inserted because automatic speller keeps changing my words.)
belt - g w r e g y s (memory aid - Good Wide Regulation Yellow Strap - visualise a Japanese obi or a martial arts belt)
blouse - blows
clothes - d i l l a d (I think of don't DILL y DA l l y, put clothes in cupboArD. d i l l a d.)
coat - cot
half slip - p a i s (letter h A l  f  S l I P - PA IS)
hat - het
new - n e w y d d
scarf - s g a r f f
school - y s g o l
suit - s i w t
tie - t e i
trousers - t r o w s u s

Welsh - English
blows - blouse
c o t - coat
d i l l a d - clothes
g  w r e g y s - belt
h e t - hat
n e w y d d - new
p a i s - half slip
s g a r f f - scarf
s i w t - suit
t e i - tie
t r o w s u s - trousers
y s g o l - school

Tips
Free learning on the internet:
www.duolingo.com

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have several posts on learning Welsh and other languages. Please share links to your favourite posts.

How to fix a broken suitcase zip pull

Problem
The zip pull has gone or broken. Why does it matter?
1 It looks unsightly.
2 You cannot get a good grip to pull.
3 You cannot unzip in a hurry at Security.
4 You scratch your hand on the broken part.
5 You might yank the zip and break it.
6 You cannot padlock together the two zip pulls which meet in the middle or pull to both ends of a double ended zip.
What can you do?

Answer
1 Swap Pull from same suitcase.
In theory you could remove the one from the outside pocket, if you use that less often. Use it to replace the missing or broken zip pull on the main zip.

You would have to be very careful not to break, lose, or be unable to reattach the replacement zip pull it to the main zip.

2 Twist Ties
Use a twist tie to extend the zip pull. Where do you find a twist tie? Look around your possessions and everybody else's. Even the bin in a shop - ask if you may look in a bin. They will probably save you the trouble and just hand you one.Even a grocery store may have twist ties or plastic piece you can glue onto the old broken key.

3 Add An Additional Zip
Glue on another zip. You can leave the old one inside. Or cut it out - after you've checked that the new one works.

You need a heavy duty zip. Most long zips in shops are for dresses and are light weight.

You can probably find heavy duty tips on old items in your attic or basement. Look in the spare room or the unused shelves overhead in your spare room or your own bedroom.

Yes, it's a shame to destroy an old bag. But you weren't using it.

What are you saving it for? In case the whole thing or part of it is one day needed? Today is the day that it is needed!

I've even found discarded shoulder bags, kiddie rucksacks with stains or crayon marks, and abandoned old suitcases, outside a block of flats in Singapore. They appeared on a regular basis. Old or dirty. Torn. But all had working large heavy duty zips.

3 Repair Shop
Go to a suitcase repair shop. You run the risk that they will tell you it cannot be fixed, or must be left for a week, or will cost more than a new case. They may try to sell you a new case and ask you to leave behind the old one which they will dispose of.

This happened to me once. I suspect they will either repair and re-sell or use it for spares and save the zips and handles and inner pockets and wheels and elastic inside clothes ties.

If you leave it behind, to be thrown away, make sure you save any attached keys and padlock. Also check the inside and outside pockets for items such as your passport, toothbrush, whatever.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my other posts on zips, repairs and suitcases. Please share links to your favourite posts.