Make do and mend - how did your parents or grandparents exemplify this

[AceAcer]

I've been clearing out my mum's house recently, and came across so many amateurish repairs (a dish held together with sellotape!), a darning mushroom and of course the tea stained saucer for all the teabags to go in because "there's far more than one cup in that!".

It got me to thinking more about our disgraceful disposable culture now, and I wondered if there were any quirky or funny examples of frugality out there, which maybe need resurrecting (or not, as the case may be).

My mum and fer parents did most of the things people have listed here. It's a really nice reminiscence to read this thread Makes me realise how many of their skills they passed on to me, and makes me realise also how few of these skills I have passed on to my dc. Because I make-do-and-mend when I chose, not as a matter of course because I need to.

My mum used to save the greaseproof paper wrappers from the butter for use as cake tin liners. She'd fold them carefully butter-side-in and put them in the freezer door.

She saved the bag inside the cereal box (woe betide you if you opened it messily!) to wrap sandwiches in.

Ends of loaves were stored in the warming drawer of the oven (mum doesn't see the point in warming plates) to dry out. We had a never-ending supply of breadcrumbs, and amazing puddings that used them.

I once had a tortoise that got bitten by my dog, my dad fixed the hole in the tortoise with plaster-that you plaster a ceiling with. The tortoise lived and was fine for years with half a plaster shell. 😁
My dad also 'fixed' the ear handle of my space hopper by winding a piece of wire round it-one hop and I gashed my knee open, my dad is actually a talented builder and fixer of many things but sometimes I don't know what goes through his head.

She saved the bag inside the cereal box

I do this! But to pick up dog poo, not sandwiches! still recycling though I realise they would get far more turns as a sandwich bag so might use them for that instead now.

@bagpiss omg I'm dying!!!! He repaired the tortoise!!!

My parents made loads of toys for me they were both skilled in joinery and sewing.

My mum still digs out swathes of fabric I last saw in 1985 - oh i saved it for a rainy day.....loads surfaced when we bought a caravan. I was given st Michael pink striped flat sheets which are bloody useless but I can't bear to throw them out.

BagPiss, that is amazing!

My grandmother kept a twin tub washing machine going for 35 years. Appliances were made to last in those days! She also darned clothes (and ranted how much she hated needlework at school, especially as girls were "expected" to do it).

I keep power cables from old devices, and make extension leads out of them. I tell my pupils of when you had to fit plugs to new appliances yourself, they stare at me open-mouthed.

I know DIY electrical repairs are very frowned upon now, these days it's "do nothing without a qualified electrician". It tickles me that even Homebase can't remove discontinued lights from their display, because they need an electrician to do it.

Pretty much the entire floor of my Grandads Mini was made up of welded together motorbike number plates (he worked in a motorbike shop) and you had to hold the door closed when you went round coroners.

Mum knitted us V neck sweaters , but for reallly cold weather or if we had a cold/sore throat we had an insert she also knitted. It converted V neck sweaters into roll neck ones.

I can't make clothes but I do darn socks, take up trousers etc.
We use old muslins or t-shirts as cleaning rags. My old dressing gown is a doll's blanket.
We use old jam jars to store nuts, pasta etc.
Toothbrush mug is a chipped mug.
We use old pots and bike basket etc as plant pots.
Not much is new! Most furniture, toys etc are second hand.

DM had a darning mushroom, but it was actually the knob from an old chest of drawers.

DF kept all envelopes, and we used the insides to write lists on.

All wrapping paper was kept, smoothed out and re-used.

I wore my DBro's hand-me-downs.

DM used to 'turn' SF's shirt collars, and unravelled hand-knitted jumpers to re-use the wool. She also unpicked clothes she'd made, and re-made them.

I use butter wrappers to grease tins with. Which reminds me: DM used biscuit tins lids as oven trays, or for making traybakes tablet in.

I was recalling today as a result of "disposable fashion" being in the news:

Handknits could be unravelled when outgrown and the wool reknitted into something new.

( Looking up the page I see others have mentioned this too!)

My mum, was very talented she used to make all my summer dresss she didn’t have a sewing machine at the time & would sew them by hand, instead of buttons she would use press-studs & cover them with Broderie anglaise, she also would make matching PE kit bags, also knitted all my cardigans & jumpers, once she got a sewing machine she made curtains, recovered furniture.
Unfortunately I’m not great at sewing or knitting, but am a good decorator & can wallpaper, which she taught me to do.

My DM has now retired and has returned to making preserves etc. I do think that much of it is that if you work FT with DC you no longer have time. I have made several sets of curtains and the odd top but it’s a huge time investment so I have to really want to!

Yes, hand embroidered flowers. She was very talented. Also knitted / crocheted / sewed clothes and dolls for DCs (some were war babies) and DGCs.

I often wonder whether the parachute had been used in the war, or was surplus afterwards.

Ha! I keep the butter wrappers to grease my baking tins with, I always just assumed it was normal - my mum does it, grandparents did it. Do most people not do this?

I have a beautiful hand-stitched pillow case my mum made from an old dress of hers. I reckon it was a 50s dress full of fabric.

She passed 14 years ago and I wonder at her beautiful stitching. I used to use it but am now keeping it as a family heirloom.

This is outing but I still have my old family radio, the bottons broke off but my dad fixed them, one with an aerosol cap and a toothpaste lid.

I re-use and fix and hate waste.

I do a lot of the things mentioned but I will use the cereal bags now. I buy decent meat burgers and freeze them with greaseproof paper between them but a cereal bag would do

My nan couldn't be bothered unravelling jumpers so she used to knit them so she could pick up the stitches and make things longer. Not quite sure how but she did it. My mum was a knitter who rarely needed to look at it.

I forgot about DGM teaching me how to make lovely flowers from a little bit of florists wire and old tights. Could look quite good!

What a lovely thread, brings backs wonderful memories

Yes my wonderful relations, could darn, knit, sew and mend, nothing was ever wasted, recycling in a purist form! Dripping bowls. Saving elastic, rubber bands, envelopes, soap etc

And energy saving wow, putting the wood in the hole, ie closing the door, turning off lights when not in the room, paraffin heaters. No central heating.

Being thrifty was an absolutely admired skill. I have sadly lost this generation in my family, I miss them so, so much. A happier and simpler way of life. How times have changed.

@Elflocks @Queenofthedrivensnow

I'm actually very thrifty and 'make do and mend' myself very much, I also work in the creative industry and make a lot of things by hand.
I definitely got some of those fixing genes though

My parents (and my in laws even more so) simply used things until they were broken and worn out and past the point of being repairable. I remember an evening where my in laws had dug out some ancient cine films in which my husband was a few days old, splashing in a bath, and I recognised the towel on MIL’s lap as the one that was on the towel rail 40+ years later.

Coffee with friend this morning, told her about this thread and she said when we were in the Brownies we were taught to darn a sock very neatly, using a darning mushroom as part of one of our badges.
Doubt mine would have been very neat, my left-handedness makes me very clumsy!

I admire the resourcefulness of "make do and menders". I'd never heard of a darning mushroom before this thread. One of my socks is holey.... I guess I know what to do!