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Make Do and Mend - From the 1940s

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Made Do and Mend - Another Name for Frugal Living

Instead of calling it Make Do and Mend, this page could be called Frugal Living or Recycle Instead of Buying New Things. This particularly applies to clothes and re-using fabrics and yarn of all kinds.

Of course, some skills are required like basic sewing and possibly knitting or crochet. The good news is that these are all easy to learn and high levels of skill are not required for most recycling of textiles. It gives us the chance to exercise our creativity and the sheer joy of creating clothes, bags, rugs and much more, to our own design to suit our own needs and tastes.

The History of Make Do and Mend

Made Necessary by World War Two Rationing in Britain

It's more than seventy years since Britain declared war on Germany after Hitler's troops invaded Poland in 1939. It quickly became apparent that Germany's u-boats were going to threaten Britain's ability to import enough vital supplies for its people, industries and to fight a war. The answer was rationing and recycling.

Food rationing started four months after war was declared in January 1940. At the beginning only a few types of food like butter and sugar were rationed but later many more were quickly added to the list.

From June 1941 clothes were also rationed and this meant that people had to make the clothes they already had last longer. The government started a Make Do and Mend campaign to encourage people to recyle and reuse old clothes and other fabrics and resources.

Now we are experiencing a recession, these old skills are useful again for many of us who need to save money and want to recycle as much as possible for the sake of the planet.
Use it up, wear it out, make it Do

 

Some People Had to Learn to Make Do and Mend

But for many it was already a way of life

The coming of clothes rationing was a shock for many middle class people who had comfortable lives and could afford to buy new clothes when they needed or wanted them. Remember, though, Britain, like much of the developed world, had experienced the depression of the 1930s and many people lived in abject poverty.

These people lived in unsanitary slums with no baths and only outdoor toilets, sometimes even these were shared with other families. They lived hand to mouth, often going hungry and very few working class people had the money for new clothes. They already knew about making do and mending. Clothes were worn until they were rags. Everything that could be reused was used again. Many of these people were experts at frugal living.

For those more fortunate people, the government ran classes on make do and mend as well as published leaflets giving people hints on ways to remake and reuse whatever they already had.

Picture above: A shopkeeper cancels the coupons in a British housewife's ration book - from Wikipedia

Ways to Make Do

Tips for making clothes last longer

Above there is one of the British Government's leaflets advising women (of course then men didn't do any household chores!) how to make new clothes last longer. On the bottom left they recommend sewing a patch of fabric on the back of short trousers and pants (underwear). On the right they suggest knitting socks with double yarn on toes and heels where they are more likely to wear into holes. Alternatively, darn these areas before new sock are worn.

See What Wartime Rationing Was Like

In this British TV Show

1940s House

1940s House

Amazon Price: $14.50 (as of 02/14/2012)Buy Now

A real family volunteered to take part in this TV show in which they were transported back to the Second World War. They lived in a real house and had to manage to live under wartime conditions with rationing on all kinds of everyday commodities from food to clothes. See how they made do during their stay.

Did You Know...

that rationing of clothes in the UK continued right up until 15th March, 1949 even though the Second World War officially ended on 14/15th August 1945 (depending on time zone).

Mending and Adapting

Reuse and recycle

In wartime Britain, new fabrics and yarns of any kind were hard to obtain.

When knitted garments were outgrown or wore out in places, the knitting was unraveled and the yarn wound into balls, then it was knitted into a new garment. Women, who were keen knitters before the war, went through their stock of leftover yarn and used it to knit multi coloured garments, perhaps along the lines of Dolly Parton's coat of many colours.

Bed sheets that had worn thin in the middle were cut in half and then the former outer sides were sewn together to make a stronger sheet with the worn patches on the edges and so tucked under the mattress. A seam down the middle of a sheet might not be great but probably better than no sheet at all.

Old curtains and blankets were recycled to make into new skirts and jackets. Sewing patterns were published that used the least fabric possible to make a new garment. Skirts were shorter and slimline. Fabric couldn't be wasted on a full skirt or pleats.

Fabric was cut from the tail of men's shirts to cover frayed collars. Shirt cuffs were made slightly shorter so the frayed edge could be folded up onto the inside. The opposite was done with men's trousers (pants) that had turn-ups on the bottom at the time. The turn-up was folded so that the frayed part was on the inside even though it made them slightly longer in the leg.

Women could no longer buy silk stockings so they used a mixture of gravy browning and water to paint their legs. They then drew a line up the back of their legs to look like the seam that all stockings had at the time.

Shoe polish wasn't available so people were advised to cut a potato in half and use that to bring a shine to their shoes.

These were just a few of the ingenious ways that people made do and mended during World War II.

Transform Those Old Tee Shirts

And do it quickly and easily too

Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt

Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt

by: Megan Nicolay

Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 02/14/2012)Buy Now

Some of the designs in this book might not be your style but I'm sure you'll find some that are. What it does brilliantly is show you how to deconstruct a shirt and make it into something original you'll love to wear.

Read More about World War II Make Do and Mend

How did people manage?

During World War II, particularly in Britain, the Make Do and Mend campaign was immensely important. Factories were turned over to war production and imports were scarce due to attacks by German U-boats and warships. People were short of clothes, shoes, many kinds of food, almost everything in fact.

