Changing Skirt lenghts and widths

Mirjam, It seems your late Mother and mine might have had the same thoughts about altering and re-making clothes, like you do. My DM sewed for other people and during the depression here in the US during the 30s, she remade many things for her customers. One, I remember well, was the truant officer for the schools, a tall very slim lady, who had to wear suits while working. Good wool was difficult to find; then one day she and my Mom found J.C. Penney had wool men's suits on sale very reasonable. Miss Jackson bought one to try and DM re-did it into a most attractive suit, perfectly fitted for her. The pants made a nice skirt that was the latest style in those days, and the jacket with a few modifications became a nice fitted one. I have 3 daughters, and I never wanted them to wear "hand-me-downs" per se, so I always added a band in the skirt, or made an A-line from a flared, so many different ways to refresh/renew them before passing them down. And I don't like alterations, either; those were just necessary at the time. Emily

Emily , yes our mothers seem to come from the same `school of thinking

My mother lived in Europe, Where the depresion looked a bit different , but like elsewhere people had to do with what they got. Nowadys when i see at times , clothes thrown by a dustbin i am uneasy about it. With my own, I try and recycle , reuse every thing i have. Once it was called being economical or thrifty, now with EARTH being wasted away around us , We all know It is the right thing to do.

I read the wondxerful book, Anonymous was a Woman, By Mirra Bank , St.Martin Press, 1979, Where you see works of art made from remnants.

I was facinated to read in sewing books , about the cycle of clothes. First they were folded and resewn [ not cut] several times for the lady and master of the house , than they went to children and servants , and slowly they were cut into smaller and other useful things. I think it is a IDEA that people now adays, in many places should relearn.

Oh i have a Life -Time book that shows how to do that !!!!

Having grown up with our background , sure we dislike "hand me downs " and altering, but i think that this Developed my Creativity !!! mirjam

:-)) I'll bet there were many people who wished the Depression had stayed in the US. I can even remeber the odd fact abnout it still from studying it many decades ago. I even recall that the highest unemployment figures of the Great Depression were shared by Germany and Australia.

I've often thought that many of us learned to sew from parents who well remembered the Great Depression but many of our generation didn't teach our own kids to sew because they were a generation which we raised in comparitive affluence.

Being a child in the 30s, I saw the poverty everywhere, however, we didn't feel it, since my DF had a job and DM sewed; DM decided when we were small, we should all learn three things, keep a clean home, cook whatever we wanted, and sew whatever we wanted. If we didn't have a pattern for what we liked, we learned to create our own. I did the same with my children, though in the 50s, it was more difficult, for them, with all the other things to do, but they learned. Emily

I just found the most remarkable site -- my apologies if someone has already posted it --

When you go there next, can you please vote for the book called something like "Make and Mend for Victory" to be next on the list of books they scan? I am dying to see what is in it.

Farmi , i am 65 , thus i brought up my daughter in a time when Some Feminine Equality ideas were already Ripe in the air,, I was still brought up with :"a job is nice for a woman , just in case her husband doesn`t make it well ,, etc,,, " I think many of us brought our daughters up , to have a carrer of their own . Thus we encourage more study etc,,, , I know quite some European [ non Israeli] woman who went studying and kept themselves Deliberately away from .."all those female handcrafts" ... It is mostly a case of trends at the place/society you live in. mirjam

I learned a lot by looking , than later filled up gaps of knowledge by reading about it , and i come from a long line of Crafting people on Both sides ,,,, mirjam

singerlady.reno.nv.us.earth.milky-way.comhttp://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/THANK YOU JOANNE !!! what a delightful site !!!! Ps i have to share with you [all] a text i found in a book. I gave it to my Late MIL , when she became a pensioner from her office work, and `inherited` it. Creative Embroidey , by Joan Nicholson , Gramercy Pulications Company, MCMLX,

All in all it is a nice books it gives veru good illustrations to stitches and how to elaborate them.. and than on page 65 ,,, i found this `Jewel` ...An embroidered apron for a little girl would be welcome, and would make her feel quite grown up as she helps set the dinner table.

I don`t know about you ladies , but i GULPED.... I have no problem with a girl liking an apron ,, But i don`t agree with the second part ,,,, in my house both daughter and son set the table...

Speaking of that , i am now adays reading many forewords and other `interesting` ideas in older sewing and craft books,,, it is a great eye opener ,,,, mirjam

Mirjam, I am 70, and had several jobs in my life that were "first woman to ...." kinds of jobs. When I graduated high school, my father reneged on his promise to put me through college, and when my mother took him to court over it, the woman judge ruled that "a girl doesn't need a college education, she can always wait tables or make a living some other way." Hard to believe, eh? But women's jobs didn't pay what men's jobs did, so I went after traditional men's jobs.

So my four children, two step-daughters and two sons, are on equal footing, and have always been so.

When I read an email list and see some woman write, "My husband won't let me .....xxx...." my blood pressure goes through the roof. LOL! The same goes with boys not being allowed to cook, sew, clean, or do such necessary tasks. You won't find many people here saying such things.

In my house the boys *have* to lay the table as my daughter has grown up and left home, and if she were still at home they would all share that job. They also clear the table and load the dishwasher. Being boys I don't make them wear embroidered aprons, though I do insist on hands being washed :-)

Lizzy

singerlady.reno.nv.us.earth.milky-way.comhttp://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/> > THANK YOU JOANNE !!! what a delightful site !!!!>

My bro and both sisters always helped with household tasks like this. We had a good example to follow in my dad. He was unusual in a dad of the 50's & 60's, in that he'd HAD to become domesticated after his mother died and he had two younger brothers to see out the door. His own father was useless to the point of burning water...

My son can not only cook, but clean, sort laundry and weild the washer, load the dishwasher and use that, and sew. My sister's two sons are also both excellent cooks and can do the domestic stuff, as can her hubby. One of these two nephews 9age 17) is on a catering course at college. he has ambitions to run his own ski chalet!

I have several older sewing book, one at least dating back to the 30's. Full of useful techniques and ideas!

Born in the '70's, I have managed to combine both a fulfilling career as a Chartered Electrical Engineer - and a satisfying hobby of those "feminine crafts" (I mainly machine sew clothes for me, curtains etc., I can also crochet and make bobbin lace).

Give the male dominated nature of engineering, some might say my profession and hobbies are an unlikely match, but I don't think so! I also do the DIY and gardening when given time.

These day's I am practising those very feminine motherhood skills, with a demanding toddler and an imminent bump.

Sarah (Jill of all trades.....)

Mazal tov [ good luck] Sarah !!! You are a `classical` modern young woman !!!

Having known some Male engineers who knit and /or embroider , i wasn`t at all thinking one can`t combine the two ,, Any way you should remember that several Ages afo women weren`t allowed to knit, and while they were allowed to embroider a pattern drawn by a man , they weren`t considered Creative etc.... Thus `you have made ` it !!!:>:>:>

mirjam