Today, instead of vintage fabric, here are some sweet Art Deco advertisements for vintage fabric. Kalburnie gingham was one of many cotton textiles manufactured at Lancaster Mills in Clinton, Massachusetts. I have noticed both in these ads and in my vintage catalogs, that these old ginghams were not limited to the two-color checked versions so common today. There were also stripes and plaids and checks of all colors. Printed checks are also a favorite of mine, but they’re not really gingham, which is always woven with dyed thread.
I have a recurring dream where I time travel to the 1930s (sometimes it’s the 20s or 40s) and go shopping at the local dry goods or department store where I buy yards and yards of cotton fabric for 30¢ a yard.
Wouldn’t it be nice if some fabric manufacturer noticed these prints and brought them back? They’d sell instantly!
Sadly, my recurring dreams are usually about forgetting something important or leaving too late for a long trip … tonight I’m going to concentrate on vintage fabric as I fall asleep and maybe I’ll have one of those dreams!
I love these! The clothing styles for children in this era are just so cute – classic and charming at the same time but not too frilly – unless you’re dressing Shirley Temple.
Love it – I like your dream a lot, Martha, lol! I dream of finding a garage sale filled with stuff from an elderly, hoarder quilter……and nobody else knows about it….
so lovely!
Love these illustrations. Thanks for sharing them. Looking at past blogs of yours especially since we had the grandkids most of the summer and then moved in September. After 36 years in the same place, it’s been a hard move. Love the things you post and your quilts are so lovely.
Where did you find the ad with the four (4) girls and the clown on top?
I am a collector of Edith F Butler and would like to add this one to the collection. I did find the one with 5 girls and the ball and I have the original painting.
Thank you, Liane