[Albion Wilde]

Grandmom had the wringer washer in the kitchen. The washboard was in the bathroom by the claw-foot tub. Seems like only yesterday, somehow.

And how about curtain drying frames and pants stretchers?

One of my favorite childhood memories is the handmade things the women would make for the church bazaar and for their sisters' households. I have still hung onto a handmade calico apron, an appliqued tablecloth, some crocheted baby clothes, a set of embroidered pillowcases,some tatted dress collars and a knitted toy squirrel holding a knitted acorn, all from church bazaars. The ladies also used to make "day of the week" embroidered handkerchief sets, yo-yo clowns, sock monkeys and calico bags that looked like aprons to put over the washline to hold the clothespins.

Along with Woman's Day and LIFE, many households subscribed to this:

[MeshugeMikey]

I had one of these:

there were several of these around the house as well!

[Ditter]

When I think back to my earliest memories it seems like I am remembering another era, I guess I am.

I was born in 1940 and I can remember a horse drawn wagon delivering ice to my aunts “icebox” and she lived in an inner city neighborhood in Houston. We lived in a little country town out side of Houston called Bellaire and we had a horse drawn wagon come and sell us fresh vegetables. I remember when the guy got his first truck. He was so proud.

My mothers family really lived out in the country and they didn't have electricity or indoor plumbing.

Yikes I am old!

[Covenantor]

Haven't seen one of those since I was responsible for washing and pressing my khaki JROTC uniform in high school.

Hung the stretchers on the clothes line in the small back yard. In pre-teen years the clothes lines made for grand tents when playing army.

How many can identify spring clothes pins or wooden clothes pegs now?

Afghans were a popular item for awhile at church bazaars.

[Grateful2God]

I got teary-eyed over that one! Those frames were adjustable, and I can still see my Dad's blue work pants on them. If you look closely in the pic, you can even see the little clippy things that adjusted the size...

to this day, i still have dresser scarves put away. My grandmother, using the smallest hook they made, crocheted the lace around the edges. The clothespin bags with two kinds of pins, the spring-loaded, and the straight kind that you could use to make a little doll.

When I was a baby, my Mom nearly died after three months in a cancer hospital. By nothing short of a miracle, she survived. They used to have occupational therapy, and although she was weak and it took her awhile, she made me a sock monkey. I have it to this day. I was a little over a year old when she was there, and, at one low point, she told my Dad to take it home to me, she was never going to get well. Well, my Dad, whose heart was breaking, too, put on the tough guy face and handed it right back to her, telling her he didn't want to hear that! She was coming home, and that's all there was to it. And she did come home!

This thread has been such a joy, thanks everybody for sharing your funny, fascinating, and beautiful memories!

PS: Does anyone recall the little sprinkler tops you'd put on a (glass) pop bottle? You'd fill the bottle with water, put the sprinkler thing on top, and use it when ironing before steam irons were around?

[knarf]

girls used to LEARN from mama and church ladies and everyone DID something domestic

Now?

Makdoe's anyone ?

[Mears]

I collected beautiful handkerchiefs in the mid 40s.

I still have them.

.