Making old new again

Since I admitted to my scissor collection, then maybe I should spill on my fiber stash. Now maybe after reading this you might think me a little nuts but I assure you it is perfectly healthy and I am not at the stage of hidding it in random places. I have two tubs of cloth, three tubs and one basket of yarn, one laundry basket and one bag of spinning wool and silk and a small box of tatting and bobbin lace thread. I have put a stop sign in my stash saying no more till I use up half but mind you most were bought with gift cards and given when someone I knew was cleaning out their stashes.

Now I know there are many knitters and sewers out there thinking, "Oh! That's nothing." I know some who pride themselves on their ability to not only hide their stashes from the husband or children but also themselves. This kind of stashing is new though. When cleaning out my Grandmother's stash we found two bolts of cloth, two balls of yarn and 4 spools of tatting thread. She had more sewing machines, tatting shuttles, and accessories then she had of materials. I threw out about 100 spools of thread only keeping the ones on wooden spools. Today materials are so cheep we go to the store buy enough for four different projects and maybe do one. I myself am guilty on this charge.

Up until the 1950s cloth was not cheap though. One of the most expensive things you would own was your clothing. Today people have walk in closet filled with clothes, shoes and accessories but even before the 1950s you might have one dresser or chest that might equal to 5-10 changes of clothes. It was one reason undergarments were so important,  they protected you outer clothes from your body and were usually linen or cotton, the cheapest cloth.

Cloth was so precious you only bought what you needed or purchased enough until the next supply shipment. You took what you had and made it stretch by patching and darning it till some were more repairs the origional cloth.  Eventually it would become something new, old petticoats became under petticoats,  coats became vests, shirts made into towels, an old woolen suit became a braided rug, scraps were sewn into dolls/poppets and the list goes on. The perfect lasting example of this is quilts. One cloth came from a dress, another a shirt, and the batting an old quilt worn by love and age but still useful if you put a new cover on it.

It is one reason that it is difficult to find samples of garments from the poor and middle classes through the years, they were well loved and well worn until they couldn't be used for nothing but rags. So here's to the old, here's to the new and here's to the thrifty housewife with here needle and thread.