Dorothy Farr
Dorothy Farr of Thornton Heath describes
making and mending clothes as a child:
"Mother did have a sewing machine
But that was mainly used
for things like turning sheets
side into the middle,
or making pillow cases.
All our clothes were hand knitted
or hand sewn.
Dress materials were horrible
because the dye was not very fast
and washing powder was very,
very harsh.
By the time you'd washed it
two or three times
you'd only got a piece of rag
in front of you,
and you had to go on wearing it
until it was worn out."