Wearing Repairs on Your Sleeve

I read Hugh Dalton's Make Do and Mend, a reprinted pamphlet from the Second World War in Britain when clothing was rationed.  Some of the recommendations are rather everyday but many take thrift and conservation to lengths that amaze me; for example, switching the sleeves on a sweater from one side to the other to even out wear.

There are all the ways to patch things that sound too far gone to me, and a lot of concern I can't relate to about preserving a certain foundation garment made with a scarce commodity, rubber.

There's cutting down, piecing together, and making alterations that surely must announce to the world that you'd gained weight or suffered a moth invasion.

Some tips are vague.  I'm still not sure how the leg of an old woollen stocking becomes an infant sweater bound with ribbon.

It's fun to read about those items of clothing that are unfamiliar, such as golf stockings, a suit with tails, and plus-fours.