FASHIONISTAS are invited to take a step back in time and realise the benefits of being thrifty.

MADE in East Lothian is hosting a heritage day on Saturday, on the theme of ‘Make Do and Mend’.

The open day is part of social enterprise’s six-month programme called Creative Connections, which aims to promote the group’s ethos of make, create and reuse.

During the heritage day, family activities at the MADE Arts Hub on Haddington’s Hardgate will include a clothing coupon challenge, make your own cinema ‘flip cards’, upcycling tips, and a jubilee-inspired ‘peep board’ photo booth.

Visitors can find art and craft materials to use on their own projects in MADE’s scrapstore.

“These days, many of us spend money on clothes almost without a second thought,” said Nicky Orr, MADE in East Lothian’s ecommerce co-ordinator.

“Clothes end up being thrown away and many are never even worn.

“So we’ve devised the clothing coupon challenge as a fun way to remind everyone how few clothes we actually need, especially relevant at this time when raw materials are once again restricted.

“We’ll invite visitors to plan their 2022 wardrobe using the clothing ration they would have been given in 1942. For example, a dress requires seven of the 66 coupons per year allocated to every woman!

“Thrifty make-do and mend fits exactly with our ethos of make, create, and reuse.”

Visitors to the heritage day, which runs from 11am to 4pm, will also be able to browse the artists’ gallery and buy a range of hand-made products made in East Lothian, while finding out more about the possibility of re-developing the Hardgate premises into a sustainable arts space for the whole of the county.