This dress was made in the Second World War for Margaret Nelson. Her mother made it from material meant for blackout curtains because it was difficult to get hold of other fabric.

The war made it difficult to bring food and materials into the country from abroad. Rationing was introduced to make sure that scarce items were shared out fairly, including clothes. People were encouraged to 'make do and mend' and patch up their old garments.

As fabric was in such short supply, people used everything from blackout material to blankets to make clothes. We have other items in the Herbert's collections which were made from unusual fabrics in the war. This includes a bed jacket made from parachute silk!