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Making and Doing

Get crafty, avoid boredom: why not take up a new hobby from the comfort of home?

Packed with handy hints from yesteryear, this crafty selection will ensure you’ll never be bored in and around home. Give your clothes a psychedelic makeover with a spot of groovy tie-dye, learn to make your own cheese, set up a film show, or simply get nostalgic with a few pipe-cleaners. From baking, painting and weaving to model-making, lace-making and even movie-making, we’ve got you covered.

Look out for some inspirational cinemagazines dedicated to advising thrifty Brits, including the wonderfully eccentric Hints and Hobbies and the no-nonsense, make-do-and-mend ethos of wartime series Hints and Tips. 

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Tie and DyeTie and Dye

Cinemagazine19703 mins

A snazzy intro to the ancient textile-dyeing technique taking the 70s fashion world by storm.

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Pipe DreamsPipe Dreams

Amateur film19653 mins Location: Wakefield

A once common object in many households becomes transformed into a quirky dancing troupe in this simple homespun animation.

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Time on the WingTime on the Wing

Sponsored film196933 mins Location: Darlington

Everything you always wanted to know about North East homing pigeons (but were afraid to ask).

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Make-do-and-mendMake-do-and-mend

Animation & Artists Moving Image19451 mins

A wartime family look on in amazement as their old clothes offer useful advice on how to make their clothing coupons go further.

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To Cane a TroutTo Cane a Trout

Promotional197434 mins Location: River Aln

Quiet reflection on angling and the craft of elegant cane rods from the famous Hardy Brothers of Alnwick.

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Model Clipper SailorModel Clipper Sailor

Current affairs19652 mins Location: Plymouth

Former shipwright turns his talents to model-making.

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Sister DoloresSister Dolores

News19749 mins Location: Rostrevor

Spend a day with Sister Dolores and discover the creative potential of the County Down coastline.

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Hot AirHot Air

Documentary197717 mins Location: Barham

A relaxing hobby? Hot air ballooning over the Suffolk countryside

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Hints and Hobbies No.10Hints and Hobbies No.10

Interest film192614 minsSilent

Fashion tips for skinflint flappers and other invaluable stratagems, brought to you by 1920s cinemagazine Hints and Hobbies.

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Rowntrees Kit Kat: Model TrainRowntrees Kit Kat: Model Train

19571 mins

Tri-ang model railways are a lure for children and big kids, but Kit Kat gets the grown-ups' attention

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Hints and Tips No. 3Hints and Tips No. 3

194518 minsSilent

No money? No problem! Fancy handbags and luxurious baths lie at the 1940s housewife's fingertips

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Water On The BrainWater On The Brain

Amateur film195513 mins Location: Wroxham Broad

Are you a yachter or windmill lover? Maybe you’re a twitcher, or a painter? An amateur film about those ‘daft hobbyists’ who love Broadland.

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Hints and Hobbies No. 1Hints and Hobbies No. 1

Interest film192615 minsSilent

Welcome to the strange and wonderful world of 1920s 'how-to' compendium Hints and Hobbies.

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Hints and Tips No. 1Hints and Tips No. 1

Documentary194517 minsSilent

Thrifty housewives rejoice! These how-tos, ranging from the handy to the slightly mad, will steer you right

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Dots and WhipsDots and Whips

Amateur film198011 mins Location: Stormont

Learn the language of lace from the devoted women keeping the highly skilled art of Carrickmacross Lace alive

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Passing TimePassing Time

Amateur film19654 minsSilent

Whiling away the time has disastrous consequences for two distracted women in this amusing comedy from Distaff Films

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Hints and Hobbies No.12Hints and Hobbies No.12

Magazine and Review show192612 minsSilent

Who needs an iron when you have a jam jar to hand? The Hints and Hobbies team return for the last surviving edition of the weekly cinemagazine.

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Coronation Year - Festival of HobbiesCoronation Year - Festival of Hobbies

Non-Fiction19535 minsSilent Location: Leeds

A fascinating glimpse into the world of post-war Britain with its extraordinary range of hobbies, before the TV set in the corner took over so much of working class leisure time.

