Fortunate Finds: 1947 Glide-Tex Pressing Cloth Brochure

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I found an unused vintage pressing cloth from 1947 at an estate sale:

I thought that you would like to see the totally cute "How to Press with Glide-Tex" instruction booklet included with the cloth.  Page three includes good basic instructions about how to press-as-you-go for home sewers and dressmakers.

Of course, I still couldn't bring myself to break out my iron and try the actual cloth out considering that it is probably 65 years old and chemically processed in some mysterious way.

The last page is basically an ad for other sewing and pressing-related products that the David Traum Company made.

Enjoy!

A Step-Saving Kitchen from 1949

I've been floating around the web looking for 1930s and 1940s kitchen color schemes (due to my new swedish weaving/huck embroidery kitchen towel fascination) and I came across this charming video for a U-shaped kitchen designed by the Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics:



I love some of the ideas in the design (and I love the Bakelite radio installed by the telephone)!  Did you know that you need at least 36 inches of counter space to mix bread dough properly?

As for storage, I like the idea of standing racks for baking pans above the counter rather than below, and the storage bins above and at counter height are brilliant for saving counter space.  Though I do think there are some flaws in the design.  For example, storing items above a stove is only asking for heat-damage or loss of flavor/nutrients. 

What do you think of the step-saving kitchen?

A Belated Father's Day Tribute

Father's Day weekend was so busy that I did not have time to put together the little post that I want to share with you in honor of my dad.

Many crafters often talk about their mothers, grandmothers, aunts, or other significant women as the persons who nurtured their creative spirit as children and taught them the skills to sew, embroider, knit, or some other artistic endeavor.

I did learn to crochet with my mother as we took a class together when I was a kid, and she encouraged me to take art lessons (though I decided not to do so -- a decision I regret because I cannot draw worth a hoot).

But I believe that the person in my life who most nurtured my artistic side was my father, and I'm sure that it is he who passed down the "crafty" gene from his side of the family tree.

 I also get my love of collecting from him, as he was the first person taught me how fun it is to identify potential collectibles. He's still collecting various things today and we are now in competition for the coveted title of Best Costume Jewelry Collection Ever.

My father took many different classes as a child and teen where he could work with his hands: woodworking, working with clay and plastics, metal work. He made the requisite ashtrays and the like, but not much of his work has survived.

 I do have photos of couple of his handmade work completed around the age of 12 that have survived being tossed in a box and forgotten over the years.

This atomic age 1950s plastic salt and pepper shaker is unusually shaped, cut and layered by hand, and very cool. This photo doesn't do it justice and unfortunately, time has stained it a bit. You can see the opening for the pepper side in this picture:

This little piggy cutting board, also cut by hand, is one my favorite things:

So let's give three cheers for all the crafty dads out there! And happy (belated) Father's Day to my own dear dad.

Vintage Thingies Thursday: Pyrex Love

For today's Vintage Thingies Thursday I am showcasing part of my small but beloved vintage Pyrex collection:

Vintage 1970s Pyrex mugs in the Spice of Life pattern

 

Vintage 1960s  2 1/2 quart Pyrex oval casserole dish in the Verde pattern

            

Vintage 1970s turquoise Pyrex one quart casserole in the Butterprint pattern
(a.k.a. "Amish", "Rooster and Corn", "Farmer" pattern)

 

Detail of Butterprint
  I think that the farmer and his wife would would make a cute
decoration for retro kitchen if embroidered on a wall hanging

Or should I say that this is my former Pyrex collection?  In the interest of simplicity I can no longer hang on to these housewares.  These pieces are all now listed in my Etsy shop and are just waiting for good homes.  They are a bit heavy,  so I listed them to ship via U.S. Priority Mail.  I'm flexible, so email me if you want to discuss other U.S. shipping options or if you would like these shipped internationally.  And they are automatically included in my current sale!  Fee free to check it out.

I've decided that in the future I'm only going to collect refrigerator and divided dishes, though perhaps I shouldn't say "collect" because I intend to use them. I prefer to store my leftovers in glass dishes when possible and these vintage dishes are just the ticket (although the seal isn't airtight).  I like the Gooseberry and Pink Daisy patterns the best,  but they are very popular patterns and harder to find.  When I've seen them at estate sales around here they are astronomically and ridiculously priced.

If you really like vintage Pyrex as I do you will definitely enjoy the Pyrex Love website.  Sadly, the contributors have not updated the blog in quite a while, but there is still a lot of good information on the site.

Don't forget to visit the other Vintage Thingies Thursday participants at Coloradolady's blog!

Vintage Thingies Thursday: The Spirit of '70 Manitoba Centennial Plate

With all of the attention that has been focused upon Canada for these past Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, I thought I'd feature a 1970 Canadian collector plate for this week's Vintage Thingies Thursday:

I found this in a thrift store just a few years ago.  Though I have been to Vancouver, Canada, I've never been to Manitoba.  About the only connection I have to Manitoba is liking one of the songs the 60s band The Guess Who sang.  So I really had no reason to pick it up, but as happens so often when I'm thrifting I found it so darned unusual to find this in Southern California that I couldn't put it back down!

The porcelain plate celebrates Manitoba's centennial in 1970, having been formed on July 15, 1870.   The buffalo is Manitoba's symbol.  The plate is edged and decorated with 22K gold, and is proudly marked "100% Canadian" in gold upon the back:

It's rather fun to have this unique plate, but I think that if I ever meet a Manitoban for whom this would have sentimental value I'd be persuaded to part with it!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Vintage Thingies Thursday posts!