Victory, Thrift, and Thread: How VE Day Marked the Rise of Britain’s Make-Do-and-Mend Spirit

   Freddie Hughes - Crafted From Embers - 10th May 2025 

On May 8th, 1945

The streets of Britain erupted into celebration. Flags waved, tinny radios crackled with the King’s voice, and weary faces lit up with relief. Victory in Europe (VE) Day had arrived, and with it, the end of a six-year battle that had demanded more than bravery—it had demanded resourcefulness.

While much has been written about the soldiers and strategy, there’s another side to the war story that shaped generations: the resilience of everyday people who turned hardship into handmade solutions. From mending socks with darning mushrooms to turning blackout curtains into dresses, WWII transformed British households into hubs of creativity and thrift.

In many ways, the wartime spirit sparked a return to values we’re rediscovering today—self-sufficiency, sustainability, and the simple joy of making do. So as we honour VE Day, let’s also tip our (hand-knitted) hats to the crafty minds who proved that in times of scarcity, innovation thrives.

The Home Front: Where Crafting Became a Necessity

When war broke out in 1939, Britain faced a new kind of battlefield—one fought not with tanks, but with ration books, blackout fabric, and ingenuity.

Everything was in short supply. Food, fuel, fabric, and furniture were rationed. Imports ground to a halt. Families couldn’t just pop to the shops for a new coat or a bag of flour. So they did what makers do best: they adapted.

Old clothes were recut and re-hemmed. Damaged furniture was repaired, not replaced. Scraps of fabric became patchwork quilts, and string—precious string!—was saved in tidy little balls, just in case.

The government recognised this wave of domestic resilience and got involved in a very British way: with posters.

Make Do and Mend: The Original Upcycle Movement

The now-iconic “Make Do and Mend” campaign, launched by the Ministry of Information in 1943, encouraged citizens to extend the life of everything they owned.

Leaflets and workshops taught people how to:

Darn socks and patch worn elbows

Unpick adult garments to make children’s clothes

Turn old curtains, sheets, and parachute silk into dresses

Reinforce shoes with cardboard or newspaper soles

In short, waste was the enemy—and craft was the solution.

Sound familiar? Today’s zero-waste movement owes a lot to these wartime principles. Reusing what you already have, embracing imperfections, and valuing the skill of repair—all core ideas from WWII that are having a major resurgence in the 21st century.

And they weren’t just practical. They were empowering.

Crafting as a Quiet Act of Defiance and Care

For many, mending wasn’t just about saving resources—it was a way to regain a sense of control in an uncertain world.

When bombs fell and headlines darkened, creating something by hand gave people a sense of agency. Whether it was knitting scarves for soldiers, stitching a homemade doll for a child, or crafting blackout blinds from scrap fabric, every project was an act of care, resistance, and community.

Sewing circles and woodworking groups flourished—not just to pass the time, but to support the war effort and one another. Even children were enlisted into the creative cause, encouraged to build toys from offcuts or help replant gardens as part of the “Dig for Victory” campaign.

In many homes, the humble kitchen table became both war room and workshop.

The Rise of Resourceful Woodworking

Though fabric gets much of the “Make Do and Mend” spotlight, woodworkers were equally inventive.

With metal reserved for military use, and new furniture practically unavailable, people turned to reclaimed wood—from broken furniture, crates, or even bombed-out buildings—to repair or remake household items.

Homemade shelves, tables, toys, and even prams were crafted from whatever was available. Joinery techniques were shared and adapted. If a leg broke off a chair, it wasn’t replaced—it was remade with scrap wood, often mismatched, but always functional.

These wartime woodworkers were, in many ways, the original champions of upcycled design. Function trumped fashion—but often, beauty emerged anyway, in the careful sanding of salvaged pine or the improvisational charm of a wobbly but well-loved stool.

Parachutes, Pullovers, and Painted Walls: Ingenuity in Action

Some of the most astonishing wartime crafts came from the unlikeliest materials. A few favourites:

Parachute silk became elegant wedding dresses (and yes, they’re still stunning today).

Old wool jumpers were unravelled and reknitted into new ones—frugal and fashionable.

Empty tins were turned into lamps, toys, and even musical instruments.

Soot and potato juice were used to create homemade paints and dyes.

Every object had potential. Nothing was wasted.

It wasn’t just about survival—it was about making life beautiful again, in small, defiant ways.

From Survival Skill to Lifestyle Choice

After the war, with the rise of consumerism, many of these crafty habits faded. But not entirely.

Grandmothers passed down their sewing kits and jam recipes. Dads taught kids to sand and varnish. And now, in the wake of modern climate anxiety and supply chain chaos, we’re circling back to the very practices that got us through the war.

Making, mending, and repurposing aren’t just nostalgic. They’re smart. Sustainable. Joyful.

VE Day reminds us that in the toughest times, people turned to their hands, their hearts, and the materials around them. They stitched hope into hemlines. They carved resilience into reclaimed wood.

What We Can Learn (and Relearn) Today

As we face new challenges—environmental, economic, and emotional—we’d do well to channel that same wartime spirit. Here’s how:

Mend something before you replace it. A small repair is an act of rebellion against throwaway culture.

Learn a new making skill. Wood carving, sewing, patching—craft is therapy and preparation.

Use what you have. That weird pile of offcuts or mismatched buttons? That’s not junk. That’s material.

Celebrate imperfections. Wartime crafts weren’t perfect. Neither is life. That’s what makes it worth making.

Final Thoughts: Raise a Cup of Tea (Or a Darning Needle)

VE Day is often framed as the end of something. But it also marked the beginning of a generation of makers, people who embraced resilience, community, and creativity.

Their message echoes in every homemade candle, every mended jumper, every reused jam jar:

You already have what you need to create something meaningful.

And that spirit—quiet, crafty, unstoppable—might just be Britain’s most enduring victory.

Want More Eco-Friendly Woodworking Tips?

Explore our full collection of tutorials, materials guides, and sustainable project ideas at craftedfromembers.co.uk—because making with heart starts with making responsibly.

Author: Freddie Hughes - Founder, Craftsman and Columnist of Crafted From Embers