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At Home with Joy Shelton An Advertising FeatureAt Home with Joy Shelton An Advertising Feature

Advert195522 mins

Wipe your feet and enter the home of actress Joy Shelton in this early ‘ad mag’.

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How to BakeHow to Bake

Government sponsored film19457 mins

The Ministry of Food shows wartime cooks how to "make room for more" and plan the ultimate energy-saving bake off.

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Split and PolishSplit and Polish

Amateur film19758 mins Location: Weardale

All that glitters: the many facets of Teesside rock hounds and the art of a well cut gem.

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Hints and Tips No. 4Hints and Tips No. 4

Instructional film/TV programme194516 minsSilent

A lampshade fit for a drag queen and frugal food in an age before Delia Smith. Who says austerity can't be fun?

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Hints and Hobbies No. 3Hints and Hobbies No. 3

Interest film19265 minsSilent

Electrocution beckons courtesy of the Hints and Hobbies team, here to advise how to construct an efficient wireless set for just 1/10d.

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Cutting for StyleCutting for Style

Training film/TV programme195423 minsSilent

A delightfully eccentric hairdressing tutorial for the stylists of 1950s Britain

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Hints and Tips No. 2Hints and Tips No. 2

194516 minsSilent

Handy hacks for 1940s domestic goddesses, including outlandish tips for keeping flowers fresh and treats for 'Mr. Puss'

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Model Yacht Racing at FleetwoodModel Yacht Racing at Fleetwood

Amateur film19495 minsSilent Location: Fleetwood

With the wind in their sails, international model yacht racers compete on Lancashire's Fylde Coast.

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Using the CameraUsing the Camera

Training film/TV programme196317 mins

All the practical dos and don'ts for the amateur film enthusiast, courtesy of Kodak.

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Home Film ShowHome Film Show

Home movie19593 minsSilent Location: Broughton

Dim the lights, sit down and grab your drinks because the film's about to start: a home film show in Cheshire.

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Project the Right ImageProject the Right Image

Training film/TV programme197514 mins

A wannabe trendy vicar has difficulty entering the audio-visual age thanks to a hapless projectionist

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Albert's Last SkepAlbert's Last Skep

Documentary197828 mins Location: Bradford

For the very last time Albert, at 73, makes the work of weaving the large willow bobbin baskets, skeps, look easy, having devoted his entire working life to perfecting his art.

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Hints and Tips No. 5Hints and Tips No. 5

Documentary194516 minsSilent

You don't have to be rich to be a glamour-puss, as this 1940s advice for housewives proves

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Hints and Hobbies No.11Hints and Hobbies No.11

Cinemagazine192614 minsSilent

Jiu-jitsu for ladies, how to get ink off a white apron and other life essentials courtesy of the 'Hints and Hobbies' team.

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In the Park / 2i’s Cafe (Fun Palace outtakes)In the Park / 2i’s Cafe (Fun Palace outtakes)

Amateur film19633 minsSilent Location: London

Model planes and Soho transactions are captured in this intriguing double bill of street filming from London in 1963.

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Nurdling St MinverNurdling St Minver

Current affairs19681 minsSilent Location: St Minver

The nurdlers dress up and are out to celebrate New Year’s Day.

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Nursery School ActivitiesNursery School Activities

Amateur film196616 minsSilent Location: Burnley

Join the children of Howard St Nursery School for a day of fun and learning.

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Baking DayBaking Day

School programme and Educational film19659 mins Location: Wakefield

What better way to spend one’s first days at school than baking cakes and organising a party? Being independent, co-operating and eating.

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Paper FashionPaper Fashion

News19676 mins Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Fashion doesnt grow on treesor does it! Tyne Tees TV was bang on-trend with this brilliant news feature on the hip 1960s cult for a disposable age - paper fashion.

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Hints and Hobbies No. 8Hints and Hobbies No. 8

Interest film192616 minsSilent

A grisly recipe for herring, teaching dogs to fight crime and other eccentric tips for modern living.