SHOPPING FOR VINTAGE |
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LOOK FOR THE UNION LABEL
Here is a tip on identifying vintage items amid all the new knockoffs from Seventh Avenue. Back in the mid-20th century, a great many clothes on the market in the U.S.A. were not only made here, but were made by members of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Starting in 1958 after a major successful strike settlement, IGLWU clothes proudly wore the "union label," a small square label with the round ILGWU logo. (Earlier clothing wore various labels indicating union or fair-labor provenance, but this was the first big nationwide push for union identification.) The ILGWU existed until 1995 when it merged with another union, the ACTWU, to form UNITE, so its label does not necessarily mean a garment is that old. But the logo changed over the years; if you see one with the letters "ILGWU" in a straight, blue font, it is '70s or earlier. The later logo was red with "ILGWU" forming a circle.
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WEARING VINTAGE |
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HOW TO PUT ON TIGHT VINTAGE GLOVES:
Perhaps you just found a swell pair of kid gloves or your grandmother gave you some fine silk summer gloves, but you have a devil of a time trying to pull them on even though you know your hands are the right size. Well, putting on tight vintage gloves is indeed a lost art...that is, until now!
1. Pull the gloves inside-out down to the finger openings. 2. Ease your fingers (not the thumb yet!) into the finger holes and pull them snugly on. 3. Fold your thumb against the palm, pointing toward the middle finger. 4. Pull the thumb opening on over the thumb. 5. Pull the glove up over your hand (and arm).     
Thanks to Wendy Walters of New York, NY for passing on this hint. |
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HOW TO USE A HATPIN:
Certainly it's easy enough to pin a hat to an updo such as a French twist, where there is a good-sized knot of hair to hold a hatpin securely. But for the longest time we have wondered, how on earth did thousands of 20th-century women manage to pin hats to loose-hanging hairstyles? Finally we have an answer!
1. Put the hat in place on your head.
2. Carefully insert the hatpin through the hat, catching a small lock of hair underneath the hat.
3. Twirl the hatpin around to wrap the lock of hair around the end of the pin. This step is very tricky when dealing with delicate material, so be sure to practice on something sturdy before you try this with your straw hats.
4. Push the end of the pin through the hat to secure it.
Thanks to Janie Heath of New York, NY for passing on this hint which she got from an anonymous elderly lady in a thrift shop. |
| TAKE ALONG A CAN OF TALCUM POWDER the next time you go to the beach. When it comes time to put on your stockings and shoes, sprinkle talcum on your feet. It will help to remove the sand and dry your feet. Reprinted from Housekeeping Made Easy by Linda Marvin. © 1943 by the Vanguard Press, Inc. |
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STORING VINTAGE |
| HUMIDIFY THE CLOSET IN WHICH YOU STORE YOUR FUR COAT by keeping in it a bowl of water containing a sponge................................................................................ Reprinted from Housekeeping Made Easy by Linda Marvin. © 1943 by the Vanguard Press, Inc. |
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LAUNDRY DAY |
 | HAVE YOU GOT A MYSTERY FABRIC?
Say you've just acquired a marvelous vintage garment and you'd like to save money by caring for it at home rather than send it to the dry cleaners. Yet there is no care label or fiber content label on the garment and you are afraid of scorching it with the iron or cleaning it improperly. Here are a few laboratory tests you can do at home to identify fabrics:- Cotton threads break easily, with uneven fuzzy ends; when linen threads snap the ends are pointed and uneven; the end of a broken wool fiber is curly.
- Cotton burns with a flash, leaving a gray ash and smelling of burning paper. Linen burns with a yellow flame, leaves a light ash and also smells of burning paper. Wool burns slowly, smoldering, bubbling and giving off an odor of burning hair.
- If you put a wool-cotton blend in an alkali solution, the wool will dissolve, leaving the cotton. Linen is also unharmed by alkalis such as household lye.
Reference: Dress by Bess Oerke, Revised Edition © 1960. |
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WASHING VINTAGE CLOTHING Garments which were originally intended to be washed in water should be handwashed (Some sweaters were even created so they could be washed, then dried without blocking them). In order to keep the garment in its best condition, however, don't use your usual detergent. Even products marked as "gentle" are really quite harsh on old fabrics. A little Neutrogena face soap works very well and is what the Smithsonian Institute uses on many of their textiles. (Use about 1/8 of a 3.5 oz. bar mixed with one cup of water, and add this to every gallon of washing water.) Gentle agitation is all that's needed (no squeezing or twisting), and soaking for no longer than twenty minutes is all that's necessary. The garment is then preferably dried on a sweater screen, which will prevent it from stretching or straining against a hanger or clothes line. Electric dryers are best avoided, as they tend to set stains (and may actually shrink fabrics which might not have ever been inside a dryer).
