Make Do and Mend

by Imperial War Museums (Editor)

In the midst of WWII in Britain, spouses at war and stretched budgets left housewives to “make do” with what they had. Make Do and Mend was first published as a pamphlet in 1943, as a delightful reminder of the techniques for household solutions provided by wartime government. Now, republished in the twenty-first century, these tips can be used to spruce up your household and wardrobe on a dime. The book includes old-fashioned remedies for everything from washing silks to repelling the “moth menace,” as well as patterns and directions on how to patch holes in clothing with stylish fabric, and how to take scraps of wool to create new looks. The book also includes “grand ways to eke out dated or worn cloths” and provides ways of “re-making old garments which you have never considered.” References throughout to the scarcity of materials speaks to how valuable these tips and tricks were in wartime Britain. And in a section devoted to the corset, readers are reminded that “now that rubber is so scarce your corset is one of your most precious possessions.”      
From the “too-tight blouse” to the “cure for bagginess”, Make Do and Mend is filled with the charm and wit of the 1940s and provides the time-tested, fail-safe solutions from generations past that will be a delight to nostalgia seekers and homemakers of today. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Sewing, How To, History, World War II

64 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2007

Reviews

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

My New Year’s resolution is to reduce waste. This extends to every area of my life: money, food, time and resources. This book is made up of advice given to housewives in the 1940s during wartime rationing and is a charming and nostalgic read. I don’t know how women followed the majority of the mending patters - they’re so brief and the diagrams aren’t always very helpful. However, I suppose readers of the 1940s would’ve been taught the basics by their mothers/grandmothers so would’ve been far better equipped to follow the instructions!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novelty "book" comprised of pamphlets from the UK's Ministry of Information during WWII. The tips for economizing really bring home how much we waste. In their era, you stitched up torn sheets time and time again. You made slippers out of threadbare coats, and added bodice bands to dresses that children were outgrowing. I wish that spirit was more prevalent and am going to try to cultivate it in my own habits.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this was now my family would be naked and would either freeze or starve to death! I could do with a few weeks intensive training from the WW2 housewife...

[Liselotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting look into the war period and the homefront. A lot of history books are about the actual war, and not a lot about the homefront so this was refreshing and highly interesting!

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The delightful reminder of the techniques for household economics extolled by the wartime government was published in 1943, as part of the Make do and Mend campaign. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
A report by the Women's Group on Public Welfare requested government support for an official 'Make and Mend' campaign to exhort people to care for the clothes they did have, and to make new clothing from old fabric. The report stated that, 'the Women's Group are therefore convinced that nothing less than a nation-wide campaign on the lines of the food front will suffice to meet the urgent situation when the shortage of material begins to be felt in the second year of clothes rationing'.
A Make Do and Mend scheme was given official support by the Board of Trade in autumn 1942. Publicity materials were produced which included promotional posters, booklets, and a series of instructional leaflets featuring the character 'Mrs Sew and Sew' explaining sewing tips. This wide-eyed doll became a familiar sight, emblazoned across posters like this. She was also brought to life in government-backed animation films to promote home sewing, along with helpful scissors, thimbles, and cotton reels.Clothing exchanges were set up by the Women's Voluntary Service (WVS) to help meet the needs of parents struggling to clothe their growing children. Parents could take the clothes that their children had outgrown and were given a number of points for the clothes handed in.Darning was a vital skill to give clothes a long life. Darning thread was widely available and un-rationed. Initially it came on skeins but when it was discovered that people were buying the thread and using it to knit or crochet whole garments, it was instead sold in shorter lengths on card.Make Do and Mend classes took place around the country teaching skills such as pattern cutting. Dress makers and home sewers often had to be imaginative and experimental in their choice of fabrics. Despite disliking much of the official rhetoric to Make Do and Mend, many people demonstrated great creativity and adaptability in dealing with rationing. Individual style flourished.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a practical book. There were so very many tips and tricks to preserve and care for what you already own. Reading it sure made me realize how commercialized and over-consumptive our world has become. I hope for a future where the ideas contained within this book get more attention and practice!

[Zen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this little book at one of the war museums in London & thought I would actually read it. Supremely practical tips to prevent wastefulness during wartime which could also be applied today. Helps illustrate why many who lived during war time have a hard time getting rid of anything.

[Miki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a reproduction of a pamphlet issued by the British Ministry of Information during WWII on how to mend, and make clothing and household linens. I kept thinking of all the time women had to put in, repairing, washing drying, ironing items that we just throw out.

[Linda Fallows]

A lovely little book, issued during WWII, to aid housewives during rationing. Advice of how to treat and adapt clothes, which is just as useful today as it was during WWII.
Everyone will find some useful advice in this little book.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful and interesting glimpse of history.

[Debi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this before but…I Love, love, love these old wartime pamphlets! This one has given me so many ideas for creative projects!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosh, we are so wasteful with our clothes these days! Reading this book makes me want to learn to knit and sew a little better as there are all kinds of ways of turning too-small/too-big/worn-out clothes into funky, wearable ones!

Also, people in the 1940s really understood how to take care of wool, suede, leather, cotton, and rubber so that it lasted longer. How many times have I put something on the hanger without doing up all of the buttons? Or just folded up a wool sweater and shoved in a drawer. No wonder my stuff only lasts a couple of years at best!

[Irene Adler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep re-reading this book, which is both a sewing book and a sustainable life style book.

We have much to learn from previous generations about clever use of resources, creativity, and living well within restrictions.

[Michaela Draper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some good advice

Some of the more tecnical stuff such as for knitting was a little hard to understand since i dont know how. But over all great ideas

[Julia L Owings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good

Reminder of how I lived and lost sight of. This pandemic requires us to go back and not waste our resources

[Erika Mulvenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat little booklet giving hints, tips and tricks for recycling fabrics during WWII.