Read more about how British people used and reused all available resources.
History Trails, War and Conflict - The Home Front
This page from the BBC describes the key role the Women's Institute played in helping women with ideas for reusing things and how it brought them together to work together in making do and mending.
Make Do and Mend: Clothes Rationing During WW2
The writer recounts her memories of her grandmother's tales of reusing all kinds of fabrics to make clothers for the family.
Home Sweet Home Front - Beware the Squander Bug!
During World War II, Britain was literally fighting for its life and freedom. The advantage of being an island was that invasion was difficult but the disadvantage was that it could not import what it could not produce itself. Therefore the government made it a priority to convince the British people that they must conserve valuable and sometimes irreplaceable resources. Here's a selection of the posters they used to get the message across.
The Make Do and Mend Movement
We could learn a lot from the wartime Make Do and Mend policy in these hard times economically and in the light of global warming and the need to reduce our over-consumption of consumer products.

How to Make a Shopping Bag

It's Really Quick and Easy

Although the Green Bag Lady in this video doesn't specify reusing fabric, her pattern and method is ideal for doing so. You could make a stronger shopping bag than the one shown here simply by using a thicker stronger fabric and handles.
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Do You Reuse Old Fabric and Yarn?

Are you a whiz with a pair of scissors and a sewing machine or do you struggle to sew on a button?

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Making Unwanted Fabric into Something New

Great ways to recycle fabric

The quilt pictured here is covering my office chair and it's one I made myself. I'm very proud of it because, before this one, I'd only made patchwork cushion covers. I used pieces of fabric from old skirts and dresses, shirts (my partner never missed them!), curtains and many other sources. I was surprised at how well it turned out.

This is just one way of reusing fabric. You can make bags for the beach, pillow cases or cushion covers with unwanted fabric and clothes.

My grandmother used to cut old heavy weight fabric into strips, about one inch wide, and then used a hook to make rag rugs with them by hooking the strips through sacking. She made them in all sizes from small 'slip' mats to put by a doorway to large rugs. Everybody in the family had a full selection of them. Unfortunately, they all seem to have disappeared now - such a shame. You can see, however, a rag 'rug' hat in the photograph below. My grandmother's rugs were neater and the rags cut to form and even 'pile'.

Picture below - Copyright © lizjones112 - Creative Commons License

5 Useful Sewing Boxes

Keep Sewing Tools and ThreadsTogether

If you're not careful, sewing can take over your home and you'll spend time hunting for where you put your threads and needles. Where are your small ripping scissors or your big ones for cutting fabric? Where were you when you last used your pins? Get a good sewing box and put everything in it each time you stop sewing. That way you'll never have to waste time hunting for things you need.
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A Rag 'Rug' Hat 

A Guide to Making a Hook Rug

Just like my grandmother used to make

I'm pretty sure that this is the same method used by my grandmother. Unfortunately, she never passed this skill on to me or my mother although she did teach me to knit and embroider before I was seven years old.
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More Suggestions for Recyling and Reusing

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Sewing Equipment

The right equipment makes reusing fabrics easier and quicker

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Vote for Your Favourite Clothes Reconstuction Site

or add it here if it isn't already in the list

Above you can see an example of the original kind of design you can make using your own unworn clothes and other fabrics that are no longer useful.

Add your own favourite site about reusing old clothes, fabrics or yarns below and vote for the sites listed that you like.

Picture above: Copyright © Sharon Gott - Creative Commons License

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Turn~Style » Refashion and Recycle your clothes for that awesome custom look!

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Tips on Reconstructing Clothes, Free Sewing Tutorials & More – Craftster.org

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Sewing Crafts - Free projects and DIY gift ideas from Craftbits.com

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Wardrobe Refashion

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Refashion - free patterns, tutorials and instructions to recycle your old clothes into new, eco-chic pieces you can wear the same day. Transform and reinvent your wardrobe. DIY fashion.

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Recycling Fabric

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Recycle Buttons into Refrigerator Magnets

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http://www.ravelry.com

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Sewing World

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Reconstruct Your Old Clothes

You too can be at the cutting edge of fashion

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More About Recycling Clothes

What Do Bloggers Say About Recycling?

Charities say drop boxes run by for-profit recyclers taking business from them
By Susan Salisbury WEST PALM BEACH ? The castoff clothing from American closets has become a hot commodity, one that recycling companies are turning into millions of dollars. Now, a number of for-profit recyclers have installed hundreds of collection ...
Toss, recycle, donate: It's free
We have too much stuff: too many broken appliances; too many old bills and too many clothes that don't fit anymore. So go ahead and toss, recycle or donate the items that aren't useful to you anymore. Not only will it not cost you a dime, ...
Recycle Your Kid's Clothing Through the Mail with ThredUp Bags
Sure, there are parents who responsibly sort their children's outgrown clothes into boxes for consignment and donations before driving them to appropriate locations. But there would probably be a lot more of them recycling clothes if the process ...
Kathryn Socash Does Her Part to Save the Earth With Lots and Lots of Recycling
She recycles glass, plastics, cans, paper, cardboard, plastic bags and anything else that can go into a recycling bin. She donates clothes to Goodwill or cuts them up to use as rags. When it comes to paper towels, she goes through one roll a year.
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Please Help to Save Our Planet

It's the Only One We've Got

If your are interested in 'make do and mend' then you are probably interested in the environment too. Why not make a donation to Earthjustice who fight to preserve our planet?

Environmental law defender Earthjustice, the top American ecological law firm, because the earth needs a good lawyer. Formerly Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.

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by

Stazjia

I am English and and was brought up with stories about 'Make Do and Mend' during World War II from my mother and grandmother. More on my more »

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