So lets get back on task with our vintage sewing machines. She made most of her own clothes as a young woman. Luckily for Nanna, sewing was a lifetime love. My Great Grandmother Elizabeth had 3 other children to clothe and take care of. I’m not sure how my Nanna felt about that at the time, but that was simply how it was back then. The story goes that after proudly showing my her Mum (my Great Grandmother), she told her, ‘OK, now you can make all of your clothes’. When she was 12, she made her first dress.
My Nanna grew up on a farm in New Zealand in the 1930’s.
My Nanna Jeanette at around 20 years old in a dress she made. This meant that you needed a sewing machine that was reliable and easy to maintain yourself. You needed to organise time to purchase fabric and make your outfit before for an event. For example, if you needed a new outfit, it wasn’t always possible to go the shops, try a whole lot of outfits on and purchase one. You had to be so much more proactive in your daily life. And in some ways yes, however I think daily activities were a lot harder. I’ve often heard the term ‘things were simpler back then’. Sometimes out of necessity and sometimes for the love of it.
More often than not, I find myself in a fascinating conversation about a Mother, Grandmother or Great Aunt who once loved and used their vintage sewing machine. As well as finding out the age of a vintage sewing machine I’ve just brought, I always make a point to ask the seller about the life of a machine. I love history, especially social history.
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