Make Do and Mend - The WWII Slow Fashion Movement

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

German here! After the end of WW2, there were suddenly a lot of little girls in red dresses running around in Germany: since every German household had been required by law to own a Nazi flag - red with a white circle housing a black swastika in the center - and that whole losing-the-war-thing had made these flags now obsolete, the smart German Hausfrau would mend and make do and recycle those flags into cute red dresses for their little daughters.

[@rochelle2758]

That is fascinating!

[@lizmednick3842]

I love make do and mend. And you're right; we need to bring it back. So much easier on the budget and the environment.

[@SewBiased]

I agree completely!

[@anonymousperson4214]

I have actually patched sheets according to some victorian instructions, and a big deal is made of how you have to darn in the patch so it's flush with everything else because if you don't it will feel really weird and you will inevitably end up ripping it off in your sleep. That's why instructions for mending sheets are almost always separate from other patching instructions. Also, can confirm: even properly patched sheets feel kinda weird!

[@SewBiased]

OK, I'm glad it wasn't just me!

[@rochelle2758]

I thought I would feel that way too but I’ve patched several sheets (not even the fancy way so it’s all flush; my favorite way is to just use a bandanna because it’s already hemmed) and I swear I can’t feel it at all.

[@kat3400]

One thing my grandmother has told me, who was a teenager during the war, was that just because you had a coupon it didn’t mean you would get the item! Just that you were allowed to have it if it was available.

[@Whitney_Sews]

I love the idea of make do and mend. It's discussed in some of the episodes of Wartime Farm. I have been doing make do and mend projects for years. One of my favorites is when my daughter outgrew a favorite shirt. I cut it up to use as the top of a pinafore dress with a thrifted curtain as the bottom. I've been watching some documentaries on KZbin about the fast fashion industry and it's making me want to dive deeper and deeper into making and remaking my family's clothing.

[@SewBiased]

Never heard of that show, what's it about?

[@roxannlegg750]

Funny and true stories here! - I guess because I was raised by German Lutheran farmers, where we/they made everything they ever wanted or needed, all of this was second nature - so much so, that it took YEARS for me literally, to be relaxed enough shopping for new clothes. All our clothes were made OR second hand. It was against my religion (ALMOST literally) to buy new unless it was an exception. Even then, I was shopping for a specific garment or garment type, found it, if they were fab pants that were really comfortable, I would buy 3 pairs, same with shoes, and maybe a couple of T-shirts when a novelty one came my way that i wanted and then go home. Then I wouldnt shop for clothes again for another 12 months. This became a problem when applying for a loan, and they asked what i spent on clothes per year, and i considered it for a bit and said $200, including shoes. Our loan application was denied because I gave "false and misleading information". It turned out, that my clothing response was considiered hiding a "clothing addiction" as they could not see how that was possible. It HAD to be a lie. SO when we went back to the bank I did explain this and said I make my clothes. So he said "ok..so how much do you spend on fabric per year.....?" And i went silent for a bit, and replied " (we r Australian) "Mate - you are safer asking a women her age or if she is pregnant..." He laughed so hard he just approved the application!

[@milu9099]

@@SewBiased Wartime Farm is a BBC Two production, where Ruth Goodman and other historians try to live on a farm like they would have done during world war 2. They have done the same during all of the british eras, there is an Edwardian, Vicotiran and Tudor Farms too. A great way to bring history to life. Sometimes you can find them on youtube in good quality, but otherwise I suspect it is Acorn TV right now.

[@roxannlegg750]

I bought the "make do and Mend" poster from the Imperial War Museum in London, and had it block mounted and it has pride of place on my sewing room wall!!! LOL. BUT, going by the rate of completed garments, capsule wardrobe and costuming, and everyday wear - I think I am the epitome of SLOW FASHION movement!

[@SewBiased]

Haaaaaa! I feel that deep in my UFO pile

[@teresaellis7062]

😂I feel that! I am so proud that I almost finished a mock up of my first button up shirt! I may soon, (read: within the year😂) I may have a button up shirt that flatters me!

[@carolynridlon3988]

I grew up in the 60's & money was tight. My mother sewed many pieces of clothing fo me & I also wore thrifted / remodeled clothes as needed. I'm glad to have learned these skills for today. I still shop at thrift stores today & sew others things as needed (even making a pair of palazzo pants, a top, a duvet cover & still pieces left over from a sale rack queen size sheet set & one old queen sheet.)

[@cynthiahamilton9292]

When I was a child in the 60’s, my family slept on mended sheets inherited from my great great grandmother. She had been born during the American civil war and never threw anything away. Those were rough old sheets that wore like iron. I still have her floor length grey and white ticking kitchen apron.

