Inheritance - Of A Sort

The other day I went to my parents' house to look for some of my things - the things that I didn't take when I moved out. Unfortunately, I didn't find what I went looking for (maybe it's all in another storage place) but look at what I brought home!

These are all sorts of patterns from my ancestors. They range from the late thirties to the mid-seventies. They are amazing. Some of them are unfortunately missing pages and have bits stuck together from moisture, but I'm so very inspired. See the one in front with the blue tag? It says "A Necessary War Measure" and explaing that wool from Britain may be hard to find. In today's all-available world it's sometimes difficult to think of a time when there was no 24/7 anything-you-want life. The four books in the front all have tops or sweaters that I adore. The Workbasket magazines in the middle range fron 1948 to 1976 (but no '60s) and I have a plan for them - you'll see. The top is mostly doily and tablecloth books. I think my grandma crocheted doilies, but my great-grandma must have, too. I have some plans for those patterns, too, if my hands hold up. So, where did all of this come from? Apparently my mom's cousin had them in his attic and was going to throw them away but mom saved them. I kind of wish they had some handwritten notes in them- you know, so I can picture which relative worked on what. I'd love to know if anyone made and wore any of the tops so I can emulate them. I do need to find a way to store them to keep them from getting more damaged. I suppose I should invest in some plastic sleeves or archival boxes. Right now I'm still entranced in looking at everything over and over. and how sad is it that I can't still order all of the wonderful dress patterns advertised in the back of the magazines? Just one more time I'd love to have a time machine...

Hats Off

Around twenty years ago I had a hat that I wore all the time. It was slightly fedora shaped, black, courderoy, and from Avon. I wore it plain or wrapped with a scarf. Unfortunately, my ex-husband's stupid cat peed on it and ruined it. I miss that hat so much. I have lots of hats. Most of them are vintage - several only because they were new when I bought them and have gotten older. Three were gifts, given to me because I love hats and they were in the belongings of a wonderful lady who died. One is sadly in need of some restoration - a lovely 40's feathered beauty that needs reshaped and some new feathers. I'm going to wear my hats again, often, much to the dismay of my children. When my hair was long it was too thich for any of my hats to fit. Now that it's short they all fit perfectly. Yesterday I wore a round-brimmed one to the store. Yes, lots of people looked - maybe because it's slightly reminiscent of the one that Boy George wore in those colorful videos. Honestly, I don't care if people look at me when I'm feeling good and stylish and myself. They should look anyway. I walk tall and straight and smile. Perhaps they should try to emulate that a bit. (I hate that so many young people slouch! Ugh!) I'm planning to photograph my hat collection. Eventually they'll turn up here. You'll be amazed at the beads on a couple of them - the pumpkin one is spectacular. In the meantime, you can find me smiling and in a hat!