CLOTHES LAST 4000 YEARS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 72, 13 January 1947, Page 5

CLOTHES LAST 4000 YEARS

VISIT TO SAHARA OPINION OF. EXPERTS There is a simple way to make clothes last 4000 years, states Emilie Tavel in the Christian Science Monitor. Go to the Sahara Desert and stay well out of the burning sun and blowing sand. In such dry atmosphere, free from deteriorating effects of sunshine and moisture, your clothes will last forever, experts say. However, people have better things to do these days than browse around dry shady spots, and with all their moving about they find their clothes have a way of wearing out. Old clothes, faded and worn, often get pushed to the back of closets and drawers and are frequently forgotten. But many of those “old rags,” as one might call them, contain good material that can easily be rejuvenated and remade into useful garments. A display in the Department of Agriculture showed some wonderful thing that can be done with castasides—dainty children’s dresses made from men’s worn shirts; a child’s winter playsuit from a discarded overcoat; pink knitted nightgowns made from old, soft undershirts—not only made over, but made attractive. Old Hats

In many households there is an old fur piece or coat that is so badly worn as to be more like leather than fur. It is generally conceded that fur is something to be touched only by a professional craftsman, but actually fur can be cleaned, dyed, cut, stitched and glazed by the layman with tools found about the house. Small pieces of good quality fur can be washed in warm suds. Hair dye may be bought at drug and department stores. By using a razor and cutting from the skin side, old fur cuffs and collars can be easily fashioned into bedroom slippers ,each muffs and warm mittens. Old felt hats—especially men’s—are famous for being tossed in the ash can by the woman of the house. Many of them that are faded, women’s in particular, can be turned wrong side out and made like new. (Some people think all the hats this season look like they’re wrong side out .anyway). Good quality felt can also be washed and made into handbags, scuffs or Tyrolian suspenders. The Department of Agriculture has prepared a very complete little booklet called “Make-overs From Leather, Fur and Felt” which contains instructions and pattern charts for making useful articles of clothing from old matei’ials.