From Vintage Fashions for Women: The 1950s & 60s by Kristina Harris, © 1997. |
| TO WHITEN CLOTHES THAT HAVE TURNED YELLOW, first launder them in the usual manner and then let them soak overnight in clear water to which a teaspoon of cream of tartar has been added for each quart of water. Reprinted from Housekeeping Made Easy by Linda Marvin. © 1943 by the Vanguard Press, Inc. |
| HOW TO REMOVE IRON RUST STAINS: Iron rust stains can be removed from washable white fabrics by any of the methods that follow. If the stain is on a colored material, test your stain remedy first in some inconspicuous place, such as an inside seam, to determine its effect on the dye. Iron rust stains are almost impossible to remove from materials that must be dry-cleaned. Lemon juice will remove iron rust stains from the most delicate cottons and linens without injuring the cloth. Moisten the stain with water, squeeze lemon juice directly onto it and hold it in the steam from a boiling teakettle for a few minutes. Rinse with water and repeat as many times as necessary. Another method is to sprinkle salt on the stain, add lemon juice and dry in the sun. Repeat if necessary. Still another method is to boil the stained article in a solution of water and cream of tartar. Use four teaspoons of cream of tartar to each pint of water. Boil until the stain is removed, then rinse in plenty of water. Reprinted from How to Clean Everything by Alma Chesnut Moore, consultant to Stanley Home Products, Inc. © 1952, 1960 by Alma Chesnut Moore. |
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TO WASH AND STRETCH SWEATERS:
1. Place a large piece of plain white paper on a table.
2. Before washing, lay the sweater on the paper and mark the outline with a pencil.
3. Wash the sweater in lukewarm water and mild soap. Squeeze the water through the garment. Rinse two or three times in lukewarm water. Pat and squeeze out the water. Never rub or wring a sweater.
4. Lay the sweater on a towel and place a towel inside the sweater. Roll lightly to remove the water.
5. Then pin the sweater to the original outline which was drawn on the paper and allow the sweater to dry flat. Use pins that do not rust.
If you have a shrunken sweater on your hands, try this step before following the above instructions:
TO HELP TO RESTORE SHRUNKEN WOOLENS, rinse them in soapy water instead of clear water.
Reprinted from Housekeeping Made Easy by Linda Marvin. © 1943 by the Vanguard Press, Inc. |
| "PILLING" OF FABRIC. Surface yarns (as in bouclés and poodle cloth) sometimes roll themselves up into a small accumulated ball (sometimes happens with smooth-surface fabrics too). Brush with coarse, dry brush. If you're very careful, you may be able to remove the pilling by stretching fabric tight and "shaving" surface with safety razor. But take care not to cut the cloth itself. Reprinted from The Encyclopedia of Household Hints and Dollar Stretchers by Michael Gore, © 1957. |
| TO CLEAN A WHITE FELT HAT, rub into the surface a mixture of corn meal, salt, and flour. Allow this to remain on the hat overnight, and then brush off. [Or perhaps you have a gluten-free kitchen...] WHITE FELT HATS MAY BE CLEANED with a stiff paste of powdered magnesia and water, to which has been added a few drops of lemon juice. Dry in the sun, and dust off thoroughly. Reprinted from Housekeeping Made Easy by Linda Marvin. © 1943 by the Vanguard Press, Inc. |
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SEWING CIRCLE |
| BEESWAX STRENGTHENS THREAD CONSIDERABLY. Keep a piece in your sewing box and rub thread over it before using for sewing on buttons, especially on boys' clothing and men's work clothes. The buttons will stay on much longer. Reprinted from Housekeeping Made Easy by Linda Marvin. © 1943 by the Vanguard Press, Inc. |
 | WHEN RIPPING MACHINE STITCHING...a good pair of tweezers is a boon. Thread will pull out easier, make work much faster and certainly less tedious. Reprinted from The Encyclopedia of Household Hints and Dollar Stretchers by Michael Gore, © 1957. |  |
| ANOTHER GOOD USE FOR DENTAL FLOSS Avoid the problem of a broken string of beads by stringing heavy beads on durable dental floss, which is very much like string used by professional jewelry-repair services. Reprinted from The Encyclopedia of Household Hints and Dollar Stretchers by Michael Gore, © 1957. |
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DARNING MADE EASIER Protective gauze strips from small adhesive bandages are excellent backing for darning or mending difficult tears. Starched strips give body during mending job. Starch launders out and leaves fabric soft.
