some other stuff i remembered: the teapot with the cosy on it,the big box of wax matches, hot cocoa at school (in a plastic cup), the POSB money boxes, (and the squirrel) Our bank books at school, (we used to bank 6d every tuesday).ahhh that kissing crust on the bread. ad toasting bread on a fork over the open fire with Butter,cinnamon and sugar on friday nights.
The Strand Milk bar, with its juke boxes , the Queens visit and putting on Best Nylon frocks (lol) Standing up at the pictures for the national anthem , which was "God save the Queen "
and our "pets" were mice catchers or "guards", not just a pet !!
My brother making a crystal set and listening to the radio on it

My daughter who is visiting from the US at the moment has spoken about the things her Grandad Jack, an old Irishman used to make. He was a dab hand at making wooden toys etc - a craft that seems to be lost today. I've been encouraging her to write what she can down.

AFAIK, we didn't have undies made of flour bags!
Bodices - omg, yes, I remember those too with those flat fabric covered metal buttons!

Sewing machines - I can vaguely remember my Mom using a treadle machine before she updated it to an electric model which fitted into her Singer cabinet - the highly carved cabinet with the drop piece for the head and the 3 cabinets down the side.

Years later, she traded it in for another model singer with a zig-zag. Gosh what a boon the zig zag was. Pinking shears were part and parcel of her sewing kit along with a monsterous pair of heavy scissors [which my daughter now has!].

Yeah, clothes were home made in our day. Cardis, jumpers, hats etc were knitted. I still have many of my Mum's old knitting patterns, her canvas needle carrier, the bakerlite ball to put the wool in. And who from back then, can't forget putting two kitchen chairs back to back to ball up a skein of yarn! Nope, wool didn't come ready balled in those days!

About two years ago, I pulled out a skein of wool that was ? years old, still in tip top condition and did exactly what she did.

I still have a handknitted shawl, layette and other pieces mostly made by my late Aunty - darn, they must be in like 1ply wool as they rows are so fine w/intricate patterns. Who can remember those hats with little bunny ears which were my fav!

My Mum used to embroider tray clothes, doiles etc some of which I still have. When she died, she had things like dresser hair catchers that I regret not taking [didn't know what they were back then].

It was a very special treat to have a cardi bought from a store.
Coats were bought but handed down!

Going back through pix with my daughter, women were dressed nicely when they went to town! And it appears most wore hats. Hats seemed to be part of a man's going out wardrobe. I can recall men tipping their hats - something that I relished when I went to live in Texas where it's still done as is the handshake!

Women did go out and buy a nice dress or two and definitely more an 'ensemble' for a wedding - and of course the obligatory matching hat, gloves and shoes. Yep we all wore gloves well into the 60's! In fact, they were a mandatory part of our high school uniform both in summer and winter. As were panama hats.

From my view, things really did start changing in the 60's when ready made wear became more accessible and affordable. By then, sewing machines had taken on a new dimension of their own - I used to demo machines for Singer and saw the rapid changes there.

Knitting machines came and went.

Those little brown suitcases we had for school with the flip lock!
No backpacks. Though at high school leather satchels were popular but buggar the metal zips which often broke!

It was nothing to polish our shoes and do the satchel at the same time!