Twisted Textiles

This is a bit random. And kinda silly. But I couldn’t resist!

The old pattern pictured below is one of my favorites (there’s no date on it, but I assume it’s from the fifties). I love it not only for the actual dress patterns inside, but also for the color scheme and the illustration style used. And you’ll see directly to the right of the pattern…is a text-ad that my husband designed for me to market my painting/mural/faux-finish business (it’s called Big Finish Interiors)—I mean, just look at the brilliant color-scheming that he’s done! I couldn’t help but notice the similarities. Such talent. Is it any wonder why I married him? And did I mention that he also kicks butt at photography? The evidence speaks for itself

In other news, I’m getting really excited about the growing list of projects that I’m working on. Which also includes updating the look of this-here-blog-thingy that you’re lookin’ at…! So I’ll have more photo-goodness in the weeks to come!

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Lately I’ve needed a little extra *push* to get some things done that I’ve been procrastinating. I’m posting this on my wall for motivation, and wanted to share it just in case it inspires all of you as well.

A young girl in New england wrote down her daily activities in 1775. This is an excerpt from her diary:

• Mended Mother’s riding hood
• Fixed two gowns
• Spun linen
• worked on basket
• Milked the cows
• Spun linen and did 50 knots
• Made a broom of straw
• Spun thread to whiten
• Set a red dye
• Carded two pounds of whole wool
• Spun harness twine
• Scoured the pewter

I mean, Wow. Now I feel lazy…I gotta get to work!

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And you, too, can have a “chin like a model”!

My mom has brought me some wonderful things from an estate sale/auction. Among several boxes of sewing patterns were issues of The Workbasket from the 1950’s. These mini magazines are chock-full-o projects for the nifty, thrifty, fifties homemaker.

Pictured here is one of my favorite ads (from volume 20, number 5, Februrary, 1955).

I mean…doesn’t it just make perfect sense? Advertising a contraption guaranteed to make you look thinner ON THE VERY SAME PAGE as several recipes for buttery, cheesy, mayonnaise-ey sauces to pour over your dinner veggies?

Sounds like some marketing genius was on the right track. But seriously, if you ask me, it simply looks like a jockstrap for your face.

Now, if I could only still get an adjustable dress-form for 3 bucks, like the mail-in offer on page 33…

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