Make Do and Mend by Ministry of Information

'We have for now become a nation doing our best to weave thrift with quality on a daily basis and this guide is designed to help households to get the very best of what they have,' says John Lewis managing director Andy Street. In fact clothing rationing lasted until 1949.'Īnd, while today's economic circumstances do not compare to those dark days, John Lewis believes there is a similar desire today to make the best of what may be increasingly straitened personal circumstances. 'It was about eking out the clothing ration to the maximum. Ladders in tights can be stopped in their tracks with a dab of clear nail varnish 'It offered all sorts of hints on how to make things go further and last longer, particularly clothing, ' said Mr Charman. 'Īt first it fell to the Women's Voluntary Service to offer clothing tips and to organise swapping sessions of clothes.īut two years later the government then published its famous booklet. 'There were standard clothing designs introduced, and without things like pockets or turn-ups which used up extra cloth. 'Clothes wear out very quickly, and children grow very quickly, and - coupled with the shortage of materials - it meant that wartime 'utility' clothing had to be developed. 'Make Do And Mend stemmed from the fact that at the beginning of 1941 clothes began to be rationed,' says Terry Charman, senior historian at the museum. When Make Do And Mend was published both food and clothes were already being rationed.Ī reprinted version of the original pamphlet has been published by the Imperial War Museum, and is on sale to those seeking handy wartime households tips.

When the clothes wore out, people were asked to make them into something else or repair them. The John Lewis book is housed in 1940s-style coversĬlothes and materials were in short supply too, so people had to wear the same clothes for a long time.

Make Do and Mend by Ministry of Information