Make Do and Mend

Make Do and Mend was a pamphlet issued by the British Ministry of Information during WWII. It was intended to teach Housewives to be more frugal in the times of such strict rationing.

With pages filled with thrifty ideas for up-cycling and repairing worn clothing, the pamphlet became a household essential for the modern housewife. Encouraging women to turn to sewing, knitting and crochet meant many women took up the traditional skills as a way of life, not just a hobby.

The original trend for 'Visible Repairing' essentially was born, sewing patches in clothing, turning collars, re purposing worn clothing as childrens clothing, aprons or even rags for cleaning.  Darning and frogging back knitwear to re-knit jumpers and blankets was an every day occurrence. Penny pinching at its best , sparing all ration allowances for food where possible.

I have always been into altering my clothing, either to increase the longevity of the item, or to personalise to reflect my personality. Making my own clothing and accessories from recycled materials , charity shop buys or even re-purposed curtains is so satisfying. 

I frequently replace zips in items of clothing both for myself and for friends. A damaged zip does not by any means deem the item to be useless. A good seamstress can replace a zip quickly and it will cost you a fraction of the price of replacing the garment entirely.

Being brought up by a thrifty mother, daughter of the 'Make Do and Mend ' generation, lots of very handy tips have been handed down to me by them both. My Mother is a keen sewer, and has an ever growing Mending pile with my Father and Brother both being labourers. Not to mention my mums customers also making use of her skills in her part time role as a seamstress. 

*A turned collar -Sewn by my Mother. 

Being a fairly thrifty person, I seem to attract like minded people, my best friends both having sewing machines, an abundance of buttons and threads at the ready. I am steadily making my way through my close friends, teaching them to crochet and sew their own clothing.

We definitely have something to learn from the Make Do and Mend generation , an art I shall certainly not let die out !

XxP&TxX