Tuesday, December 20, 2011

1930s quilt project


I recently finished my second quilting effort. When I learned from my grandmother a few years ago, I chose a standard nine patch for my starter quilt. For this one, I chose a 1930s pattern from the Kansas City Star series called 'Weathervane.' I used 1930s feedsack reproduction fabrics in various shades of pink. I'm so glad to get it finished and really like how it turned out:




Depression era quilts are particularly interesting to me because the women who created them had so little to work with. An excellent video on 1930s quilts can be found here. It's filled with pictures and stories- including information on the scandalous 1933 Chicago World's Fair quilt competition!

Monday, December 12, 2011

fels naptha ad - 1938

Source: The American Home, September 1938

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Homesewn 1920s Gift Ideas

The Winter 1927 issue of McCall's Quarterly suggests sewing these beautiful underthings for your holiday gift giving. There are a variety of items to choose from, including pajamas, chemises, slips, and kimonos. I am a novice seamstress at best, but I can see that several of these would be simple to sew. The most time consuming part would be the intricate embroidery detail that most of them have. So pretty! Can you imagine receiving that peacock kimono for Christmas?



Source: McCall Quarterly, Winter 1927/1928