Thursday, November 10, 2011

The Motherhood Book

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I bought this lovely old book the other day entitled The Motherhood Book. It dates from the 1930's, but an inscription in the front cover says it was given as a gift in 1940, which, (I hope she doesn't mind me telling you), is the year my Mum was born! To think that her Mummy may have had a book similar to this, to help her raise her newborn...
There are several chapters about how to look after babies and young children at the front of the book. Boiling the glass milk bottles in a saucepan must have taken some organisation every day!
'Modern' prams of the era!
Similar to the one that I sold in my shop a few months ago.
The book then moves on to making clothes, with lots of knitting patterns...
And other craft items and toys.
This beautiful layette basket below reminds me very much of the one I found in Bridport earlier this year.

I love books like this that offer a glimpse as to how life was in the past.

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I've been crafting this week and amongst my makes is this torso cushion with a slight nod to motherhood.
I used vintage wool and dressed the cushion with a pocket made from antique French hand stitched mesh lace, and gave her a vintage hand crocheted collar at her neck.
The collar fastens with a pretty filigree butterfly brooch.
A Victorian photograph of a child and a French Christmas postcard are slipped into the pocket.
It has a separate feather-filled made-to-measure pad inside (made by me).

A cute decorative pillow for a Mum-to-be? - The photos could be swapped for family photos or keepsakes instead.
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Thank you for all your kind comments to my previous post - Have a lovely day,
Niki x

5 comments:

  1. Hello Niki,
    how clever to make such a shape of a pillow and then use one of the dainty collars on it! I have a steadily growing collection of collars and used a few for lamp shades. Thanks for the explanation of picture 15 - it is unlikely that I will come around your missing pepper pot as we have only few British items to be found over here. But I am sure you will find it one day :-).

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  2. I love your torso cushions, Niki! In fact, I still proudly display the one I purchased from you a couple of years ago, in the French blue toile I loved so dearly. That book is a real treasure ~ I so enjoy reading guidebooks such as that, that my own mom or grandmothers may have read when they were my age.

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  3. What a lovely old book, I can spend hours just looking through books like that.

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  4. Anonymous8:40 am

    Hi Niki,
    I am laughing as i just read your comment :) yes you are on my list of ladies to pass the time with haha,i have a picture of me in a pram just like that all dressed in lemon with a knitted cardi and booties with ribbons to match,what a fabulous book and wow it really makes you think how times have changed.
    Your pillow is beautiful,really pretty and so feminine,
    XxX

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  5. Hi Niki. Is the beautiful torso cushion on your Nov 10th blog still for sale? I would like to buy it if it is! I loved the article about the Motherhood book. What a very special find. All the best Teresa

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Thank you for finding the time to visit me...
Niki xx