Make Do and Mend: Keeping Family and Home Afloat on War Rations

Facsimiles of official British government WWII leaflets cover repairing, refurbishing, and recycling, and provide a fascinating insight into how propaganda promoted national unity

With wartime England's industrial output concentrated on the war effort and a clothes ration in place by June 1940, basic clothes were in short supply in the nation and high fashion was an unknown commodity. Adults were issued as little as 36 coupons a year to spend on clothes, but a man's suit could cost 22 coupons, a coat 16, and a lady's dress 11. The need to recycle and be inventive with other materials became more and more necessary, and so the government issued a series of leaflets containing advice on how to make fabric and clothing go the extra mile. Reproduced in this intriguing collection, these pamphlets included tips on recycling curtains into dresses and instructions for turning old sheets into underwear. Covering darning, patching, knitting, and more, this is a nostalgic look at the innovative thriftiness of the 1940s.