History and Heartstrings

I don't usually say much about my Etsy store.  I have the link on my sidebar, of course, but my blog is more about connecting with the like-minded folks who "get it" and feel compelled to rescue the little pieces of the past and respect them and move them forward.  I listed this 1947 pattern in my Etsy a couple of days ago and it still has me wondering, like things do.
I slipped my hand inside the envelope and pulled out the pattern pieces to count and my heart beat just a little bit faster.  The last person to likely touched those pattern pieces was another creative and it was 65 years ago.  Somehow, I felt honored.  She was making a little dress for her DD who, if she still lives, is approaching 70 years of age.  She was a Baby Boomer. Was her Mama a "Rosie"?  Did she grow up to be a hippie?  You know I wonder about things... 
Did she make the little dress from sack cloth or could she afford to pick the perfect fabric from a local store?  Was it a labor of love or did she sew from the necessity of the times and the expected skills of a homemaker in that era?  The pieces were carefully folded and inserted back into the envelope.  Was there a little sister following behind and she knew she would use it again?  I wonder about things...

The Vacation Pick

Today was back to the office and the real world.  I did take pictures of my junk outings during the week so let's see if I can remember where I was!  You can click them all bigger to get a better look.

 This pile was from the old, reliable VOA.  They put out a coupon for $3 off any purchase of $10 and it is good the whole summer.  Well, I couldn't let THAT go to waste so I made a couple trips over there.  I slipped into some kind of picking trance before the week was through and totally forgot I also had $10 of free money at the VOA that I forgot to use.  Doh!  More fun for another day!  My favorite find in this pile is the box of corsage pins.  Those will come in handy for my Inspiration Kits and SugarCushions.

 This pile is from The Bins.  I hit an estate sale that morning and it was a total dud and I was already close so decided to swing by The Bins.  I got some great loot but the bins always means lots of washing and ironing to do.  Maybe that's why I don't go very often, I make work for myself.  Check out those vintage cookie cutters in the center of the picture.  One even has a green wooden handle.  A pretty good score at $1.59 a pound.  A young man (!) walked past my cart and looked at them and gave me the thumbs up and said "score".  Ha!

 This was another trip to the VOA.  That 1942 McCall children's pajama pattern to the left in the middle row went in to my Etsy store tonight.  I was amazed at the condition of the envelope.  They don't make them like that any more!  The Advance pattern next to it is a different story.  Advance was Penny's private brand and the pattern IS NOT PRINTED.  No markings on the pieces at all!  They have perforated letters to identify them but nothing else.  Oh, and they only allowed to a 1/2" seam allowance.  I wonder if anyone ever used one and made something they could actually wear.  I guess maybe you actually had to know how to sew back then!

This pile is from the only good estate sale I went to.  I got a jar of buttons that included some really pretty rhinestone buttons and we all know how much I love sparkly things!  I had to have the sweet copy of A Child's Garden of Verse since it was the inspiration for the little book I made for my Granddaughter.
A week of vacation picking - ahhhhh, the good life!