Times gone by … and yet to come

I remember that growing up in the seventies needlework was simply not taught once I reached secondary school.  I attended an all-girls school and in an age of feminism and women’s rights, teaching domestic science was considered to be a very bad and totally unnecessary thing since, as a liberated woman, I would be too busy forging a career to worry about looking after my home.  

Whilst I’m a total supporter of equal opportunities, I think it’s a great pity that for so many years the domestic arts were completely ignored. It’s fantastic that sewing has recently seen such an amazing upsurge in popularity and I was delighted to receive an email from Amol at Terry’s Fabrics asking me to share her infographic. I think it’s great and I hope you will too …

The Resurgence of Sewing by Terrys Fabrics
The Resurgence of Sewing by Terrys Fabrics.

And I so totally agree that it feels wonderful to make something out of virtually nothing!

I had another “times gone by” moment today when I came across these winter-flowering pansies planted along the wall of our village bus shelter.  I remember my first sighting of winter pansies back in the 1970’s and my amazement at seeing what I had previously thought were summer flowers in the depths of winter. I am sure they must have been around long before then – but certainly not in a sleepy Warwickshire market town.  

Whilst winter pansies bloom all through the colder months, there hasn’t been much else in the way of  flowers around lately.  But now I’m back to walking the dogs again I’m beginning to see the very early signs of spring all around.  Too small and shy as yet to make good photographs, apart from these daffodils  I spotted in a south-facing, sheltered part of the woods.  They’re very well ahead indeed …. a herald of times yet to come!

6 Comments

I did sewing at secondary school in the late 60s, early 70s and we learnt on Singer treadle machines. Nothing I did was ever good enough for the teacher and I spent a lot of time unpicking and redoing and it took me a whole school year to make a simple apron. This experience sucked all the joy of creating out of me, I have only recently restarted to sew so my skills are still very basic. I think a more slapdash approach in the early stages to engender a feeling a achievement on completing a project would have been more helpful and then polishing skills as time went on. That being said I still have the apron 40+ years on so it was definitely built to last!

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We seem to have gone to senior school in the same era, we learnt “needlework”, but only dressmaking, I was always being sent to detention because I wanted to do embroidery, and was once told I wouldn’t get anywhere with doing just embroidery.
Julie xxxxxxxx

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Julie Hodges

I have snowdrops out in the garden here in Suffolk, and plenty of tete a tete daffodils poking their heads through the soil

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Lovely photos. I don’t think I have anything in bloom in my garden at the moment – just some old Chinese Lanterns. I love that there is a resurgence of sewing! It’s good news I think!

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I found your blog and site just yesterday from Jenny of Elephantz. You do lovely work. We are probably much the same age, considering your reference to the 70s. Sewing did take a back seat for many years. It’s fun to see the resurgence of interest among the younger generation.

Isn’t it lovely to see the first signs of spring? I discovered a few shoots of daffodils this morning in my garden, but they are not nearly as advanced as the ones you show. Our snowdrops are in bloom. I live on Vancouver Island (not the city of Vancouver) on the west coast of Canada.

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Beautiful photos. We have nothing in bloom here in the northwest U.S., plenty of snow but not nearly as much as the northeast. I came over from Seriously Crazy For Craft and I’m so happy I did. 🙂 I love the little mice and I look forward to seeing more of your creations. Have a lovely Wednesday.

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