Home-Sewing Revival The Return of Clothkits Reading Answers

Jul 28, 2025

Home-Sewing Revival: The Return of Clothkits Reading Answers contains 13 questions and belongs to the assessment system of the IELTS General Reading test. Home-Sewing Revival: The Return of Clothkits Reading Answers must be answered within 20 minutes. In this IELTS reading section, question types include: Choose the appropriate letters, Choose one word only, Which paragraph mentions the following?

Home-Sewing Revival: The Return of Clothkits Reading Answers offers a comprehensive overview of Clothkits, a 1960s home-sewing brand known for printed fabric patterns, which was revived in 2007 by Kay Mawer, who modernized its nostalgic appeal amid renewed interest in crafting. To practice similar reading tests, candidates can refer to the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Topic:

In the 1970s, Clothkits revolutionised home sewing. Later, a woman from Sussex, England, revived the nostalgic brand and brought it up to date.

A.“I can’t remember many of the clothes I wore when I was six, but I have a vivid memory of a certain skirt whose patterns I can still trace in my mind. It was wraparound, with a belt that threaded through itself, decorated with cats in two shades of green. I wore it with a knitted red jersey my mum bought in a jumble sale, and brown sandals with flowers cut into the toes. It was 1979, and I was not yet five. 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.” The brand, founded in 1968, had by the late 1980s mostly vanished from people’s lives, but by a combination of determination and luck Kay Mawer brought it back.

B.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. It was accompanied by instructions that almost anyone could follow on how to cut the pieces out and sew them together. “I was rebelling against the formulaic lines of textile design at that time,” Kennedy says. “My interest was in folk art and clothes that were simple to make as I had lots of unfinished sewing disasters in my cupboard.” Clothkits had captured the spirit of the late 1960s and 1970s. Its initial design was a dress in 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. She ran the company from Lewes in Sussex, where at its peak it employed more than 400 people, selling to 44 countries worldwide. Sew-your-own kits formed the core of the business, supplemented by knitwear. Kennedy’s children demonstrated the patterns by wearing them in photographs.

C.Kennedy sold the company in the late 1980s. The firm had already been experiencing problems with postal strikes and a new computer system, which back then took up an entire room, “but the times were changing as well,” she says. “More women were going out to work and sewing less for their children.” She sold the company to one of her suppliers, who then sold it to Freeman’s, which ran Clothkits as an offshoot for a while, using Kennedy’s impressive database, but its ethos as a big, corporate company did not sit well alongside the brand. In 1991, Clothkits was made dormant, and there the story may have ended, were it not for Mawer’s fascination with discovering what happened to Clothkits.

D.Mawer’s mother bought her a sewing machine when she was eight and she became a self-confessed garment constructor, encouraging her to experiment with colour and design. The first garment Mawer made was a pair of trousers, which she made by tracing around an existing pair of jeans, in her late teens she spent five years working on sculptural installations. “It was an amazing, mind-expanding time, though I knew it was unlikely I could make a living as a practising artist. I was definitely looking for a way that I could combine creativity with practicality.” This inspired Mawer to return to education, studying for an art degree at the University of Chichester. Her passion for vintage fabric, which her mother had encouraged her to start collecting, eventually led her to take a journey into the heart of Freeman’s. Negotiations with the company took months, but in October 2007 Clothkits was hers.

E.The ethos of Clothkits remains the same, and Mawer wants people to feel that everyone involved in the brand, from design to production, was part of a process I could witness. “I wanted to feel that everyone involved in the brand, from design to production, was part of a process I could witness. Not only does it make you feel included in the brand, but it’s not what Clothkits has ever been about.” The revival of Clothkits has also, of course, coincided with a growing sense of dissatisfaction at our disposable society, and the renewed interest in crafts such as sewing and knitting. “Making your own clothes gives you a greater appreciation of the craftsmanship in the construction of a garment,” she says. “When you know the process involved in making a skirt, you witness it in a way you wouldn’t if you’d bought it from a mass-producing manufacturer.”

Questions 28-31

The text has five paragraphs, A-E.

Which paragraph mentions the following?

28. mention of Mawer's desire to oversee all the stages of her business

Answer: E

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

Keywords: oversee, process, design to production

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, Line 2

Explanation: Mawer expressed her desire to witness every stage of the brand's development, indicating her wish to oversee all stages.

29. reference to changing employment patterns among the general population

Answer: C

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

Keywords: women, going out to work, sewing less

Keyword Location: Paragraph C, Line 3

Explanation: The decline in home sewing is attributed to the fact that more women began to work outside the home, changing general employment patterns.

