Seven ways you can harness the Revival’s make-do and mend spirit | GRR

Revival 2021 saw the new Make-Do and Mend area featuring restoration projects alongside upcycling workshops and dressmaking sessions. The Revival boasted a bountiful allotment, too – all designed to showcase ways of living more sustainably.

The concept of make-do and mend was promoted by the British government’s Board of Trade during the Second World War as a means of preserving resources needed for the military campaign. Eighty years on, it continues to resonate as we face other global challenges.

As well as its functional role, there is a sense of joy to be found in the approach and its emphasis on treasuring everyday items. Here are seven ways to harness the Revival make-do and mend spirit and introduce this ethos into your wardrobe, home and garden.

Begin with the basics

If you’ve visited Revival, you’ll know first-hand the delight of wearing vintage, be it your grandma’s going-away outfit or a classic trilby picked up from a flea market. However, for vintage pieces to remain wearable in the future, we need to know how to look after them. 

“It’s about saving a disappearing history,” say Lizzy and Emma from The Looking Glass, a vintage clothing store in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, and stall at Revival in 2021. “Period clothing should be worn to be fully enjoyed, but by its nature will then deteriorate. Hence our mission to repair and restore!”

This begins with learning the basics. Think fixing a handle back on some drawers, not renovating a derelict house; reattaching a fastening, not offering to alter a friend’s vintage bridesmaid’s dress, for instance.

Unsure where to start? “You need to become a collector of buttons!” advise Lizzy and Emma. “If you have a set of six, you’re always going to need a set of seven at some point!”

Try simple solutions

As well as simple skills, start with simple solutions for leasing new life into well-loved pieces – make-do and mend doesn’t have to be complicated.

“I often source pieces from charity shops, salvage yards or online auction sites. I love the process of bringing such pieces back to life with traditional ingredients such as methylated spirits, vinegar and linseed oil to revive woodwork,” says sustainable interior stylist Louise Broadstock.

Louise finds real pleasure and pride in reviving neglected items and always recommends tried-and-tested methods for caring for them. “I encourage my clients to use vintage and mid-century furniture for its durability, value for money and nostalgia,” she adds.

Think outside the box when make-do and mending

If something is irreparable, perhaps a cherished cashmere cardie or a velvet evening jacket, think creatively.

Sustainable fashion designer Orsola de Castro offers a great example of this in her book Loved Clothes Last: How the Joy of Rewearing and Repairing Your Clothes Can Be a Revolutionary Act (Penguin, 2021), where she writes about using her collection of brooches, badges and pins to cover moth holes in jackets, knitwear and trousers. Much more sustainable, economical and time-savvy than buying new.

Clean vintage pieces with caution

A useful rule of thumb is to care for an item as it would have been treated when new. For instance, if you’re uncertain whether a fragile silk blouse will survive the washing machine, try handwashing instead.

The same applies to household textiles. “Upholstery can be hoovered, sponged with soapy water or steamed,” says Broadstock. “Modern solutions are often too harsh for vintage materials.”

Pay attention to the stalwarts

Lavishing love and care on treasured objects such as our favourite pair of leather gloves or an heirloom tablecloth is relatively easy, but more commonplace items that may have more regular use warrant attention to detail – especially if we want them to last.

In A Life Less Throwaway: The Lost Art of Buying for Life (Thorsons, 2018), founder and CEO of buymeonce.com Tara Button explores how to ensure longevity, right down to advice on caring for wooden chopping boards. “Oil your board every couple of months to prevent cracking,” states Button. “A food-grade mineral oil works best,” she adds.

Repurpose what you already own

While there are bound to be times when we need expert help or a specialist product, make-do and mend is mostly about finding fixes among what you already have.

This is a lesson that sustainable fashion writer and lecturer Sophie Benson is learning to apply to her veg patch as much as she always has to her wardrobe: “Having an allotment has shown me that nature is really the one in charge, it’s given me a connection to the seasons, and in the never-ending hunt for materials for beds, borders, and fencing, it’s shown me that any old thing can have a second life if you’re imaginative enough.”

Pretty much any container or storage item can be repurposed on a windowsill, balcony or in a garden. Enamel kitchenware that can no longer be used for food because of chips can look beautiful planted up with herbs or lavender – just be sure to add a few drainage holes first!

Practice with small Revival-inspired garden projects

Sustainable living and organic gardening advocate and writer Sue Reed, who charts her adventures at The Bridge Cottage Way suggests starting small if you want to channel your inner gardener: “Why not start with a simple tub of salad leaves? A recycled plastic box with holes drilled in the bottom or a large plant pot is all that you need.

“Put some small stones for drainage in the bottom, then fill with peat free compost. [From March onwards] scatter rocket or salad leaf seeds on top, and cover with a fine layer of compost and then place in a sunny spot. 

Water regularly and snip when ready for your very own home-grown salad as seen at Revival. What could be more rewarding than that?

Interested in learning more about make-do and mend gardening? Read about the Revival’s wartime inspired plot.

This year at Revival, the Revive and Thrive Village will be packed to the rafters with artisans, experts and influencers sharing their wisdom around both thrifting and how to then repair, repurpose and restyle your haul. Learn how to transform old clothes into new looks, scrap metal into works of art and unloved furniture into stylish statement pieces. Book your tickets now</a to join the second-hand revolution.

Photography by Drew Gibson, George Gunn and Amy Shore.