As a little girl, my Mum kept her doll and its wardrobe in this trunk. Most of her doll’s clothes were hand sewn by my great-aunt Emma in the 1950s. I think they show patience and pride, as well as being an interesting reflection of dressing standards at the time (e.g. a slip under a dress,…
Category: It’s Genetic
1930s Handmade Nursery Rhymes Quilt
I think this is just darling… nursery rhyme characters embroidered on cut up muslin flour sacks. My Mum’s grandmother Hannah and her sisters would have done this on the farm in the 1920s or 1930s. What a great way to repurpose the muslin bags their flour and sugar would have come in (which they also sewed…
A Vintage Yardstick
Distance between plants, the times tables, standards for weight and height of children, wedding anniversary gifts, measurement conversions… all things you might need to reference in a hurry. This belonged to my Nana, and looking it over has given me a good laugh. Were these the yard stick essentials for a 1940s housewife?
1984 Finger Painting
If you can believe it, this was my 8-year-old brothers idea of finger painting. Pretty awesome looking, right?
A War Bride, My Nana’s Engagement Ring
My Grandad proposed to my Nana during the War with a ring in this delicate little pouch. They met over a Christmas in 1941, and were married shortly after on May 15, 1942. My Grandad was a RAF flight instructor and sometime after they married he had to return to service, leaving them separated for…
Wonderland Book to Paint, a 1920s Vintage Colouring Book
Here’s a few pages out of a 1920s colouring book that belonged to my Nana. She was born in 1922 in Preeceville, Saskatchewan, and since her childhood is mostly a mystery to me I’m thankful someone saved this. I just think the illustrations are wonderful. I love the style, the whimsical variety of figures and objects,…
The Learn How Book, Needlework Arts 1941
I’m so glad I come from a long line of hoarders. Here’s a few snapshots of a needlework magazine published by The Canadian Spool Cotton Company in 1941. It’s given me a few good ideas and I always appreciate subtle sponsorship. Coats and Clark before, you know, Coats & Clark. My Baby Just Cares For…
Handmade Patchwork Coat
Meet Hannah, my great-grandmother. Here she is (center in the enviable specs) with my mum (left) and my nana (right). Like many women of her generation, she was always in the midst of something, always creating, whether it be in the garden, the kitchen or living room. A maker in the truest sense of the…