Make Do & Mend - Megan Nielsen Patterns Blog (original) (raw)
This month I am so excited to introduce our Make Do and Mend March series! If you’re signed up to the newsletter you would have seen a little introduction email with some of the ideas I’ll be chatting about throughout the month. If you’re not on the newsletter mailing list, never fear! All the info is right here for you :)
One thing I love doing is making sure my beloved makes are kept in a great condition. I’ve put so much love and care into making my clothing over the years it would break my heart to let something go because of a small rip or because my body has changed and it doesn’t fit me quite the same!
This is not a new concept. For as long as garments have existed, so has mending. It’s even mentioned in the Bible! Which I have to admit always makes me giggle. As a child my favourite thing to talk to my Granny about was war rationing. She was born in 1908 and had lived through two World Wars, The Great Depression, and after all that moving from England to Africa with a small child on her own and starting her life all over again. Her stories of saving, remaking, reusing and frugality were the things I would daydream about. I truly believe that scarcity is the fuel of creativity, and it’s incredible how much genius has come out of tough times.
Even if you look at something as ubiquitous as quilting – that exists because of the desire to save fabric scraps and reuse worn out garments. An entire area of our beautiful craft, existing only out of a desire to be careful with our resources and not waste a thing.
About a decade ago i was really missing these stories of my Granny’s and I went on a hunt for the original Make Do and Mend pamphlets and stumbled across this gem of a book. I have loved reading it and flicking through the pages. The hardcover is now out of print and quite pricey but the Kindle version is free. There are so many incredible ideas and techniques which were not only relevant back then – but are still very relevant now.
I think we can all agree it’s been a really tough time for so many people financially, with the cost of living rising and things getting harder to keep up with. It can feel like our favourite stitching hobbies are only getting more expensive – in a time when everyone needs it. If there is one small change I can make that might make things a little easier on the hip pocket – that still helps me nourish my creativity and love for sewing, I’m there for it!
So for the month of March we will be putting together a series all about fabulous, simple and beautiful ways to mend your clothing and make the most of what we have or how we can be creative with sourcing our materials. I really hope you enjoy it and if you have any suggestions for how you Make Do and Mend – please let me know, i’d love to share them with everyone!
