Just when you thought you were totally out of party ideas, I offer up this one: the old fashion sewing bee! Because if you can happily sit and sew, you will have a A happy life. I promise!
Seriously, I love the graphics and ideal settings on these old needle cards, which has officially become my latest collection. I've loved them for years, but finding a bunch in one fell swoop during my latest antique jaunt, just cemented yet another category of "must hunt for" things.
This one above is the oldest of this group. My guess is that it hails from the early to mid thirties, based on the dresses and the hairstyles. See--it says invite your friends over for tea and crumpets and present them with a nifty party favor--a brand new pack of needles! And isn't it amazing, yours and their picture is already on the front of it! "How did you manage that, you clever girl?" they will ask. After refreshments, you change rooms. Off comes the table cloth, out come the fresh flowers. You can move on to the racy, hot topics while you sew your little hearts out.
The next needle card appears to be newer. My guess is that this one is late forties or early fifties. I like that the gal to the left is intimately sharing her technique for threading a needle. It IS a Sweetheart needle pack, after all. Still, one is left to ponder: Just how many ways can you thread a needle? And are two threaders better than one?
Fast forward a couple of years. Change rooms, add more make-up and change their clothes, plus replace two guests with two others, and the same gals are at it again. And--tricky chicks--they are STILL pretending to work on that same piece of cloth! The gal to the right asks, longingly, "Honey, will you thread MY needle???
Listen, if you find the whole symbolism of needle threading too subtle on the previous cards, this one gets right to the point about all that needle work and what it will do for you: you'll see stars, Baby! Whoa, Nellie-- that's some needle this couple is riding!
And finally, if you ride that needle (wink, wink) and sew your little heart out, then this is what all your handy work will get you: a happy family of giddy kids and a smiling husband! Amazing what a little sewing (of oats?) yields.
Of course, now that they are a respectable married couple with kids, the needle riding is done in airplanes. Much more appropriate, don't you think? Still--let's all go home and do some stitching!
