Needlecraft - August 1938

 Another Home Arts Needlecraft magazine, this time from August 1938. The covers make me laugh, sometimes they seem a bit random, but always cute.

 Don't you love looking at the advertisements? I would love a tick tock alarm clock. Take note of the aprons the ladies are wearing in the sketches. Cute!

 This is the back cover. Aren't the dishes pretty? So typical of the era.

 A few summer dresses for the readers enjoyment. How about that housecoat?

 

And an apron! In a cute kitchen.

"A well ordered kitchen, well equipped and cheerful in color does much to cool the canning campaign."

 

"Cute" seems to be the word of the day, sorry!

Needlecraft December 1938

 The cover just cracks me up!

It is crazy to think the original price for the magazine was ten cents and I thought I got a bargain when I bought it for four dollars!

 This was the height of the Scottie Dog craze. Here is advertised a stuffed scottie, a scottie embroidered pillow and chair set. (I am assuming the chair set is little covers to put on a upholstered chair to keep the arms and headrest clean.)

 Suggested handmade gifts for 1938; Quilted jackets, embroidered waistcoats, girdles and suspenders (these are the kind made to wear outside your clothes as a wide belt, not the undergarment variety), embroidered hoods, embroidered slippers, challis blouses, shirred skirts.

 Hankies always seem to be the "fall back gift" in the 30s and 40s. If you didn't know to get a person or didn't know them that well, give them hankies! But can resist a charming embroidered hankie?

 I love this advice on choosing a frock for Christmas. "Buy color for your Christmas frock. Choose simple designs with lines that will give you a trimly short flaring skirt, a nipped in waist  and a high neckline. Don't forget that good-cheer frocks, such as shown here, are best with long sleeves because winter makes a long, long after Christmas stay."

Don't you love the little dolls with their national costumes? Too too cute!

The Season's Newest Wrappings - 1938

"Wrapping the Christmas gifts is fast becoming a craft in its own right, for every holiday season brings a wealth of smart new ideas for those who want to make their gifts a joy to anticipate and a memory to be cherished. With happily chosen papers, plenty of ribbons and tricky seal and tags, many of which match or harmonize with the papers in design, there is no limit to what a fertile imagination can accomplish. And if a fertile imagination is not one's personal attribute, there are dozens of ideas to copy and adapt. Many of the papers come in a choice of color combinations, so that nearly everyone can find just what suits and if a paper is selected with due regard for the age, sex, or personality of the recipient, the results are certain to delight.

......Besides, there is a clever new wrinkle you will want to try, for though attractive papers and ribbons can glorify the humblest of gifts, you have only to attach one of the new "tie-up tie-ons" to make it entirely unique, an outstanding contribution to anybody's Christmas stocking!"

A page from Needlecraft 1938 December issue. Aren't the ideas clever?

 Left-"A truly lonely winter picture in black and white on blue is suggested by a scenic paper. Wide red cellophane ribbon is tied to frame a single unit of the design."

Center-"Colorful shirt stripes and wee modernistic trees make an attractive wrappings, with tiny tree seals for the ends and a felt electric light pull tied across one end with baby ribbon."

Right-"For little tot's gift, there is an appealing snowman paper in red, white and silver, to which may be tied a cunning Snuggle Snowman in a red and white."



 Left- "A package for the hobbist is tied with a red ribbon that becomes a "hobby" bookmark."

Right- "An amenable paper that features gay tree ornaments in many colors. A pendent ball of red and white felt in a green felt twig, tied under a red bow becomes a curtain pull."

 "Young moderns will adore a skaters' paper in red, white and buff. Felt mittens are a Rapid Repair Kit for lapel, one holding needles, the other lipstick."

 Don't you love their way with words? I wouldn't mind a rapid repair kit either!

Right-"Try frosted gingerbread paper in brown and white on blue with a pair of matching holders for any hostess gift."

 Left- "Silver-bells-on-black may be tied with latticed red ribbon to which is fastened a bell pin-bell."

 

Needlecraft-Aug 1924

You have probaly noticed, Needlecraft is one of my favorite vintage magazines. I can't resist if I find one in an antique shop. This is one of my newest.

Not the most colorful of covers.

 This issue has lots of crochet patterns.

"Gretchen Frocks-a complete dress for four subscriptions. Stamped on linine with floss to embroider."

More gifts to readers for recruiting new readers.

 Apron Sighting! Isn't the illistration darling?

"This beautiful tea-pron is made entirely of a fine grade rose-colored rubber witha dainty crisp rubber ruffle of the same color." Don't you love it!!

 The latest fashions. What ladies magazine is complete without a page or two of fashion!

 

 

And a bright ad to end it all off.

 

1940 Home Arts Needlecraft

 Among my recent finds are these two lovely Needlecraft magazines. I have picked up quite a few now and am very excited as these are my first ones from 1940! Right around this time they changed their name from just Needlecraft to Home Art Needlecraft.

 Needlecraft has a bit of everything....... embroidery.........

Articles on homemaking....."Housework is lighter and easier since the amazing developments and advances in labor and time saving equipment and appliances. Electricity, gas, bottled gas, and kerosene are bringing undreamed comforts and conveniences to even the humblest of homes."

 Don't you love the ladies in their aprons hard at work?

Crafts..... A Pretty How-To-Do......."a simple to make party bag"....

 and of course Fashion!!

 this issue includes cooking......

......a patriotic Apron!

"A gay little apron of deep blue is trimmed with red and white polka-dotted fabric and simply decorated with daisies done in heavy white pearl cotton - for the 4th!"

 ........And more fashion! Such cute blouses!

Needlecraft - The Home Arts Magazine

Here is some of my newest finds I bought while visiting my sister. They are really fun magazines! Everything from canning, embroidery, sewing and knitting is found in them. Two are from 1935 and the other 1934. When I saw these, I knew they were going home with me!

I few pages showing applique and embroidery. I love how they have used buttonhole stitch around flowers (small circle at the left). I wouldn't of thought to use it like that.

Of course no woman's magazine would be complete without the latest fashions! And a few aprons! Don't you love the headline for Ball jars?

These are the back covers. Such gorgeous advertisements. A pity they are for cigarettes.

I tried to make the pictures big, as I just realized that you can't blow them up to get a good look. Hopefully you will now be able to catch all the details :)

Needlecraft March 1931

Go back 80 years........

You have just received your March issue of Needlecraft in the mail. You turn to the third page and you are enchanted with the article titled "Kitchen Aprons - Having Distinctive Charm".

"With a length of unbleached cotton, plenty of bias-fold and some charming designs for decoration, the construction of a fetching and practical apron is easy for any modern needlewoman." The first paragraph proclaims!

Starting on the left, "Ship Ahoy" has rose binding and black outline embroidery. "Lucky Clover" is of course- green applique clovers with green binding. Next is "Bonnibel" with blue bellflower appliques and blue binding. "Ringflower" is bound in lavender with flowers of rose, lavender and blue.

They are still enchanting after 80 years! I wish I had the patterns for them. Some day I am going to draft the patterns for them. I love the appliques and embroidery! Can't you just see them in your mind's eye in color?!