[@themusecalliope1066]

Now I want a make do and mend group.

[@SewBiased]

Do the thing!!!

[@kida4star]

Princess Elizabeth got married in this time and she saved her coupons for her wedding dress. Some people sent her their coupons and the palace made sure to send them all back because they were non transferable.

[@SewBiased]

Yes, I love that story!

[@danielgatchell871]

I tailored a favorite long sleeve shirt of mine into a short sleeve, used the leftover sleeves as fabric for home made dinosaur ornaments I made for Christmas, I have taken in waistbands for pants that were way too large for me, it pinches pennies amazingly and you feel so good about yourself and proud.

[@teresaellis7062]

I hate shopping for clothes am not very good at making my own clothes, so when I discovered making over clothes, I was hooked. Now I thrift for fabric and clothing that are "close enough" that I can alter them to fit me. I like long skirts and those aren't always easy to find (even when I was buying new), so when I find a skirt that is long enough, but not large enough, I will rip the side seams and add wild fabric to take the skirt out. The fabric I add is new, but I only need a yard or less and I choose fabric that would be blinding if it were the whole skirt, so makes for a great contrast to a khaki or a denim skirt. I also darn my son and my socks because I find it relaxing. It also improved my hand sewing skills. My first attempt with sock repair was with patching. WRONG way to repair socks!🤣 They were awful and lumpy. Now I am pretty good at darning socks. So much so that one of my sisters requested that I darn her wool socks as a Christmas present. Oh, I forgot to add, I thrift embroidery floss to darn socks so our socks are very colorful! 🤩

[@marief9858]

I love this! I've got 3 kids 2 dogs and a husband on 1 income. My kids have gotten used to asking me to fix things rather than replace. Last year I began making underwear....I know but...weird fact. My kids prefer the underwear I've made. And I make it out of old Tshirts they have out grown. 1 tank top from my 10 year old is enough to make a full pair, and my larger 12 year old who likes baggy shirts I've been able to get a cami and an pair of underwear out of it one. Weird, but they love it and I don't feel bad about throwing away a shirt with a random hole (you know how the jersey comes apart...) oh and I have to add, SO quick to make. I save up a couple shirts, make a batch on weekend and I'm done in like 2 hours max (assuming I haven't run out of elastic....I have reused old elastic out of crib sheet in a desperate bought of stubbornness and refusal to go to the big box shop near us.) my mother in law thinks I'm crazy, my husband thinks it's embarrassing. BUT I've saved up enough to buy a new cover stitch machine on sale last Christmas so at that point now they let me do whatever! :-)

[@SewBiased]

And t-shirt Jersey would be SO SOFT AND COMFY!!!

[@teresaellis7062]

You are my hero! I would love to be that quick and that good at sewing. I have made my son two pairs of pajama shorts, but I'm not usually that focused and I have lots of projects that are part way through. Sigh.

[@kieraoona]

The make do and mend movement has given me many, many ideas on how to go about modifying my clothes, or mending what we have in the household, so we don't have to throw out as much. It's a fantastic way of reducing waste!

[@SewBiased]

It really is, and they spent so much time making great information

[@jaimelamberto289]

Love your WW2 and costuming/disabilities content! Glad to see you back 😊 I made a cocktail dress for my brother in law’s wedding from a bridesmaid gown I wore for my sister’s wedding. It was my first leap into make do and mend, and it was an amazing experience. Side question: are you still providing the Canadian military uniform pattern for $20 Kofi donations? I keep meaning to hope over there, but my memory isn’t great. Thanks again!!

[@SewBiased]

I definitely am, once I get back to the project!

[@cyndicoleman857]

This was fascinating! Well done. You covered a great amount of material in a short amount of time. I love the idea of slow fashion. I don’t know how to re purpose clothes into new clothes but I do use clothing for quilts and blankets and various sewing projects. This was/is a great video!!!🎉

[@KimmiMorningstar]

I just transformed a damaged quilt into a matching skirt and bodice ❤ the quilt was left in a pile of free stuff on the side of the road

[@SewBiased]

That sounds super cute!

[@RandiPoitras]

This was so (sew? Oh dear..) good, i wish i knew how to make my own clothes like that

[@SewBiased]

There's lot of tutorials online if you want to learn!

[@jobellecollie7139]

I was stationed in the UK in the 1980's. I had ration coupons. Fuel, liquor and cigarettes. I didn't drink or smoke, so I bartered them for fuel. My husband was also active duty in the UK, but we lived 300 miles apart. The only time I'd get to see him was when my sortie was diverted to his base. US Air Force had our careers set up like this. I could only go to bases where my jet was located. None of which his career matched. With 17 major moves in 20 years, neither of us like to travel or move. 😊

[@craftingwithcasca]

Awesome video, I learnt so much. My favourite thing I've repurposed is turning a pain of men's trousers into a skirt and vest.

