Vintage poster image, "Make Do and Mend", courtesy of NYlibrary.org |
This poster image if definitely a fun one. During the war, the recurring theme was conservation and another way to do that was to ask people to repair their clothing instead of buying new, using up resources.
So this poster urged them to go through their wardrobe to "make-do and mend". Not sure how many would do this today. We seem to be such a society of just throw it away when it gets old and buy new.
Hope you are having a great weekend. We are enjoying beautiful weather with cool and crisp mornings (unusual for us this time of year).
We were raised by a mom and dad whose theme was make do. They went through the Depression Era so they were always wondering and preparing in case it came again.
ReplyDeleteActually, that's an excellent idea. I need to keep a mending basket at the ready!
ReplyDeleteIt seemed I mended something everyday before it became impossible to get to my machines. Of course, hand mending is actually what most of my clothing needed. I have mended clothing for people who did not even ask. My friend who mowed my lawn had a hole in the seam of his shirt. I told him to come with me. I went to my commercial serger and told him to remove his shirt. I handed it back good as new in about one minute. I sewed the seam as he stood their shirtless, waiting for me to finish. Mending early and often can save a wardrobe, which means saving money.
ReplyDeleteThe friend who needed his pants mended just stayed in the bathroom while I mended those. He was not sure I would hand them back.
My parents were born in 1915 and 1921, so they lived the Depression and learned to mend/repair all sorts of things. Between the two of them, anything we owned could be repaired. We children watched and learned their skills and attitudes.
I have a mending drawer with hand-sewing supplies and clothing that needs to be mended. I mend when I'm watching TV. "A stitch in time saves nine" as my grandparents said!
ReplyDeleteTexas Rose
I have a mending basket, and I mend before I replace. But before you think I'm being all self-righteous about it, I'll confess that sometimes things sit in that mending basket so long that when I get around to actual mending, I discover items I forgot I even own!
ReplyDelete