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Aunt Norie’s sewing room

By Eleanor Mckee - | Jun 24, 2009

Sorry, one word was dropped in last week’s story of “the chicks.” The line that read, “They had just sold their large RV for winter Texans,” should have said their “large RV Park for winter Texans.” That one word park explains a lot.

This happening takes me back to one of my Dad’s stern warnings, I’d like to pass along this morning. “Be very careful of every word you speak. Once it leaves your mouth, there’s no taking it back. It’s gone, it’s out there, always remember the written word can be erased, can be changed.” He added, “So stop and think before you go spouting off.”

Back to those tough depression days, some of the fashions. That little number called the prairie skirt, one of the top favorites, it could be a skirt, a dress, sun dress, prom dress, long skirted or short skirted. Most of all, it was so quick and easy, didn’t really need a pattern. It was just tiers or strips — usually narrower at the top, getting a bit wider as you went down, each strip gathered along the top, then the next strip gathered and added to the bottom of it and so on until it was the length you needed. The size of the person determined how long each strip had to be to fit around her.

Organdy was a favorite for prom or fancy ball gowns. A long prom dress could then have the lower tiers removed to become a Sunday dress. Checkered cotton gingham was popular for square-dance dresses. The ever popular feed sack was used for little girls’ play dresses.

Oh, and we forgot to mention: Back in those days girls never wore jeans, slacks, pants, like they do now. What a shame with laundry so much harder back then.

I do a lot of ripping as I sew and alter since I often buy a garment at garage sales just for the fabric. I like to use the single-edge razor blade; they get dull so much faster than they ever used to. The other day in frustration I picked an emery board. “I can’t hurt it or make it any worse can I?” I thought. Guess what? It worked. So I’d just like to pass that little tip along. Just run the edge of the blade across the emery board a time or two.

Oh, and we didn’t have air conditioners, during the depression. Hey, we’ve not got it so bad. Cheers now.

Aunt Norie, PO Box 265, Tonganoxie 66086; auntnorie@att.net