{ Vintage Sewing Treasures }

About a year ago, we had a family get together.  My husband's aunt Carol brought over a few tubs, with belongings from her mother (my husband's grandma).  The family was all gathered together, and each one got to look through the items and pick whatever they wanted.

I didn't go and look at anything, first because I was busy hosting and taking care of the food, and making sure everyone was having fun....but also, I didn't feel right.  As much as I loved Grandma Grace, I didn't feel it was my place to go and sit and pick anything that another family member would want.

So I just kept to what I was doing, not knowing that behind my back, the family was gathering a few things that they knew I would appreciate and love.

I think they all know me really well, and know that I love anything vintage, anything to do with cooking or sewing.

 

As things started winding down, Aunt Carol came to me and handed me a few bags.  She told me that they knew I was busy, and knew I didn't feel like I had the right to anything, but they believed otherwise, and really wanted me to have some items.  Some keepsakes that they knew I would appreciate having or looking at.

Inside one big ziploc bag, were all these items.  Vintage sewing treasures from the hands of Grandma Grace and her mother too.  I was shocked but so touched.

It's an incredible feeling when you have in your hands, a work that was made decades ago.  Some finished, some unfinished.  It's the unfinished projects that always catch my eye.  Beautiful works of crochet or sewing, that were never completed and never truly became whatever the owner had envisioned them to.

I've mentioned many times before, that my grandmother Odete was a seamstress.  She instilled in me a love for everything sewing, and when I see thread, fabric and stitches, it immediately reminds me of her.  I can see her hands moving slowly, a needle and thread in hand, weaving in and out, and creating the most beautiful, straight, perfect stitches.

She tried to teach me.  I tried to learn but could never master it the way she did.  Hand sewing is one of those arts that I would love to say I'm good at, but I fear will always be just a dream in my mind.

This Crazy Daisy Winder is from 1950.  I went in search of what exactly it was, and how it was used.  Can you believe that there are still instructions and patterns for using it?  

 

Just take a look at this one, for making an 8 spoke square motif.  How neat is this?  Or maybe you want to make some diamonds? 

 

These pins above, took me back in time.

 

Back to my teenage years, about 14 years old to be precise, and the hours spent in my grandma's sewing shop.  I would leave school in the afternoon, and walk about 10 minutes, through neighborhoods and a field, to her little shop, tucked into a corner of a little street in Johannesburg, South Africa.

I still remember everything about it.  The way it looked, the way it smelled, and the even the music she would have playing on her cassette player.  Portuguese music that we would sing along to, while working together.

I was the dedicated unpicker.  At first, I hate it.  I kept asking her why I had to do that, it was boring, and there were so many stitches to pull out.  Why couldn't I do the fun stuff, like making wedding dresses with her, or having a go at her serger/overlocker, which had always fascinated me.

She would just chuckle and say "Patience, one day.  But first you need to learn how to unpick the seams so that I can alter them."

She did eventually start giving me a little more freedom.  She would sit and teach me, with all the patience in the world.  I learned how to use the machines, how to sew, how to alter, how to make my own patterns, and sew buttons, attach zippers and so on.

After graduating high school, one of my first jobs was working at a Singer machine shop in the local mall.  I loved it.  It was everything that I wanted in one place.  I got to be around fabric, thread, needles, machines and even got to take a sewing course, which my grandmother accompanied me to for a whole week.

I loved her so much.  I miss her to this day.

Having these sewing treasures makes me feel like I am still connected to her.  I can just imagine how she would have reacted seeing these.  No doubt her eyes would open wide, she would do her adorable chuckle and then tell me all about what each item was, what it was used for and how to take care of them.

I know that often we tend to take these treasures for granted.  For some it is just trash, unusable items that have been passed down and are no longer needed.  That may be the case, but others like me, they are treasures that tell a story of a time long ago.  And while I will never use them, save for the pins which I always need more of and these are the good ones.....I will keep them forever, tucked away in my sewing box.

Tell me, do you have vintage treasures passed down to you as well?  What are they?