In Design and Technology, we looked at ‘Make Do and Mend’ – linked to the rationing of clothing and fabrics in WW2. We talked about how there was a shortage of new clothing so the government encouraged people to create new clothing and toys from old and outworn items. The children were asked to bring in old clothes and fabric items from home to use to create their toys.
The children started by thinking about their designs and who they were making their toys for. They drew out draft ideas, annotating them with notes regarding the materials they would use and the design details. Once they had planned their toys we then had a sewing lesson in which the children learned how to use running and back-stitch. They also practised sewing on buttons.
Once they were confident with their stitching ability, they then cut out their designs and started to stitch together the pieces in order to create their toys. Each of the toys was made using 100% recycled materials and they are all unique!
