1957
Something very special is happening inside this Singer Sewing Center. All the girls (where are the boys?) are
looking very excited and it seems the anticipation is mounting. But no boys. But of course there are no boys, this is an ad in a girls magazine. American Girl April 1957, so why WOULD there be boys.
Sorry I cut this off. But it says $85,000 in prizes. That is quite a bit of money in 1957.
And here are the prizes:
I went to an inflation calculator on the web and found out that the $181 dollar Featherweight would be over $1400 today. The First Prize Slant Needle Zigzagger~$1790 Wow! and that $1000 Grand Prize would be worth over $7800
Last years winners~1956
I went to an inflation calculator on the web and found out that the $181 dollar Featherweight would be over $1400 today. The First Prize Slant Needle Zigzagger~$1790 Wow! and that $1000 Grand Prize would be worth over $7800
Last years winners~1956
Looking at the cost of clothes from this time, $181-$230 was a big investment. When you could buy a shirt for $4-5 dollars and a fancy dress for $8-22 dollars, you can see why once a women invested in a sewing machine, she used it. Today since many of these same machines are around and in working condition, we also can see the quality of workmanship in both the clothing they sewed and the machines they sewed on. I was at a generic fabric store last year and the sales lady told me that the manufactures of many quilting cottons only intend the fabric to last 10 years. REALLY? I don't know if she was talking out her you know what, but I found this too astounding to even contemplate . This always brings me back to why I love vintage so much. It was made with pride and made to last.
How interesting. And good gracious I hope she's wrong otherwise I've made several things this year that won't last until the next decade. Grumble.
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