An Apron Mystery and A Dog’s Day

This apron was a mystery to me. I thought someone made it, but didn’t complete it. There are no neck straps or ties.

 

Then I saw this pattern and the purpose was clear. It was a style of apron that went with a 1920s dress. The top of the apron was pinned to the dress fabric. I think this is one of the all-time silliest pieces of clothing that were ever designed. Can you imagine pinning and re-pinning an apron to the silk and crêpe dresses of the era?

As I was ironing the apron, the handle broke on the plastic squeeze bottle I use for misting.

I went down to the shop and brought up a 1935 Coke bottle with an old aluminum “sprinkler” top and finished the job. It worked well. As I was ironing, I was thinking, “I wonder why no one uses sprinklers anymore.” And then I remembered…maybe it is because everyone else would have poured the water into the, I don’t know, steam iron, perhaps?  Sometimes, I scare myself.

I still think that headboard lights from the 1920s through the 1950s can not be improved upon. This is mine, above. Just reach up and pull the chain. It is so convenient. Just as one’s eyes begin to flutter toward sleep, the light can be turned off without having to re-awake.

My cat, I call her Kaiser because I thought she was a boy, doesn’t care if the light is on or off.

Going through things to price for the shop today, I added three 1920s powder puffs to a box to be carried downstairs.

A glass-domed handmade molded paper image of the Sacred Heart.  Some people think these were made by nuns, but I don’t know if that is true. Perhaps the ones embroidered in real gold thread were made by nuns, but I’d bet not. The prayer is in French. I suspect that these are actually souvenirs from Lourdes and other shrines and cathedrals with the earliest examples boasting the more elaborate embroidery and later examples, like this one, were made from molded and gilded paper around 1900.

A vintage bridge tablecloth and a lovely handmade quilt made from the clothing of many eras. A true American quilt, its fabric ranges from the printed calicos of the 1870s to feedsack cotton of the 1930s. Quilts sell for next to nothing now as many people don’t seem to treasure them. I’ll show you something I treasure…

These are illustrations by Cecil Aldin from the book, A Dog Day, written by Walter Emmanuel in 1902. The impish hero tells the story of one day in his life, in his own voice. He gets into a lot of trouble. His quirky terrier personality is so charming that he never seems to get punished for his mischievous behavior. He lives in a reality of his own making.

This book usually sells for 40.00 or 50.00 to those who love Cecil Aldin, but mine is without value. The reason it is valueless is the reason I love it. You see, at one time, maybe in 1919 or 1940 or even in 1960…

 It was chewed on by a puppy.

Love, Ginene