Make Do and Mend: Enjoy the Savings of the Simple Life
Repair, recycle and create your way to a happy home of satisfaction and abundance
Laura Gaskill
6 July 2014
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
The British slogan during World War II, ‘Make Do and Mend’ came about in response to shortages of material with which to make clothing, furniture and other necessities. Citizens were encouraged to darn socks, mend holes in jumpers, repair broken furniture and reuse old items. For instance, an old pillowcase might have been transformed into children’s clothes, and an old woollen jumper might have been pulled apart and the wool used to make something new. The slogan has gained modern popularity thanks in great part to the handmade movement and the resurgence of interest in making things from scratch. Even if you don’t need to darn your socks or make a jar of pickles, discovering or rediscovering these domestic skills can provide a nice change of pace from a technology-driven world.
Why take the time to make do and mend?
Creating something with your own two hands – especially seemingly out of nothing – is inherently satisfying. It boosts creativity and independence, and can save you a bit of money to boot. But perhaps more importantly, when you are standing in the kitchen stirring a pot of jam to bottle, or sitting with needle and thread to make an old jumper as good as new, you gain a connection to the generations that came before you.
Creating something with your own two hands – especially seemingly out of nothing – is inherently satisfying. It boosts creativity and independence, and can save you a bit of money to boot. But perhaps more importantly, when you are standing in the kitchen stirring a pot of jam to bottle, or sitting with needle and thread to make an old jumper as good as new, you gain a connection to the generations that came before you.
Darn your own socks and jumpers
Rather than either getting rid of an old jumper or sending it out to the cleaners for repair, why not try your hand at mending that little hole? If you’ve never sewn before, there’s no need to be intimidated. I recommend searching online for video tutorials (there are loads) and watching a few before getting started. You may also want to start with a sock rather than a jumper for your first effort – it will keep the pressure off until you get the hang of it.
Want to get a bit more creative? Try stitching colourful patches over the holes in your jeans or cardigans, or choose a contrasting thread to stitch up a buttonhole.
Rather than either getting rid of an old jumper or sending it out to the cleaners for repair, why not try your hand at mending that little hole? If you’ve never sewn before, there’s no need to be intimidated. I recommend searching online for video tutorials (there are loads) and watching a few before getting started. You may also want to start with a sock rather than a jumper for your first effort – it will keep the pressure off until you get the hang of it.
Want to get a bit more creative? Try stitching colourful patches over the holes in your jeans or cardigans, or choose a contrasting thread to stitch up a buttonhole.
DIY decor
Before you go shopping for new furnishings and decor, see if you can think up a way of using what you have instead.
Sew a patch on an armchair or learn to reupholster. Tinker with that wobbly chair instead of tossing it out. Use an old dress to add a colourful border to your curtains. Use a bowl from the kitchen to hold a cluster of candles. Paint a salvaged window with chalkboard paint and hang it up for use as a memo board. Upcycle, reinvent and get creative.
More: Fun with Fabric: 15 Simple DIY Projects Worthy of Display
Before you go shopping for new furnishings and decor, see if you can think up a way of using what you have instead.
Sew a patch on an armchair or learn to reupholster. Tinker with that wobbly chair instead of tossing it out. Use an old dress to add a colourful border to your curtains. Use a bowl from the kitchen to hold a cluster of candles. Paint a salvaged window with chalkboard paint and hang it up for use as a memo board. Upcycle, reinvent and get creative.
More: Fun with Fabric: 15 Simple DIY Projects Worthy of Display
Set up a pleasing workspace
Taking the slogan ‘Make Do and Mend’ to heart means not spending a fortune on a new sewing machine and a fancy craft centre; it’s not necessary and it sort of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?
That said, it is awfully nice to have an inspiring little corner of the home to tuck yourself away in and work on small projects. Gather up your notions and supplies in a basket, a little chest of drawers or even mason jars, then pull up a chair in a sunny corner, pour yourself a cup of tea and get to work.
Find out how to nurture your creative side at home
Taking the slogan ‘Make Do and Mend’ to heart means not spending a fortune on a new sewing machine and a fancy craft centre; it’s not necessary and it sort of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?
That said, it is awfully nice to have an inspiring little corner of the home to tuck yourself away in and work on small projects. Gather up your notions and supplies in a basket, a little chest of drawers or even mason jars, then pull up a chair in a sunny corner, pour yourself a cup of tea and get to work.
