Make Do & Mend

When I really love something I wear it to shreds. Quite literally. Which was the case with this dress, one of my all time favourites. The under arm area had become too worn to be repaired, and to be honest it was getting too small because I’ve swelled up like a tick in some areas. As the dress already had an elastic waist, it was a very easy job for my seamstress to turn it into a skirt. So I actually ended up doing this with another dress, in the spirit of the 1940s make do and mend approach.

This is definetly something I plan on doing with future things that are beyond mending. I’ve also decided to save all the fabric left over and set it aside to be turned into a 1940s style patchwork skirt. What’s even better is that a few months later I actually found that beloved dress on ebay in my size and bought it. Meaning I now have a dress and a skirt in this fabric. I am most pleased about this. The blouse I’m wearing is a variation of this blouse I’ve worn before.

I’ve wanted a 1940s crochet purse for a long time now, the vintage magazines I collect always have instructions for how to make them. Which is great when you already know how to crochet, which I of course don’t! So I was thrilled to find a lady in Perth on instagram who makes these lovely purses. I feel they add such a nice touch to a vintage inspired outfit. It’s kind of crazy to think that not really all that long ago most people had the ability to make their own clothing and accessories. That it was something nearly all women were taught by their mothers and grandmothers. But I can only think of two friends that know how to sew their own clothes, and just one that can crochet and knit. And then there’s me, giving myself a pat on the back for being able to glue some feathers onto a piece of felt or string some beads…