Some Very Old Stuff

It's been a few days since I've shared anything from Grandma's closet; I will remedy that now.

The closet housed a lot of the projects Grandma was working on - which means they were current. While she was using scraps, none of them were antique fabrics, just dated a bit - say a decade or so. Well, there were some things in that closet which were quite a bit older than that. I felt like an archaeologist on a dig for ancient treasure. Today's post will feature some of the older finds.

This advertisement was tucked in with a box of cardboard templates. I never knew Grandma to be interested in textile painting, so I cannot imagine why this was saved. Maybe there was something inside or on the back that was of interest. I need to check again.

Here are some of the cardboard templates. Untold quilts have been made with these. The penciled-on labels are fading; some of it is Grandma's handwriting.

One box had a shoebox in it that was filled with bias tape and rick rack, many unopened. I asked Grandma why she had so much of this (because I also remember there being a lot of bias tape and rick rack in that sewing kit I got awhile back). She said that she made a lot of aprons, and these were helpful in her construction. I suppose the bias tape would bind pockets, or maybe become apron strings (?). Of course, rich rack makes a nice embellishment on aprons, so that makes sense. Anyway, take a look at the price on this random one I pulled out. Gracious!!

There were many embroidered pillow cases and table cloths that I remember from my childhood days spent at Grandma's house. Here is an ancient pattern transfer that Grandma must have liked.

The oldest items of all reside in this shabby brown box.

This is a project of Grandma's sister, Leota. The pieces are cut and sorted, the pattern is in the envelop in which it came, and a block is partially completed.

I do not remember my great aunt Leota, and I should. We just didn't see these relatives very often. She was an older sibling of my grandmother's. Of the 9 surviving children, Leota was 5th and Grandma was 7th. Leota was born in 1913 and died in 2000. Grandma was born in 1916.

Well, there you have it - some very old things from Grandma's closet. I can see doing one more post about that closet, and then we'll close that subject for awhile. If you missed the previous posts about the closet, here are the links: first, second, third.

Happy Quilting, Friends!