..........i've been writing alot about June lately. What she wears, what she does, how much of a family woman she is...mostly, about how much she's loved.
So it only made sense, when I ran across an archived post "Sewing for the Home" to think of her. The more I read my list, the more it hits me...June would have been sewing all of these items long before she became a bride. I can see her now, lovingly stitching each line of the words on her "days of the week" dishtowels.
And thus, the title of this post.
Hey, while we are on the subject, do any of you (or your daughters) have hope chests? Please send some pics my way of ANY handiwork you created for your home.
I promise to post.
Love,
Sue
And now, the list
What June Cleaver would (probaby) sew for her hope chest:
After June sewed:
Curtains or headers for every window
and: throw rugs for every room
She would move onto the dining room items:
Chair pads and backs
Serving apron (fancy pinafore or hostess style)
3 sets of placemats and matching/coordinated napkins
2 tablecloths.
Table runner for serving food
Everyday aprons.
She would want her kitchen outfitted with the following:
homemade—potholders, ovenmitts/gloves, dishtowels and dishrags washcloths.
Because sewing was such an art, she might go so far as including:
Fitted bed sheets, pillow cases, homemade quilts/comforters.
Now, granted, in our culture, we probably would spend less money purchasing some of these items than sewing them, nor would we even want to take the time in crafting something so elementary as a dishcloth. Read on for "Today's Modern Hope Chest"
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Today's Modern Hope chest
When your read about the hope-chests of yore, you have to ask yourself…is there any hope for the survival of the hopechest in the 21st century?
Let’s face it—you are probably NOT going to sew your own sheets by hand. (You wouldn’t even save money that way). And a lot of the items that June would have sewn (like oven mitts) wouldn’t necessarily look better hand-sewn—or be worth the time.
Does that mean that nothing can go into a hopechest that is not homemade? Absolutely not. If you have a wonderful candy dish passed down from your grandmother, or a luscious oriental vase you’ve been gifted with, you will certainly want to include them.
And it’s not only fine china or breakables that fit in the “manufactured” category—remember, woman on the prairie had some cookware in their hopechest.
So please don’t think I’m trying to limit you here. I just think that some modern things, like blenders, look silly in the hopechest.
Anything unusual, costly, or of sentimental value, is fair game.
After all, if you chose every conceivable item necessary for running today’s modern home, you’d need a hopeship, not a chest.
The prairie women of old had their husbands make their furniture, and had very few household items. So they did include everything.
Here’s a suggested list of handmade items you could sew for your hopechest:
Throw pillows
Shelf scarves
Table runners
Hand embroidered pillow cases
Fancy up your dollar store towels with trim (becomes a guest towel) or
Monogram your towels (when you know your pending last name :0
Shelf scarves
Dresser runners
Throw pillows
Slipcovers (fabric that covers mediocre furniture--or protects nice furniture)
Lace panels for daytime (placed behind your curtains)
Fancy pinafore/serving apron
In the days to come, I hope to post diagrams for sewing all of these.
Let’s face it—you are probably NOT going to sew your own sheets by hand. (You wouldn’t even save money that way). And a lot of the items that June would have sewn (like oven mitts) wouldn’t necessarily look better hand-sewn—or be worth the time.
Does that mean that nothing can go into a hopechest that is not homemade? Absolutely not. If you have a wonderful candy dish passed down from your grandmother, or a luscious oriental vase you’ve been gifted with, you will certainly want to include them.
And it’s not only fine china or breakables that fit in the “manufactured” category—remember, woman on the prairie had some cookware in their hopechest.
So please don’t think I’m trying to limit you here. I just think that some modern things, like blenders, look silly in the hopechest.
Anything unusual, costly, or of sentimental value, is fair game.
After all, if you chose every conceivable item necessary for running today’s modern home, you’d need a hopeship, not a chest.
The prairie women of old had their husbands make their furniture, and had very few household items. So they did include everything.
Here’s a suggested list of handmade items you could sew for your hopechest:
Throw pillows
Shelf scarves
Table runners
Hand embroidered pillow cases
Fancy up your dollar store towels with trim (becomes a guest towel) or
Monogram your towels (when you know your pending last name :0
Shelf scarves
Dresser runners
Throw pillows
Slipcovers (fabric that covers mediocre furniture--or protects nice furniture)
Lace panels for daytime (placed behind your curtains)
Fancy pinafore/serving apron
In the days to come, I hope to post diagrams for sewing all of these.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
It takes a household to make a Martha
What’s so bad about June? I’ve always liked her, as long as I stayed free from comparing my performance to hers. (You know what I mean ladies...whom among us has never fallen prey to "Martha Envy"?)
In my youth, I remember watching re-runs of June and Ward. Ah, June, the dutiful wife of the perfectly respectful husband, and connected father. Her children rose up and called her blessed…just think about how they’d always kiss mom on the cheek. And her husband praised her. Well, he didn’t do a lot of complimenting on the show, but his admiration for her showed.
Remember how he’d help her do the dishes?
And he let her stay home? And she didn’t even have little ones to watch.
He sure did love her.
No wonder she loved what she did; kids who adored her, and the support of a strong loving man. Not to mention an entire society that embraced her rank as honorable.
Who can blame her for celebrating housework –dolling up in pearls to mop the floor.
What a mom.
What a man.
What a family.
What a team.
Put on some pearls, and a happy face today. You're important!
In my youth, I remember watching re-runs of June and Ward. Ah, June, the dutiful wife of the perfectly respectful husband, and connected father. Her children rose up and called her blessed…just think about how they’d always kiss mom on the cheek. And her husband praised her. Well, he didn’t do a lot of complimenting on the show, but his admiration for her showed.
Remember how he’d help her do the dishes?
And he let her stay home? And she didn’t even have little ones to watch.
He sure did love her.
No wonder she loved what she did; kids who adored her, and the support of a strong loving man. Not to mention an entire society that embraced her rank as honorable.
Who can blame her for celebrating housework –dolling up in pearls to mop the floor.
What a mom.
What a man.
What a family.
What a team.
Put on some pearls, and a happy face today. You're important!
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