‘Repair and renew to save buying new’
Clothes rationing did its job in bringing about a reduction in the amount of clothing being produced and used (you can read more about rationing HERE). Families now had less clothes. And they had to last.
Introduced in 1943, the Make Do And Mend campaign was a government backed initiative dedicated to encouraging people to repair, reuse and reimagine worn out clothes and linens. But it was about more than this. Prepared for the Board Of Trade by The Ministry Of Information, pamphlets and leaflets also advised people on the best ways to fold, store, hang and handle their clothes.
The campaign was headed by the fictional character, Mrs Sew and Sew, bought to life to promote home sewing and pass on hints and tips. Handmade and hand repaired clothing soon became part of wartime life elevating sewing to an essential wartime skill. For those that couldn’t sew, classes sprang up to teach and inspire.
Passing on the skills to enable people to look after what they already had was central to the Make Do And Mend campaign. Sewing and mending tips were important, but the campaign also advised on how to prevent wear and tear before it happened. Protecting clothes from the potential carnage caused by moths was a popular subject but even so, darning still became a vital skill and helped keep woollens items going for as long as possible.
Darning thread was widely available and had the advantage of being un-rationed. Initially sold in skeins, this soon changed when it was discovered people were using it to knit whole garments. It wasn’t long before darning thread was only available in shorter lengths on small cards.
Thinking outside the box became a national pastime as people found themselves wearing their clothes until they could be repaired no longer. As the amount of clothes people had contracted, accessories became more important to help ring the changes. Women were encouraged to use every last scrap of fabric and homemade broaches were an easy way to do this. Sewing patterns soon became available showing women how to make all manner of items, from bags and broaches to collars and cuffs, from fabric they already had.
By the end of the war people were tired of making do and mending. Whilst the production of clothing did start to increase once the war ended, much of what was produced was exported to help boost the economy. This meant shortages continued, although to a lesser extent than previously, until finally, 1949 saw the end of clothes rationing for good.