A Home-sewing Revival: The Return Of Clothkits — IELTS Reading Answers

mention of Mawer’s desire to oversee all the stages of her business

“I wanted to feel that everyone involved in the brand, from design to production, was part of a process I could witness.”

Paragraph E: Mawer wanted everyone 'from design to production' to be part of a process she 'could witness', so she oversaw every stage.

reference to changing employment patterns among the general population

“More women were going out to work and sewing less for their children.”

Paragraph C notes 'more women were going out to work and sewing less for their children', a shift in employment.

the date when Clothkits was originally established as a product

“The brand, founded in 1968, had by the late 1980s mostly vanished from people's lives”

Paragraph A gives the date: 'the brand, founded in 1968', establishing when Clothkits began as a product.

the benefits of sewing a garment and then wearing it

“‘Making your own clothes gives you a greater appreciation of the craftsmanship in the construction of a garment,’ Mawer says. ‘When you know the process involved in making a skirt, you treasure it in a way you wouldn’t if you’d bought it from a mass-producing manufacturer.’”

Paragraph E explains that knowing 'the process involved in making a skirt' makes you 'treasure it', the benefit of sewing then wearing.

In Paragraph A, the writer says that Kay Mawer was reminded about Clothkits by

1. Aa shop she visited.
2. Ba purchase she made.
3. Can outfit someone was wearing.
4. Da conversation with someone she knew.correct

“I forgot about that skirt for a long time, but when a girlfriend mentioned the name Clothkits while we were chatting, it was as if a door suddenly opened on a moment in the past that resonated with vivid significance for me.”

Option D: 'a girlfriend mentioned the name Clothkits while we were chatting', so a conversation triggered the memory.

What does the reader learn about Clothkits in the 1960s and 1970s?

1. AIts designs represented the attitudes of the time.correct
2. BIts products were only affordable for the wealthy.
3. CIts creator tried many times to launch her company.
4. DIts management was spread across numerous countries.

“Clothkits has always embodied the spirit of the late 1960s and 1970s.”

Option A: Clothkits 'has always embodied the spirit of the late 1960s and 1970s', so its designs reflected the era's attitudes.

Why did Clothkits close in 1991?

1. AThere were unexpected staffing problems.
2. BThe funding for sewing activities was inadequate.
3. CFreeman’s was an unsuitable partner.correct
4. DRecords on Kennedy’s database were lost.

“but its ethos as a big, corporate company did not sit well alongside the alternative and artistic ethos of Clothkits.”

Option C: Freeman's 'ethos as a big, corporate company did not sit well alongside' Clothkits' alternative ethos, making it a poor partner.

What point does the writer make in Paragraph E?

1. AClothkits will reach more markets than in the past.
2. BClothkits will need bigger premises than in the past.
3. CPeople are more concerned about throwing away items than in the past.correct
4. DPeople do less sewing now than in the past.

“The revival of Clothkits has also, of course, coincided with a growing sense of dissatisfaction at our disposable society, and the resulting resurgence of interest in skills such as sewing and knitting.”

Option C: the revival coincided with 'a growing sense of dissatisfaction at our disposable society', so people now mind wasting things.

“Clothkits was created by the designer Anne Kennedy, who came up with the ingenious idea of printing a pattern straight on to coloured fabric so that a paper pattern was not needed.”

The gap names what the pattern was printed on; Kennedy printed 'a pattern straight on to coloured fabric'.

“It was accompanied by instructions that almost anyone could follow on how to cut the pieces out and sew them together.”

A plural noun for the written guidance is needed; the kit came 'accompanied by instructions that almost anyone could follow'.

“Its initial design was a dress in a geometric stripe in orange, pink, turquoise and purple.”

The adjective describes the stripe pattern; the first dress used 'a geometric stripe in orange, pink, turquoise and purple'.

“It cost 25 shillings (£1.25), and after it was featured in the Observer newspaper, Kennedy received more than £2,000 worth of orders.”

The gap names the publication; after being 'featured in the Observer newspaper', Kennedy received £2,000 of orders.

“Sew-your-own kits formed the core of the business, supplemented by knitwear.”

The gap names a second product line; sew-your-own kits were 'supplemented by knitwear'.