Reprinted from The Encyclopedia of Household Hints and Dollar Stretchers by Michael Gore, © 1957. |
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IN THE KITCHEN |
| This will help ensure carefree summer cookouts: BARBECUE CLEANUP
When cooking is completed remove hot grill and swathe it with wet paper towels or newspapers while you eat. Later a few swipes will clean the grill. For stubborn spots on the grill, smoky coffeepots, or greasy skillets, use scouring or abrasive-type pads for quick and easier cleaning. Reprinted from Better Homes and Gardens Barbecue Book, ©1965 by Meredith Publishing Company. |
 | NEW SLANT ON BAKED BEANS! Heat up your canned beans along with a couple of tablespoons of port wine! Très good! ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Reprinted from McCall's, March, 1950. |
| PRETTY UP THE DISH-WASHING DEPARTMENT Buy a half yard of plain nylon net...yes, the kind with which you ordinarily make evening dresses...for the most marvelous dishcloths. You can buy this in colors or in white (whatever appeals to you to go with your kitchen decor). This comes 72 inches wide, so by taking your scissors and cutting it in four pieces you will have four 18 x 18 inch dishcloths for your kitchen. These do not have to be hemmed as they do not ravel. We have found these excellent for scrubbing pots which have "goop" in them such as mashed potatoes, rice, etc., which ordinarily make a mess out of our daily dishrag. This cloth will not mildew, mold, or smell. Reprinted from Heloise's Kitchen Hints by Heloise © 1963 by King Features Syndicate. |
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DOLLAR STRETCHERS |
TO MAKE AN INEXPENSIVE DRESS LOOK LIKE A BETTER DRESS, try the following suggestions. They will greatly improve its appearance.
1. Take out the machine-made hem, and replace it with one by hand.2. Replace the cheaper buttons with better ones--perhaps some you have on hand. 3. Replace a cheap belt with one that is more expensive. Reprinted from Housekeeping Made Easy by Linda Marvin. © 1943 by the Vanguard Press, Inc. |
| IF YOU WANT TO FROST A WINDOW to provide more privacy, dissolve a half pound of Epsom salts into a quart of water and paint over the inside of the window. This will give it a frosted appearance. Reprinted from Housekeeping Made Easy by Linda Marvin. © 1943 by the Vanguard Press, Inc. |
| SPRUCE UP KITCHEN CHAIRS You can cover kitchen or breakfast room chairs with looped, shag rugs that can be bought on sale. They are wonderful and so rich looking! Everyone comments on them. The covers don't show dust, grease spots, soil or "seat" prints. These covers can be removed from your chairs and washed in the washing machine. Just thumb-tacked them on the bottom of the removable seat boards on the chairs. Reprinted from Heloise's Kitchen Hints by Heloise © 1963 by King Features Syndicate. |
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THE HIGH LIFE |
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YULETIDE CHEER And by "cheer" of course we mean booze. Nobody knows better than the Swedes how to chase away the winter doldrums with festive drinks. Here is a recipe for Swedish "Jul Glögg"* which translates to "Christmas Mulled Wine." It will certainly perk things up no matter what you're celebrating:  |
- 1 bottle of red wine (750 ml.)
- 3 dl. (1-1/4 cups) vodka
- 1 dl. (1/2 cup) water (optional)
- A piece of ginger (about 1 inch)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 to 1-1/2 dl. (1/2 cup+) sugar
- 2 dl. (1 scant cup) prunes
- 1 dl. (1/2 cup) raisins
- Peel from 1 orange
- 8 whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp. cardamom pods
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Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until almost boiling (80 degrees Celsius). Don't let it boil! Turn off the heat and let the mixutre steep for an hour. Strain off the fruit and spices, reheat. Serve with raisins and slivered almonds on the side with a spoon so people can put these in the wine as desired.
*The pronunciation is a little tricky...say "Yool Glurg" in the accent of a society swell from a '30s movie and you'll impress real Swedes.
