Other Crafts - A Leather Shopping Bag from 1950

 

A shopping bag to make from leather scraps (with very little tweaking, you could turn this into a clutch or a wallet - just line it so small items don't fall out).  From Crafts for Everyone, by Louis V. Newkirk, 1950.  This can be read for free online at the Hathi Trust site, but you will need a library or school account to download it.

Vintage Sewing: Some Muslin Lingerie from 1910

 

From Harper's Handy-book for Girls, a project considered suitable for girls (especially those who might someday have to sew their own undergarments).  The book can be found online.  

VIntage Advertising - Campfire Marshmellows

 

From Good Housekeeping magazine, February 1929.  If you want to give that recipe a try, left-click to enlarge.  A black and white copy of the entire magazine is available to read at the Cornell University Library digital collection.

Children's Crafts: Paper Animals for 1917

 From Handicrafts for the Handicapped, a set of paper animals for a sick or invalid child to cut out and play with - in the days when Mamma was not only cook, housekeeper, washerwoman and seamstress, but also nurse and occupational therapist.  The book can be found on the Internet Archive.  

Tatting - A "Foursquare" Medallion from 1952

 

From the March, 1952 Workbasket magazine, a straight-forward medallion tatted in four parts.  The issue is available as a free download from the Antique Pattern Library.

Vintage Knitting - Slippers and a Hat from 1960

 

From the 1960 edition of McCall's Golden Do-it Book, here are some beginner, straight-line knitting projects and quick to make. This marvelous book is available for one-hour loan only at the Internet Archive.

Vintage Jewelry - Brooches and Pins from 1949

 

left-click to enlarge

From the UK magazine Hobbies Weekly, designs for jewelry to be fashioned out of wood or sheet plastic.  Complete instructions and a downloadable issue from December 21, 1949 can be found at the Internet Archive.

Vintage Woodworking - A Folding Bookshelf from 1915

 

From The Boy Mechanic, Book II, published in 1915 and available as a free download from Project Gutenberg.  Left-click to enlarge.

Vintage Children's Crafts - Milk Carton Toys from 1976

 

From a great and fun book called The Woman's Day Book of Gifts To Make, published in the mid-1970s (which is when I think home crafting with humble supplies really peaked in this country.  So many craft magazines after that rely heavily on stores and kits).  Left-click  to enlarge.

Milk  in cartons is hard to find now, but orange juice is still around.  This book can be borrowed from the Open Library site.  It is free, but an account is required.  

Vintage Holidays - Thanksgiving

copyright-free image from The Graphics Fairy 

Other Crafts - "Frilly Lacy Jewelry" from 1973

 

From Make it From Odds 'n' Ends, published in 1973 by the Pack O' Fun people, a variety of jewelry, pendants and earrings to make from string and acetate (a suggested source of the acetate - the lids to holiday card boxes).  Available as an online loan only at the Internet Archive. 

Vintage Furniture Crafts - a "Costumer" from 1915

 

From The Boy Mechanic: Book II, a free download from the Internet Archive, dating back to a time when your house might have one or two small closets - if you were lucky.  This is a grand book, full of interesting projects that in those dear dead days were considered simple enough for a boy 12-16 years old to make.  

Children's Crafts - A Clothes Peg Boat from 1949

From Hobbies Weekly, November 16th, 1949.  A British publication from a time when toys, and materials to make toys, were in short supply.  A better picture can be found at the Internet Archive. 
 

Vingage Knitting - Baby Booties from 1957

 

From Workbasket magazine, September 1957 (this is from the copy in my collection, but the entire magazine can be found at the Antique Pattern Library).  By the time you finish making these, the weather may actually have cooled off enough for a baby to wear them.

Vintage Woodworking - A Whatnot from 1943

 

This is an example of what boys were expected to be able to accomplish, perhaps with a bit of help from Dad or the shop teacher.  From Popular Mechanic's The Young Craftsman, available as a free download from Archive.org.

Children's Crafts - A PaperDoll from 1925

 

"Hildegarde Lives in Holland," a paper doll from Good Housekeeping magazine, January 1925.  The entire year's issues as a bound copy to download can be found at archive.org.

A Vintage "Model" Dolls' House Sink from 1938

Finding stuff to put on the blog on Tuesdays gives me a great excuse to burrow around on the Internet - and here courtesy of Pinterest is a dolls' house project from the April 30th, 1938 issue of Hobbies Weekly, a small (fewer than 30 pages) publication that looks as though it was done rather on the cheap.  Still great fun and some wonderful person has scanned several issues from 1938 to 1944 and put them up on the Internet Archive.  Enjoy.  EDITED TO ADD:  left-clicking to enlarge the image above results in reduced legibility but if you enlarge from the Internet Archive page, the font is still faint but readable.  The pattern pieces on the center of the booklet are quite clear.

(The sink is 6 inches tall so, not to scale).

 

Vintage Sewing - a Summer Hat and Bag from Placemats, 1952

 

A summer set from Good Housekeeping magazine, August 1952 - a sort of pixie had and handbag to make from woven straw placemats.  Left-click to enlarge, or go to the Internet Archive to download the entire magazine.

I'm not sure, myself, if I would try to wear these unless I were still under twenty-one. They'd look cute on a little girl, though.

EDITED TO ADD:  Blogfriend Sam is correct, there is just a hint of The Handmaid's Tale about this. Ick.

Happy National Fudge Day

 With three vintage fudge recipes from the archives.

Vintage Doll's Furniture - A Mission Bedroom from 1912

 

From Boys' Make-At-Home Things by Carolyn and Marian Bailey, a set of bedroom furniture in "Mission Style."  A free download from Project Gutenberg.

Diagrams and instructions can be found on p59.