Kelli at "There's No Place Like Home" is hosting a Show and Tell Friday, that I thought would be fun to participate in.
I came across this old lace collar at an estate sale, about 4 years ago. It was mixed in with some new "old" pieces of lace collars, fancy cuffs and long pieces of lace - some with the original price tag still pinned on. Some of those pieces I sold or got rid of, some of them I kept.
This one that I kept was not the most beautiful. It wasn't new and "showy" and yet it was the piece that seemed to be the most interesting. I know nothing about the person who made it or wore it. Or do I?
You need to click on the picture to enlarge it b/c when you do, in the bottom right hand side you will see a delicate patch job and some darning. There are quite a few other areas that you can barely see that have also been darned. The collar is cotton and very thin.
It makes me wonder about the woman who wore this collar? Did she make it herself? Did it perk up her "one good dress" or was it worn on her "everyday dress".
The stitches are so fine, the patch job barely noticeable from the front.
Why didn't this woman throw away this old collar when it first showed signs of wear? And was the woman who saved this piece along with other "new" pieces, the woman who once wore it? And if not - what was the value in saving this old "rag"?
I'd love to meet the woman who fixed up this old collar and continued to wear it, despite the condition it was in. Did she live during the Depression? Did she live 100 years ago?
Why am I keeping this piece? I don't know. It doesn't hold the same kind of meaning as it would if it belonged to my grandma or great-grandma. But all the same it is precious. It hearkens back to a time when society didn't just throw things away, they lived by the proverb:
This one that I kept was not the most beautiful. It wasn't new and "showy" and yet it was the piece that seemed to be the most interesting. I know nothing about the person who made it or wore it. Or do I?
You need to click on the picture to enlarge it b/c when you do, in the bottom right hand side you will see a delicate patch job and some darning. There are quite a few other areas that you can barely see that have also been darned. The collar is cotton and very thin.
It makes me wonder about the woman who wore this collar? Did she make it herself? Did it perk up her "one good dress" or was it worn on her "everyday dress".
The stitches are so fine, the patch job barely noticeable from the front.
Why didn't this woman throw away this old collar when it first showed signs of wear? And was the woman who saved this piece along with other "new" pieces, the woman who once wore it? And if not - what was the value in saving this old "rag"?
I'd love to meet the woman who fixed up this old collar and continued to wear it, despite the condition it was in. Did she live during the Depression? Did she live 100 years ago?
Why am I keeping this piece? I don't know. It doesn't hold the same kind of meaning as it would if it belonged to my grandma or great-grandma. But all the same it is precious. It hearkens back to a time when society didn't just throw things away, they lived by the proverb:
Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Or do without.
Wear it out
Make it do
Or do without.
