My sisters married when I was a little girl. They all had "hope chests" – cedar chests in which treasured items – mainly linens – were stored for the day when they would establish their own homes. I wanted a hope chest, too, so Mother fixed up a little white trunk and I early began the process of collecting goods for the day I would marry. I had a number of embroidered pillowslips, a few "flour sack" dish towels with simple embroidered designs, some luncheon cloths (tablecloths), stainless steel flatware, and eventually a few of my rose dishes.
Mother embroidered most of the pillowcases, though I made several pair myself. I'm sorry to say I now have a drawer full of beautifully embroidered worn-out pillowslips. My dream had been to preserve them by making "pillowslip dolls," and I have several patterns for such in my collection, but when we moved to the modular home, I put all my pillowslips into one machine load to freshen them, and when I took them out of the dryer they had split. It doesn't seem to me that I used them all that much, mostly relying on the pillowcases that come with the bedding sets. But -- textiles get old just sitting on the shelf, and maybe once those body oils get into the threads it hastens the process. Sister Harriet adds that whiskers are rough on pillowcases.
I remember that in our teen years Aunt Chris gave me two dishtowels embroidered with poodles busy at daily chores. I suspect her training was much like mine. Among our first sewing lessons we were taught to straighten the edge of a piece of flour sacking by pulling a thread to determine the straight of the fabric, hem (or re-hem) the towel along that line, then stamp and embroider it. You could (and still can) buy sets of transfers for hand embroidery that included seven whimsical designs – one for each day of the week. Dish towels also wear out, but occasionally when I'm cleaning windows or mirrors, I pull out a "holey" towel with a poodle on it and think with affection of my "old" chum. KW
3 comments:
If you still have the embroidery part, I think they would be neat ironed and put in frames on the wall.
I have considered trimming the embroidery and appliqueing onto a pillowcase, then making a pillowcase doll. But I don't know -- even the embroidery looks worn. Sometimes it just freshens life to throw out the old and bring in the new. But thanks for the idea. KW
Hey, thanks for the memories! I do remember how we gave each other things for our hope chests!! It was so much fun, and SO LONG AGO!!! Oh my! I had a drawer--no chest, but I lovingly put things into it over our high school and college years. I still love my china--first pieces are from Christmas 1963. Imagine. Like you, my pillowcases are beyond hope, dish towels long worn out. I'm thinking of making more. :-)
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