Thanks Carolyn, this brought back a lot of memories.
In the late 40s textile was no longer on coupons but still hard (and expensive) to come by, suits had to last a long time and 'things' happened. My mum was in hospital for a couple of months in the winter '48/49 and my father used a stapler to do hems and seams when he had a mishap at the office and used paperclips to put on a button, opened it up, put it through the button holes and jacket and bent it at the back. Much to my mum's horror when she found out when she came home.
As a girl I had a school dress with dolman sleeves that neatly ripped right down to the hip as a full skirt started there. Each morning before assembly I would staple the dress together so it appeared decent and as the day wore on the staples fell out...
When I taught school most teachers used masking tape for an emergency hem. Our heels got caught in the hems and oops. I have also used a stapler. Quite unnoticeable on a long skirt.