Thrifty Acres: Fun Times In 1949 - Part Two

Hello! Time for another trip down Memory Lane with the Winter 1949-50 issue of McCall Needlework Knitting . Crochet . Home Arts & Crafts.  I always find ads in older magazines interesting, for they give one a sense of what it was like to be a consumer in a different era. 

And since today's post highlights "fun times", let's see what purchases would have been considered fun in the winter of 1949-50, shall we? 

 Part of an ad from the National School of Dress Design - "Add Zest, Thrills, Fascination to your Work" - not bad for a home study course!

Weavers take notice! "14 EXCITING NEW COLORS...created exclusively for you!" (this ad is courtesy of the Davis Cordage Company). Makes me want to turn a cartwheel - except that I never learned how to turn one. Oh well. 

Are you ready for some thrills? 

How about "a new sewing thrill", as in Lamikin Felt, produced by the Central Felt Company? Whee! Actually, 100% wool is currently a very popular crafting medium, so I pick it up when I find it at thrift stores - even if it's not from the Central Felt Company.

Picture this: the lady of the house proudly shows off her new slipcovers to her admiring neighbors. "What lovely fabric! Where did you find it?" the neighbors want to know. 

"Why, from here..." our lady of the house explains:

"You see, I made my slipcovers from a government surplus parachute!" 

The ad goes on to explain: "This is the finest, best, and strongest nylon and silk that Uncle Sam could buy". The cost for that 65 square yards? $14.95 - with a shipping/handling fee of only $1.00! Sounds like a pretty good deal to me! 

The ad, which is from the American Agency, also mentions the sewing of slips, dresses, negligees and all sorts of undergarments. 65 yards would make a lot of slips! Fortunately, half and quarter chutes (32 and 16 square yards, respectively) were also available, at lower prices, of course. 

Here's some real fun:

I agree, it's fun to make gifts, but I have to admit, I've never had the fun of making them with Jaymor leather accessories and 100% lamb's wool. 

And continuing on with the DIY fun, we have:

See, the ad screams "IT'S FUN TO MAKE IT YOURSELF!" With the help of "HOW-TO-DO-IT" books from Greystone Press, that is. I love the breathless sentence above each book shown in the ad (not legible in the above photo, I realize), such as "Color and Decorating Scheme for Every Taste!" for HOW TO USE COLOR AND DECORATING DESIGNS IN THE HOME, or "At Last! Embroidery Made Easy!" for THE COMPLETE BOOK OF EMBROIDERY AND EMBROIDERY STITCHES. 

Part of the description of that book reads: "Embroider hundreds of articles which you and your friends will treasure for years. And have fun, too, with the help of this wonder-working guide." 

Well, I'd say it's a "wonder-working guide" indeed, if it made the embroidery of "hundreds of articles" sound fun. I like to do embroidery, but not that much! 

Well, that closes the book on the fun to be had in the winter of 1949-50 - at least according to this particular magazine!