Community Chat

[foxywoods]

I remember the Simplicity and McCalls and Buttericks pattern books. They were so heavy.  The last time I sewed a dress was 1980.  I made the dress using magenta crushed velvet fabric.  still have that pattern! 

[UpNorthGorgy]

I thought of another continual phrase..."You don't want to see yourself coming and going!"  Shopping for clothes and shoes was her hobby. Every Saturday we shopped  somewhere to see what was out in the stores and to catch  a good sale. We also collected fabric and patterns to sew. Chest of drawers were full with some patterns cut out but never sewn together. Boxes of thread colors, trims, buttons and zippers.

[shoekitty]

My mom was always dressed  well.  She was never really trendy... everything was classic lines, subtle colors, and solids. Well made clothes  she was a real estate broker, when women weren't in the work force. (1954) But man was she always attacking her clothing  purchases like she was back in finishing school lol

always make sure collars and sleeves were ironed with precision, because people look at your face and a messy collar, scarf, , bad jewelry around  neck distracts. Sleeves are noticed when shaking hands, and smoking. lol. Love that one. 

make sure heels are never worn, or scuffed because more people see you from back. 

hair must be done, and combed in back, because as she said people see you from back

also, foundations,, underware must never be worn out  , in case you have to go to hospital   

in my teen years when I wore shredded Levi shorts, and sweat shirts, and torn sweatshirts...or any trendy wild clothing. She said, "why do you want to look like that?  You'll wind up on Howard Street."  Anything she didn't like we all were going to wind up on Howard St.  lol. Years I didn't know what she meant, she just said it. Then in late teens I found out. Howard Street was the skid row in San Francisco at the time. And during the war where drunks and honks slept.  

[deepwaterdotter]

@shoekitty   What does the term "honks" mean as used in your post?  I've never heard the word used to describe a type of person?

[Icegoddess]

The only thng my Mother taught me about ready-made clothing, since she didn't approve of it, was to never buy clothing that was too small.  It's not that she told me that.  I just often heaerd her to complain about a client who insisted on buying  a size too small and then expect my Mother to fix it.  

She also taught me there wasn't anything wrong with 2nd hand clothing although I didn't appreciate it at the time, especially since my sister was so much taller than me, still is.  

[drizzellla]

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@haddon9 wrote:

She taught me to only buy on sale.  I didn't listen.

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Ha! Ha! My Mom taught me the opposite. She always stressed that if something was on sale that there was a reason the clothing was not selling. It wasn't until I started buying my own clothing that I shopped sales.

[shoekitty]

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@deepwaterdotter wrote:

@shoekitty   What does the term "honks" mean as used in your post?  I've never heard the word used to describe a type of person?

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@deepwaterdotter   lol lol, that's what I get for not wearing glasses. Honks, is hobos.  Lol

[Bonkers1]

@kaydee50 

My mother tried to get me to sew.  The only part I liked was cutting the pattern.  That was a short lived phase of my life.

[Tinkrbl44]

@shoekitty  @Bonkers1 

I always laugh when I hear "your underwear must never be worn out".

If we were rushed to the Emergency Room for a serious reason and they needed our underwear off, it'd be ripped or cut off like our outer garments ... and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't all stop and hold up the undies and assess their age or condition!  LOL   

[shoekitty]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

@shoekitty  @Bonkers1 

I always laugh when I hear "your underwear must never be worn out".

If we were rushed to the Emergency Room for a serious reason and they needed our underwear off, it'd be ripped or cut off like our outer garments ... and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't all stop and hold up the undies and assess their age or condition!  LOL   

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@ I agree, lol!  When I was really young I didn't give much thought to the hospital thing,   But later I was quite  concerned why we would have to go to hospital.  Sort of like the old adage parents would  tell their kids, " don't put your arm out the window, a car will knock it off". Later I was like ,..who got their arm cut off, did you know him?  Where was it?