vintage embroidered tea towels
Not only is it great to have low-cost (usually) used items to display and give as gifts in this slow economy, but it is fun to search for items that we affectionately remember our grandmothers using in their homes. Of course, some of us are a bit surprised by what is classified as vintage since we remember growing up with it ourselves! 
Front and back covers of a WWII booklet issued by the National Cotton Council of America which sums up the homefront effort to conserve
"A Yard Saved Is a Yard Gained for Victory."
Maybe some of you remember the life and times growing up in the 1930’s-40’s the same as Gail Martin, a fun lady that is 83 years young.
“In the 1930’s, when feed and flour companies began using attractive print material for sacks to hold their product, Mother was in ‘seventh heaven.’ This advertising gimmick certainly had results the ad people were looking for, as everyone was soon proudly wearing feed sack dresses. Mother baked all our bread so we bought more flour than we do now. Back then, flour came in twenty-five, fifty & one hundred pound sacks. Mother's kitchen cabinet had a large flour storage area built in that held fifty pounds or more.
A lot of time and much thought went into buying the flour and chicken feed. We girls loved to go with our parents to Eureka, the closest town from our rural home, to help choose the material we liked best. Then, Mother had to be sure Daddy bought enough to make what we had in mind. When that turned out to be impossible, we traded sacks with our neighbors and relatives until we had the required yardage.”
Feed and flour sack material was colorful and cheery
Times were hard back then, but there is a reason that they are looked back upon fondly. Values were strong. For the most part, God seemed to be more accepted and present in families and society. Hard times bound the family and community closer together. More often than not, the load was lightened by many a neighbor helping neighbor. Hospitality wasn’t so much of an art back then, as it was a necessity; a means of companionship, catching up with the latest news and checking on the needs of those you care about. So much has been lost today due to the lack of face-to-face hospitality.
There shouldn’t need to be a reason to open your heart and home, but I have a good one ...the holidays. When the house is already cleaned and decorated for autumn and winter festivities, when the cookies are already made or bought, why not invite a friend or neighbor to your home for some spiced cider and cookies? You may be surprised at how much fun it is to get to know someone and to share the blessing of your home.
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