Save ‘em, Wash ‘em, Clean ‘em, Squash ‘em: The Mini Quilt

Ten years ago, I wrote my senior college thesis on a group of amazing women in Salt Lake City, Utah. During World War II, these women, known as the Salt Lake Minute Women, organized their neighborhoods and communities in preservation and conservation activities in support of the war effort.  One of their rallying cries was, “Save ‘em, Wash ‘em, Clean ‘em, Squash ‘em, referring to salvaging tin cans specifically. Did you know, for example, that women across the country salvaged waste paper, nylon and silk hosiery, scrap rubber, metal, and even kitchen fat to be transformed into needed commodities, at home and abroad?  They would hip today, as I found story after story of women repurposing garments and items during the war.  Somewhat related, I specifically remember women telling me they would draw lines on the back of their legs with eyeliner to mimic stockings when theirs ran out. Utah, incidentally, was the first state in the nation to completely organize its efforts–more than 13,000 women and children were officially registered in the effort. I was surprised to learn, among other things, that salvaged kitchen fat could be used in manufacturing nitroglycerine for anti-aircraft shells, alkyd resin paint for tanks, and dynamite. 

(http://history.utah.gov/historical_society/educational_resources/lesson_plans/minute_women.html)