30. the date when Clothkits was originally established as a product

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “The brand, founded in 1968...”

Keywords: founded, 1968

Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Line 1

Explanation: The establishment date of Clothkits is clearly stated here.

31. the benefits of sewing a garment and then wearing it

Answer: E

Supporting statement: “Making your own clothes gives you a greater appreciation of the craftsmanship in the construction of a garment.”

Keywords: making your own clothes, appreciation

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, Line 4

Explanation: The paragraph explains how sewing your own clothes helps you value the effort and skill involved in making them.

Questions 32-33

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

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

A. a shop she visited.

B. a purchase she made.

C. an outfit someone was wearing.

D. a conversation with someone she knew.

Answer: D. a conversation with someone she knew

Supporting statement: “...but when a girlfriend mentioned the name Clothkits while we were chatting...”

Keywords: girlfriend, chatting, Clothkits

Keyword Location: Paragraph A, Line 4

Explanation: The memory of Clothkits was triggered during a casual conversation.

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

A. Its designs represented the attitudes of the time.

B. Its products were only affordable for the wealthy.

C. Its creator tried many times to launch her company.

D. Its management was spread across numerous countries.

Answer: A. Its designs represented the attitudes of the time.

Supporting statement: “Clothkits had captured the spirit of the late 1960s and 1970s.”

Keywords: captured the spirit

Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Line 4

Explanation: The designs reflected the social and cultural ethos of that era.

Questions 34-35

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

34. Why did Clothkits close in 1991?

A. There were unexpected staffing problems.

B. The funding for sewing activities was inadequate.

C. Freeman's was an unsuitable partner.

D. Records on Kennedy's database were lost.

Answer: C. Freeman’s was an unsuitable partner

Supporting statement: “...but its ethos as a big, corporate company did not sit well alongside the brand.”

Keywords: ethos, corporate company, not sit well

Keyword Location: Paragraph C, Line 4

Explanation: The corporate nature of Freeman’s clashed with the brand identity, contributing to Clothkits’ closure.

35. What point does the writer make in Paragraph E?

A. Clothkits will reach more markets than in the past.

B. Clothkits will need bigger premises than in the past.

C. People are more concerned about throwing away items than in the past.

D. People do less sewing now than in the past.

Answer: C. People are more concerned about throwing away items than in the past.

Supporting statement: “...coincided with a growing sense of dissatisfaction at our disposable society...”

Keywords: dissatisfaction, disposable society

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, Line 3

Explanation: The writer notes a shift in attitude toward waste and disposable fashion.

Questions 36-40

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.

THE EARLY DAYS OF CLOTHKITS

Clothkits was started by a designer named Anne Kennedy, Her clothing company specialised in selling (36)............

Answer: fabric

Supporting statement: "Clothkits was created by the designer Anne Kennedy, who came up with the ingenious idea of printing a pattern straight on to coloured fabric…"

Keywords: printing a pattern, coloured fabric

Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Line 2

Explanation: The original product offered by Clothkits featured fabric with patterns pre-printed on them, eliminating the need for paper patterns. This was a distinctive feature of the brand at its founding.

with a pattern printed on it. This came with (37)...........

Answer: instructions

Supporting statement: "It was accompanied by instructions that almost anyone could follow on how to cut the pieces out and sew them together."

Keywords: accompanied by instructions

Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Line 2

Explanation: Each product came with clear, user-friendly instructions, enabling customers—even those with minimal experience—to sew their own garments with ease.

which meant that buyers were able to make their own garments. The very first garment Anne Kennedy made was a multi-coloured striped dress with a (38)...........

Answer: geometric

Supporting statement: "Its initial design was a dress in a geometric stripe in orange, pink, turquoise and purple."

Keywords: initial design, geometric stripe

Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Line 4

Explanation: The first Clothkits dress featured a geometric pattern, which reflected the bold design style of the late 1960s and was key to its early success.

Pattern. A (39)............

Answer: newspaper

Supporting statement: "…after it was featured in the Observer newspaper, Kennedy received more than £2,000 worth of orders."

Keywords: featured in, Observer newspaper

Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Line 5

Explanation: A newspaper article provided massive exposure, resulting in a large surge of orders, marking an important milestone in the company’s early growth.

article led to many orders for this from around the world. As the company grew, she increased her workforce, and also sold (40)..........

Answer: knitwear

Supporting statement: "Sew-your-own kits formed the core of the business, supplemented by knitwear."

Keywords: supplemented by knitwear

Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Line 6

Explanation: Along with fabric kits, the company expanded its offerings to include knitwear, further diversifying its product range.

as part of her business. She exhibited her designs using her children as models.

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