Thanks to Anna Robertsson of the Swedish Church in New York, NY. |
 | LEARN YOUR AFTER-MATH Living the vintage life means cocktail parties and the occasional overindulgence, so it is good to know what to do in case of a nasty hangover. Sure, we could drink in moderation. Sure, we could remember to take some water and bromide before going to bed. But if we forget...well, the boys at Esquire found some sage advice in an essay by one Don Williams, entitled "Hamstringing the Hangover:" |
"The basic truth to be recognized is this: When you awaken with a hangover your stomach is completely worn out, drugged and paralyzed. More than anything else, it needs rest! The correct procedure is to treat the anesthetized organ as gently as possible and give it a chance to sleep it off. When the throat cries out for ice water, we must firmly shake our heads. If you were resting peacefully after a long hard night, how would you like to have someone come along and throw a pail of ice water on you? Your stomach feels the same way. If the mouth is so dry that it is unbearable, then simply wash it out with water. Upon arising, try to force yourself to do a little mild exercise. If exercise seems impossible, go to the open window and breathe deeply as many times as you can stand it. If you must sit at the breakfast table, then call for half a cup of warm water and sip it slowly. The warmth may help your stomach. At least it won't hurt it. Clench your teeth and go to the office. Use a quick right hook on the first person who suggests a nostrum. It will discourage others. The exercise will be good for you, too. "By ten o'clock or ten-thirty the cold whale fat in your stomach will begin to stir. By eleven o'clock you may feel actually hungry. If so, the worst is over. Your stomach has slept it off. You are going to live! "You are now ready to take an alkalizing salt or a laxative. Your stomach is ready to handle it. When the stomach begins to show signs of awakening and demands food, feed it something like a Prairie Oyster. The Prairie Oyster, as you know, consists of a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, a tiny drop of tabasco, a raw egg, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. The theory is this: Your stomach is still half asleep; so you send it down something to give it a kick in the pants, and then hand it down something digestible to eat. The tabasco and other condiments provide the kick in the pants. There is nothing more easily digestible than a raw egg. If you stick to your Prairie Oyster at about eleven o'clock, you will find yourself quite hungry at lunch time. Eat lightly! Eat something spicy or something covered with mustard--but don't eat much of it. "By mid-afternoon you should begin to feel almost normal."
From The Art of Mixing Drinks © 1956 by Esquire, Inc. |
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS |
| HALLOWEEN: SAUCER-EYED GOBLIN GIRL WILL INVITE SMILES Try a jack-o'-lantern lass for once! You'll need a round pumpkin with a long stem. Draw zigzag line around top for the hair; cut along line and remove lid. Scoop out contents. Make eyes with apple corer. Carve out mouth with paring knife. Poke toothpicks into the radish nose from inside pumpkin. Gently press in upper edge of pumpkin--the "Italian haircut" will stand out when lid's in place. Now tie a wide-ribbon bow on stem. Reprinted from Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Cook Book, ©1959 by Meredith Publishing Company. |  |
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PRESENTS ON THE TREE To present that "little something" in an attractive way, these stunning pyramids serve as gift paquettes and double as attractive tree trinkets. Begin making the paquettes by enlarging patterns below. Trace patterns onto lightweight cardboard (these are made from gold and silver cardboard) [or use 21st-century metallic laser-printer paper]. The pattern illustrations are for three- and four-sided gift holders. Score on the back of the cardboard along the dotted lines. While still flat, decorate the panels with construction or gift wrapping paper, fabric, jewels, sewing trim, gold lace paper, sequins, or yarn. Punch tiny holes iat top and thread with fine wire for hanging. Spread rubber cement on narrow flap of three-sided pyramid and on fifth triangle of four-sided pyramid. Apply glue also on edges that will meet. Finish by inserting gift and sealing bottom with glue.
Reprinted from Better Homes and Gardens Treasury of Christmas Ideas © 1966 Meredith Publishing Company. |  |  |
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YULETIDE CHEER And by "cheer" of course we mean booze. Nobody knows better than the Swedes how to chase away the winter doldrums with festive drinks. Here is a recipe for Swedish "Jul Glögg"* which translates to "Christmas Mulled Wine." It will certainly perk things up no matter what you're celebrating: |
- 1 bottle of red wine (750 ml.)
- 3 dl. (1-1/4 cups) vodka
- 1 dl. (1/2 cup) water (optional)
- A piece of ginger (about 1 inch)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 to 1-1/2 dl. (1/2 cup+) sugar
- 2 dl. (1 scant cup) prunes
- 1 dl. (1/2 cup) raisins
- Peel from 1 orange
- 8 whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp. cardamom pods
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Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat until almost boiling (80 degrees Celsius). Don't let it boil! Turn off the heat and let the mixutre steep for an hour. Strain off the fruit and spices, reheat. Serve with raisins and slivered almonds on the side with a spoon so people can put these in the wine as desired.
*The pronunciation is a little tricky...say "Yool Glurg" in the accent of a society swell from a '30s movie and you'll impress real Swedes.
Thanks to Anna Robertsson of the Swedish Church in New York, NY. |
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