VE DAY Sewing ActivitiesWhen we think of WW2 and rationing we immediately think of food. But all sorts of goods were in short supply from coal to coats. This was because many factories now had to produce essential war time items that were reserved for military use, plus many exports were not getting through because German U-Boats (submarines) were sinking cargo ships. Clothes rationing was therefore announced on 1 June 1941. The news came as a complete surprise to most people. As with food rationing, which had been in place since 1940, one of the other reasons for introducing civilian clothes rationing was to ensure fairness. Rationing sought to ensure a more equal distribution of clothing and improve the availability of garments in the shops.So much of our clothing is made under exploitative working conditions and the price of which encourages us to have a throw-away attitude to consumer goods. The average person buys 60 percent more items of clothing every year and keeps them for about half as long as 15 years ago, generating a huge amount of waste. Plus in the current environment many of us are not getting out to buy new clothes so the following pages could prove inspirational to you to make do and mend and repurpose some old clothes. 10 points for each bit of making and mending to carry out. PLEASE ASK FOR PERMISSION BEFORE YOU START CUTTING UP ANY CLOTHES! https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/8-facts-about-clothes-rationing-in-britain-during-the-second-world-war