It's a cold 13 degrees outside, and I thought I'd do a quick post before
I go out to 'le studio' to start my work for the day.
My sewing box seemed a good place to start.
As I've collected and kept so many items over the years,
some passed down to me from my great aunty, who herself
was a skilled dressmaker....
other items from my own mother and a few that I've picked
up on my rounds.
All these bits and pieces are special to me, they speak to me of another era,
a time when people used to walk rather than drive,
television hadn't invaded our minds,
folk weren't afraid of hard work,
when crime wasn't so prevalent,
when the art of self - sufficiency, was a part of life
not a 'trendy' word'.
And in this case, the art of sewing and dressmaking, of making and mending,
re-cycling and using what's at hand.
Nowadays I have to travel 10 kilometres by train to get to my nearest sewing store
because the nearest closed down due to lack of customers....
a sad sign of the times.
Proud to keep the art alive.....
Some items of interest are this label that I found adhered to the underneath
a very old and dilapidated carpet when we moved into this property.
I've never heard of this carpet firm, but I very much liked this little snippet of nostalgic
advertising paraphernalia.
Op shop find Dewhursts Sylko cotton thread .
Artistic labeling.....
Antique button card and beautiful old paper needle-case belonging to
my great aunt Jean. It still has the price written on it in
pencil - 3 1/2 pence.
I would say she kept it too, for the same reason as I.
It has some sentimental value attached.
The rear side bears the makers mark......
...and inside, a set of needles beautifully presented against charcoal-gray paper.
Some vintage lace discovered on it's original shop card.....
.....more vintage sewing items.
50/60's braid from the local op.....
....buttons.....
I rather like the unusual pimpled one on the right.
And last but not least, I bought a small bag of mundane plastic buttons
just so that I could acquire this particular one that I spotted hidden inside.
Very unusual, featuring a brass rim, I wonder what it was used for
in it's past life.
That's it for another week. Now I hope it has warmed up a bit outside.....
That's it for another week. Now I hope it has warmed up a bit outside.....
2 comments:
I love looking inside old sewing boxes, and I especially enjoyed the way you've presented these items in words and pictures. It's intersting to me which pieces are uniquely Australian and which might be found in my Grandma's sewing box.
I visited the needle factories at Redditch when I was a student (studying archaelolgy, and digging in a medieval abbey nearby). I can't say I found it interesting at the time, but I'm glad of the link to sewing ephemera now!
Well it's very interesting to come across someone who has actually visited the Redditch factories, because, to me, this needle case has always been a bit of a mystery... something from a far away place, a long time ago. (I wish needle cases like this were available nowadays. Advertising art has really gone downhill since ).
Must have been fascinating to dabble in archaeology. It's funny that earlier years in education didn't interest us. For example,I find as I grow more mature, my interests in history, geography etc....have only heightened, where as at school I found these subjects boring. Does that say something about the school system? I think so.
Anyway Floss,thanks for dropping in. Nice to hear from you.
Andrea
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