CLOTHING, SHOES, ETC!

As I remember, we didn't have an abundance of clothes to choose from. We had the necessities but no more. My sister said she made me clothes when she was old enough to sew. My mother had a treadle sewing machine and did a little sewing, but mostly patching and comforters, etc.

In those days, they would buy feed and these came in sacks. The sacks were printed material and many a dress came from these feed sacks. If we didn't use them for dresses, we used them for tea towels.

I have a picture of myself when I was about 4 1/2 and my cousin was about 2 1/2. She was looking down at my bloomers which was hanging below my dress. She seems to be thinking--
"I can't believe she is letting it all hang out"! Everytime I see that picture I have to laugh. I have a fairly nice dress on, but I expect that the elastic in my bloomers were a little worn out, hence the drooping bloomers.

We had shoes and boots, but nothing spectacular. In the summer months we went barefoot all summer long. I do have a picture of my brother and I barefoot at school. My sister was all decked out in shoes. My mother claimed that we took our shoes off that day. I can't remember since I was really young and it had to have been late spring or early fall. I do know that this could be, since I loved to go barefoot.

My dad and mother always kept us clean (well, as clean as a child can stay). My dad did not want us going around dirty.

In the winter months, we had to wear long underwear. Yuk!!!! Then over the long underwear we wore cotton stockings. We had to fold the bottom of the underwear over so that we could pull the stockings up and then put on garters to keep the stockings up. So you can see that we really were quite the sight! No slacks in those days were even made for girls, let alone wear them. We couldn't wait until spring to remove that long underwear and have anklets on.

In the two small towns closest to our home they had a dry goods store and we would get our shoes, etc in there. Sometimes, the eggs would be taken into town and traded for the clothing, shoes we needed. These stores sold about anything you might need, from groceries to yard goods, etc.

Todays kids wouldn't know what to do without a large selection of the latest styles, but we were no exception, because all the kids didn't have any more than we had. We didn't feel that we were poor and we survived. A lot of children wore hand-me-downs from older siblings.

Wisdom for the day--Luke 12:27,28--Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not: and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?