This post was originally published as an email newsletter in March 2022.
Are you a fan of vintage magazines? We are too. Needlecraft Magazine is one of our favorites. Maybe you have never heard of it —- well, neither had we until about a year ago! Someone on Facebook Marketplace was giving them away. Always enjoying an adventure, we hopped in the car and met a young woman in the parking lot of a Sheetz station who had a box of them. They had belonged to a relative who had passed away and were found when they were cleaning out her house. No one wanted them but she thought it a shame to just throw them away. We were hooked! The closest equivalent today might be PieceWork. We were hooked and always on the low out for issues that are not in our collection.
The magazines are a wealth of information and inspiration. Each issue is filled with articles and patterns about everything needlework: knitting, crochet, lace-making, embroidery and dressmaking. In addition, it offers recipes and what was once referred to as “home economic” topics. We may not want to embroider a luncheon set of linens, but the patterns would look great on some of our linen bags.
The first magazine was published in Augusta, Maine — I am sure you did not know that for a time Augusta was considered the mail-order magazine publishing capital of the country! The magazine was first published in 1910 and ceased publication in 1940.
We were recently going through the February 1929 issue and came across this article entitled Pockets for Pennies by Lillian H. Locke, A.M who was an instructor in Household Arts, Teacher’s College Columbia University. Although she was talking about women’s clothing, her observation holds true for almost anything fiber related that you want to last: “The first secret on the road to success lies in the intelligent selection of the materials used, and that in turn depends upon the purpose for which it is to be used. Sturdy materials are essential for everyday use “ Just like the the trouble with cheap and ready made clothing comes from cheaper fabric the same is true with project totes! An investment in the fabric at the onset saves money in the long run.
Did you ever notice how some fabrics get fuzzy bumps? When fabric fibers become loose, they will move around when we brush up against them. The friction from rubbing up against the fabric causes loose fibers to twist together into small balls. You see it often in fabrics that are a cotton and poly blend. Linen, on the other other hand, has a smooth, lint-free surface. Linen is more resistant than cotton —- and generally more costly. Because of the weave, linen is a wonderful blank canvas upon which to embroider. You might notice that many of our newer designs are all hand-embroidered. The embroidery design that we choose can make a bag made in the dye bath with the same pattern look completely different. Over the next few months we will be exploring combining some of the old patterns from Needlecraft Magazine with our work in dyeing, stamping, and weaving.