[@SewBiased]

I'm so glad you liked it!

[@jacquelinepaddock7535]

My mum turned the best bits of dad's demob suit into an overall for me to save my school uniform at home.

[@That.Lady.withtheYarn]

I took one of those cotton towels like dresses that was way big on me. Cut it in half, keeping the pocket and some crochet ties, I have an apron. Still have the other half I haven’t decided yet. Turned an old stained, but clean, shirt into a pad; machine washable.

[@reneegriffin8904]

I used the darning booklet and darned moth holes in a Brooks Brothers sweater my bestie found at a yard sale. 😁

[@jinxleah]

I've bought the majority of my clothing, and most items, at thrift stores for years. I grew up mending my clothing, but fell out of the habit, but have started it up again. I love doing visible mending on my pajamas, but will do invisible mending on items I wear outside, unless it will enhance the item.

[@SewBiased]

That's awesome, do you use colourful thread/patches for your mending?

[@jinxleah]

@@SewBiased yes! I have a lot of quilt remnants that I got from a friend and a lot of floss that I got from a thrift store that I use for the visible mending. I even have enough quilt remnants that I've been able to make about a dozen mug rugs and tea wallets along with a couple of bags to put them in and have barely made a dent in the stash.

[@SewBiased]

@@jinxleah ok, that's a brilliant idea, I bet that looks cute af

[@dawnelder9046]

The war happened right after the depression. So a lot of people did not have much in clothing going into the war.

[@CulinaryGuide]

I love this history. I would be interested in the war-time pamphlets that give instructions on how to increase clothing sizes with added panels of fabric.

[@rochelle2758]

Adding side panels to dresses is genius: I call them “racing stripes”😊

[@SewBiased]

I love that!

[@jenniferclifford4669]

What an informative video and very entertaining. I hope you consider making more videos in the future.

[@calicoreads4892]

Love the video. Very interesting!

[@SewBiased]

So glad you liked!

[@mktemple476]

My father fought in WWII, and my mother was vary young, but alive then. She was the daughter of an Army Captain who was under Patton, and the granddaughter of a Colonel in the US Army Veterinary Corp. I grew up hearing first and second hand accounts of the war, and the Home Front. A lot of this was going on Stateside, too.

[@SewBiased]

Absolutely, there are tons of records of this movement from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and even in France!

[@Rotten_Ralph]

I have actually patched bed sheets… my husband’s feet are very rough and he wears holes in the bottom sheet. I do muslin or another sheet that’s to small for the California king mattress. If I can catch it early I’m happy to use a bit of organdy behind and machine embroidery thread on the right side and do some free hand darning on my machine.

[@SewBiased]

...those are some really rough feet!

[@Rotten_Ralph]

@@SewBiasedI frequently threaten him with a pedicure. He had one once and he couldn’t handle the filing of his toenails? The joys of being on the spectrum. I have put one of the cheese grater heal files in the shower and he is using it. Those sheets have finally made it into the mock-ups and rag drawers. It’s impressive isn’t it?

[@SewBiased]

@@Rotten_Ralph holy smokes, yeah that's some super scratchy feet. Though imagine having to be THREATENED with a pedicure!!!

[@teresaellis7062]

When you said trousers are pants I chuckled. Common words in different locations of the world make life interesting.

[@alomaalber6514]

the 1940's trouser pattern is fab! Also during the conflict the suited skirt were almost mini skirts, to the knee.. After the conflict, with Dior's New Look, fabric and lots of it became a magical look that remained until the 1950's and until the 1964 sheath dress and then mod came in.

[@annseabolt6645]

I’ve always patched and repaired our clothing. Jeans always seem to wear out first at the crotch. I patch them using thread that matches the color of faded jeans and you can barely see it.

[@robinhahnsopran]

I love this! So well-researched, as usual ✨

[@SewBiased]

Thank yooouuuuuu ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

[@jobellecollie7139]

No cuffs on men's pants!

[@Catsface99]

My parents lived it!! They suffered during that war. It's not something to take lightly. They were bombed and adult clothes were made into kids clothes. NO luxury. My mother continues to live like she is poor because that is how she was brought up.She always commented how wasteful Americans are not realizing that the UK is the same as the US is nowl. The war is something that my parents suffered throughout their lives. Both of my grandmothers were expert seamstresses.

[@Thisisit120]

So what should we do with our used clothing if not mending them?

[@SewBiased]

You can make other clothes out of them, size them down for a child, use them as rags, sew shopping bags out of them, lots of options.