6. Create clothes using unexpected materials
Killerton shows some films and posters from the Make Do and Mend campaign, which was launched by the Government during World War Two. Parachutes – constructed rather luxuriously of silk until it was replaced by nylon in 1943 – were particularly sought after. It was said that during World War II, when a pilot landed in an oak tree they would go away and abandon their parachute. Tobin states that the local people would retrieve the parachute and reuse the undamaged pieces. “My grandmother told that you can get parachutes in the blackmarket.
The designer continues, “Once I got my hands on the parachutes, I had all of the materials needed to create baby clothes, lingerie or wedding dresses.” The patterns sold by shops demonstrated how best to utilize the triangular elongated panels of a parachute. Alongside the traditional pieces, a dress by London designer Christopher Raeburn, made from silk maps given to Royal Air Force crewmen in World War Two and beyond into the Cold War, takes pride of place – as does one of Tobin’s personal favourites, an elegantly styled dressing gown, made from an army blanket.
She says: “I waited for just the right time to reveal it”. The shawl was made in Exeter by a young girl in 1940s. She repurposed an old brown blanket. I hope it is this piece which inspires people to use materials that they may not normally consider for clothing. “I’ve had my eye on the old duvet covers from my son to make a new dress,” laughs she. Just because the fabric wasn’t originally intended to be a dress, it doesn’t stop you from making a dress.