Find out how to nurture your creative side at home
Pass along traditions to your children or learn them together
In my grandmother’s day, women and most men (my grandpa included) knew how to darn a sock, mend clothes, cook from scratch and grow a vegetable garden. Going to my grandparents’ house meant smelling the delicious scent of homemade minestrone soup, peppery radishes pulled from the garden and plump tomatoes dangling from vines in the yard. I grew up not knowing how to do any of those things – but I’m working on changing that and I plan to pass along what I learn to my son.
If you have children, think about what you can teach them. Not only are basic housekeeping skills useful to both boys and girls, but the principle behind making do and mending is important for helping kids appreciate the abundance they already have in life.
In my grandmother’s day, women and most men (my grandpa included) knew how to darn a sock, mend clothes, cook from scratch and grow a vegetable garden. Going to my grandparents’ house meant smelling the delicious scent of homemade minestrone soup, peppery radishes pulled from the garden and plump tomatoes dangling from vines in the yard. I grew up not knowing how to do any of those things – but I’m working on changing that and I plan to pass along what I learn to my son.
If you have children, think about what you can teach them. Not only are basic housekeeping skills useful to both boys and girls, but the principle behind making do and mending is important for helping kids appreciate the abundance they already have in life.
Put a homemade meal on the table
Make a soup with whatever leftovers are in the fridge (to a point) and I guarantee you will feel quite virtuous. If you really want to go for it, accompany your homemade soup with your own from-scratch yeast bread. The scent will make you feel all is right in the world, and everyone in your home will feel very well cared for and loved.
Make a soup with whatever leftovers are in the fridge (to a point) and I guarantee you will feel quite virtuous. If you really want to go for it, accompany your homemade soup with your own from-scratch yeast bread. The scent will make you feel all is right in the world, and everyone in your home will feel very well cared for and loved.
Preserve food
From spring through to autumn, there are countless ways to store food for a rainy day – bottled fruits, jams and marmalades, all sorts of pickles, and don’t forget you can also freeze some foods (such as peas and berries). Even during winter you can make and bottle or freeze your own stewed apples.
From spring through to autumn, there are countless ways to store food for a rainy day – bottled fruits, jams and marmalades, all sorts of pickles, and don’t forget you can also freeze some foods (such as peas and berries). Even during winter you can make and bottle or freeze your own stewed apples.
Create your own art. Inspire yourself
Walls looking blank and uninspiring? Take matters into your own hands and whip up an inspiration board with clippings from magazines, pin postcards to the wall or decorate with your own photos or drawings. You don’t always need to spend money to make a difference in your home.
MORE
29 DIY Projects That Will Turn You Into a Pro
DIY an Upholstered Headboard Then Change the Colour as You Please
Make Your Bed and Lie in It: 13 Creative DIY Bedheads
Houzz Tour: Clever DIY Tricks Add Value to a Rented Cottage in WA
TELL US
What do you do to make do and mend? Let us know in the comments section below.
Walls looking blank and uninspiring? Take matters into your own hands and whip up an inspiration board with clippings from magazines, pin postcards to the wall or decorate with your own photos or drawings. You don’t always need to spend money to make a difference in your home.
MORE
29 DIY Projects That Will Turn You Into a Pro
DIY an Upholstered Headboard Then Change the Colour as You Please
Make Your Bed and Lie in It: 13 Creative DIY Bedheads
Houzz Tour: Clever DIY Tricks Add Value to a Rented Cottage in WA
TELL US
What do you do to make do and mend? Let us know in the comments section below.
What are you working on?
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Thanks heaps Laura. especially for the link! Yes that makes really good sense and thanks for the creative tips about the mercury glass too! Do you think this spray paint would be good for touching up the mirror surface of a vintage dressing table mirror? You know how some mirrors get 'flakey'and crazed at the edges when they age and look black and dirty?
Sounds like a really good product useful for many applications!
Instead of having the entry from my garage to the house re-painted to cover the ugly grey paint which looked like cement, I watered down several sample colors and “splatter” painted. It turned out well and was loads of fun.
I also just purchased a small “cocktail” tree to grow in a pot. It has limes and lemons (which are expensive in my area).