Rose_P

I just noticed that I still have a Better Homes and Gardens Sewing Book from my (ahem) early years of sewing. There is no date, but judging from the styles it was late 1950's. On the subject of preparing cotton fabrics it says you don't have to shrink quality cotton, but if you buy the cheap kind (paraphrasing here) it's a good idea to check to see if it has been preshrunk. It also mentions that many imported cottons were not preshrunk. This was the sixth printing of this book, so you know it was trusted by many people. Does anyone know of a source of preshrunk cotton today? I feel like a dinosaur.

"Quilting" is not in the index of this book. Another interesting data point is on the subject of buying a sewing machine: "lifetime investment." They advised that you could rent sewing machines by the month inexpensively, and it would be a good idea to test drive various ones that way before buying.

I also have a Simplicity Sewing book from the mid-1960's. Quilting is mentioned only as a method for attaching interfacing to the underside of a collar. Perhaps both those companies published other books specifically about quilting, but I don't remember very many books on the subject from that time. Probably I just wasn't looking? Quilting was a regular feature in Workbasket magazines that my mom used to get, and patterns also appeared in newspaper ads (Kansas City Star). I remember thinking they looked like fun, but it was many years before I decided to try it.

Stitchnripper

That is so interesting. I was at an estate sale last week and there were many old quilting magazines and the pictures were in black and white and some of the instructions looked drawn, as opposed to printed.

burchquilts

Is the fabric they use for hand dying preshrunk? It's pre-something...

cindy4857

Ohhhhhhhh how I loved looking at my mom's workbasket book/booklets and her Jiffy knit and crochet mags. So simple in black and white print, yet the pic's were so elegant with the staged pics and matching everythings lol. Boy I was little then. I wish she had them all still, but then again, I still wonder why they don't give out S@ H stamps anymore :-) or why we can't get a free glass or towel when we fill the car up. Boy the kids don't know what they are missing do they. Thanks for the blast from the past. I sure do miss some of them.

bearisgray

I think I have some old sewing books, too.

I still learn things from them.

mountain deb

You are never to old to learn and things are never to old to learn from. I have some old mags to that I enjoy.

jaciqltznok

can you just imagine that in today's market a "lifetime" investment in a sewing machine is the same price as a HOUSE back then!

Rose_P

Yes, and more in some cases, but it's not a fair comparison to say the typical DSM of today might cost as much as a house in the late 1950's. On the other hand, today's $300 DSM probably isn't built to last more than 10 years under normal use. I have a 40 year old Bernina that would sell for more than that on eBay today because in 1972 they were still built to last a lifetime.

My parents bought a 3-bedroom house with a 2-car garage in 1957 for about $9500. They had a 30-yr mortgage. I don't remember what their income was, but I'm sure they needed that mortgage. I remember that a top-of-the-line Mustang cost $3300 in 1966 (not mine - a friend's).

Jammin' Jane

WOW! It's amazing how times have changed! There are still people out there that refuse to use a rotary cutter!

PolkaBabe

Check in the front of the book you might find a publishing date, that will help as to hold old the book is.