Mdo and mend, said government leaflets on the UK in WW2.
I found electronic items still in the box unused at my late uncle's home. Plus neck ties.
Are your cupboards full of items bought abroad, which no longer fit, are the wrong style?
Are they sitting at the back of your cupboard, doing nothing, taking up space?
A friend of mine, Timmy, told me, "When my father died, I found boxes of shirts, unworn, in the packets, still with the labels on. What was he saving them for?"
I found electronic items still in the box unused at my late uncle's home. Plus neck ties.
Unused clothes are the easiest leftover items to deal with.
WW2
My mother lived through WWII when you could not get new fabric. Clothes rationing was introducd on June 1st 1941. The catchphrase was Make Do and Mend.
Food rationing did not end until 1952. The government issued booklets on recipes using leftovers, and how to reuse items.
Householders became adept at repurposing items.
Sheets Re-used
I remember how my mother would cut up old white sheets to make hankies when somebody was suffering from a cold.
Sheets which had a hole in the middle were recycled by cutting them down the middle lengthwise and sewing together the outside seams.
Could you turn a white cotton sheet into a wedding dress?
For weddings dresses, parachute silk was reused.
Covid-19 Masks
More recently, during Covid-19, I have seen videos showing how you can make masks out of scarves and socks.
I have been stuck at home for weeks due to homestays in Singapore.
WW2
My mother lived through WWII when you could not get new fabric. Clothes rationing was introducd on June 1st 1941. The catchphrase was Make Do and Mend.
Food rationing did not end until 1952. The government issued booklets on recipes using leftovers, and how to reuse items.
Householders became adept at repurposing items.
Sheets Re-used
I remember how my mother would cut up old white sheets to make hankies when somebody was suffering from a cold.
Sheets which had a hole in the middle were recycled by cutting them down the middle lengthwise and sewing together the outside seams.
Could you turn a white cotton sheet into a wedding dress?
For weddings dresses, parachute silk was reused.
Covid-19 Masks
More recently, during Covid-19, I have seen videos showing how you can make masks out of scarves and socks.
I have been stuck at home for weeks due to homestays in Singapore.
I started going through my wardrobes, looking out old items to wear. I found at the back of cupboards, unworn items.
Short and T-shirt Sets
Look at these two sets of shorts and tops, one green with seahorse, one blue with mushrooms. They
Short and T-shirt Sets
Look at these two sets of shorts and tops, one green with seahorse, one blue with mushrooms. They
had sat in my cupboard for years.
This week I got them out. I wondered whether to wear the tee-shirt without the top.
The tee-shirts fitted. To my surprise, I could get into the shorts. they were uncomfortable, tight on the waist. Besides, with my being overweight, not very elegant. However, I was loathe to start taking the scissors to them, in case the experiment did not work.
I asked my hsuband, "Should I wear the outfit with the shorts?"
He told me, "I don't like shorts on women. Or on men, for that matter."
That settled it. Nothing to lose. I had to cut up the shorts. I considered several possibilities. Make them into a scarf, a hat, a jacket. How about a simple edging to extend the length of the tee-shirt?
More recently, during Covid-19, I have seen videos showing how you can make masks out of scarves and socks.
the first hing I did was cut off the waistband. I considered pulling out the white rope. However there were several rows of shirred stitching. So I decided to make that into a headband.
Once the waist band was cut off, the straight top could be sewn onto the tee shirt's hem.
I pinned both ends together with safety pins. Previous experience had taught me that if you start with tow items together at one end, as you sew along, one slips so that one piece overhangs. To prevent this happening, I started sewing from the middle, held both ends tightly together, and sewed along.
I did a running stitch on the reverse for fast results.
This is the result.
I am so happy with my new dress. I love the seahorses. I love the colour.
My next post will show the blue outfit.
About the author
Angela Lansbury
Author of How To Get Out Of The Mess You're In
About the author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Please come to a Toastmasters International Club where the English clubs have a language evaluator or grammarian. We also have French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil and other language clubs based in Singapore and many more online around the world which because of Covid-19 are now meeting online.
I am President of Braddell Heights Advanced, meeting the first Wednesday of the month, Usually on Zoom. But the other Wednesdays have workshops on app learncool.sg
For meetings learncool it is quicker to type and easier to remember:
Useful Websites On Speaking and Languages
translate.google.com
duolingo.com
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/04/how-to-say-thank-you-in-several.html
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/05/introducing-yourself-in-english-spanish.html
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/01/second-set-of-portuguese-words.html
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