Tuesday 15 April 2014

Vintage gals

At our quilting group we had two lovely speakers last week. Julie and Serena from Tempo Promotes came to give us their talk ''Rummaging Through Grannie's Drawers''. The title was a fine start to the evening! You can read about their business here and we had a huge laugh as well as lots of nostalgic chat as they talked about vintage fabrics, hankies, anti macassers ..... did anyone else have a mum who had a crocheted  apron for wearing on Sunday afternoons when we had visitors ? 

Lori Holt design for Riley Blake fabrics

Julie and Serena had a wonderful collection of vintage aprons and overalls and yes, we tried them on and the memories of the wash days, polishing days, spring cleaning weeks of our mothers all flooded back! We were only little girls then, but the need to carry a duster at all times was impressed on us from an early age! It has taken years to overcome this urge in my case....

vintage sewing items
The talk made me think about my mum's and even my granny's sewing baskets. Threads and incredibly fine hooks for mending stockings, enough hooks and eyes to start a shop and buttons, white fabric covered buttons for pillow cases, and replacement straps for petticoats.... 


vintage sewing items
The packets had wonderful names.... The Snowdrop and The Owl buttons and The Sentry waxed thread for sewing on army buttons.... The Defense button.... what for?  Sewn on to petticoats  or cotton bloomers maybe?

vintage sewing items

Does anyone remember Dorcas pin tins? Darning wools and silks in all sorts of colours, the tiny red buttons from a baby's shoes, the mother of pearl fancy buckle from a silk dress...all things I loved to play from her sewing box when I was little.

Then there are the magazines and leaflets, so carefully kept and valued as housekeeping money had to be stretched to buy them....

Home fashion leaflets from 1950's
Home fashion leaflet 1950's

Such elegance, sweeping skirts, little hats, gloves for every occasion and to my delight I find you can meet Mrs Hall.....

vintage home fashion 1950's


She's the not so slender grandmother, but she knows how to dress!! Love the tiny net veil too! Here is another treasured magazine from 1958....
Women's magazine 1958
and reading the love story I find some advice to young girls about handsome men with a taste for tartan ties....

Women's Weekly 1958

Well you might think that if your child was having a day of throwing pastry on the linoleum.... can you read the second column  at the bottom ?

Housewife magazines 1950's

So if you need the instructions for making a Coolie hat of your holidays on the beach, I have them right here!

Modern material by Lori Holt for Riley Blake fabrics

My wildlife quilt is coming on well despite me having an awful cold  and cough so I will show you it next week. I hope you have enjoyed my rummage through my Mum's sewing box, maybe it has brought back happy memories for you too,

Hoping you all have a lovely week,
Kind regards,
Sue




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