The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life: How to Sew a Sampler Quilt &

[Sequoia]

49 Other Pioneer Projects for the Modern Girl, by Jennifer Worick



Be prepared! I have this book and it's really interesting. Might come in handy these days.


"Whether looking to escape today's hectic world or get in touch with your creative self, there's comfort in returning to the simple life on the prairie. This book teaches you the skills your grandmother never showed you. Learn to master the art of bread-and-butter pickles, or how to braid a rug, or make candles. So, leave the chaos behind, settle down with a cup of tea and slice of rhubarb pie, and reconnect with the rich legacy of women with some fabulous pioneer crafts." --The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana)

[PDJane]

1. The Toronto Star is printing depression-era recipes...

Nice to know that we're being prepared.

[Captain Hilts]

2. Why just for girls?

[Sequoia]

3. Because these tasks were what girls were trained to do.

And it was geared for the pre-teen girls. I got it for my daughter about a year ago. The boys were trained to do stuff outside around the farm. There is a book I saw at B&N over Christmas that told you how to do things like build a well and shoe a horse, but I can't recall the title.

[Captain Hilts]

7. My point is why are books for boys and girls so different? Are we trying to reestablish sex-based..

skill sets?

[oohoohbaby]

4. Thanks for that! I would love to learn how to sew, get an inexpensive machine, and make quilts!

What I like is how they can be made from scraps and how they symbolize things in one's life...

[Sequoia]

5. Welcome.

I had rag curls when I was a girl. You take a stand of hair and wag it up in rags. Sleep on it and in the morning I had a cascade of curls down my back.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

6. My mom asked me a few

months ago if I wanted her old sewing machine (circa 1958 Singer). I had no idea she still had that thing. Maybe I should take her up on it, but it's been over 40 years since I used it myself.
I have braided a rug and made candles. And I learned to knit. All also a loooong time ago.

[Captain Hilts]

8. Those are GREAT. DO take her up on it. If you get into serious sewing, you'll

need other machines as well, but that's a great one.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. Old all-steel Singers last forever.

I have three that belonged to my mom and grandmom.

I have a 1948 Featherweight (model 221), and two Slant-O-Matics (Model 401A), made in the mid-1950s.

They last forever and you can sew lots of good stuff on them. There are yahoogroups for people who use old Singers. Some people are into treadle machines!! That's a bit too ancient for me, though.

You can make buttonholes and do lots of cool stuff with the attachments.

The 401A is thought to be the most advanced and best of the all-steel Singers.


This is what one looks like -- but it's not mine: