There were not many homes without one of these beauties rattling away on the kitchen table as mother created another masterpiece of apparel..my grandmother was known to have bought a boys shirt from the Coop, taken it home and measured it, taking it back the next day for full refund. There followed the pattern making and sewing a shirt from an old sheet or even a curtain!
And mothers sat by the fire hand knitting or darning socks while listening to the wireless, while dad pegged a rug! Of course many still enjoy hobbies of knitting and sewing, but in those days not so long ago, every working and middle class family relied on these home skills.
Although the cottage industry was barely evident after the first world war, nevertheless some skilled ladies worked at home as dressmakers, and made a living selling their wares locally. If you have any recollections of any in Blackwell Parish, please leave your feedback so that it might be added to this page.
Stories abound of abandoned parachutes being turned into Wedding Dresses…did it happen here? This is a picture of a 1947 wedding dress said to have been handmade by the bride using a parachute which had saved her groom’s life.