I don't know about you but I find it fascinating to see how the cost of hand embroidery supplies have changed over the years. When I saw a list of equipment and supplies in Helen Whiteford's school exercise book from the 1930's I wanted to share it with you.
The prices are given in sterling: in pounds, shillings and pence, the form of money we used here in the UK before decimalization in 1971.
A pound was made up of 20 shillings in 240 pennies. A shilling consisted of 12 pennies. A penny consisted of two halfpennies or four farthings.
The symbols used for this kind of money were £ for pounds, s. or /- for shillings and d for pennies.
Let's start with the tools and equipment that she lists...
Tools and equipment
Cost
Pins
2/10 a pound weight (almost 15 pence)
Needles
4 to a 1/- packet (5 pence)
Thimbles - plastic
1d
Thimbles - plated
3d
Tape measures
6d (about 2.5 pence)
Scissors - embroidery
4/- or 6/- (20 or 30 pence)
Scissors - cutting out
10/- (50 new pence)
Frame, round
3/-, 4/- (15 or 20 pence)
Frame, square 20"
13/4 (about 68 pence)
Pattern making paper, ruled 1/4"
5/4 (about 28 pence)
Tracing paper
5d a sheet (about 2.5 pence)
Indian ink
1/4 for 1oz bottle
Fabrics
Hessian 50"
5/- to 6/- a yard (25-30 pence a yard)
Oatmeal cloth 50"
8/6 (42.5 pence a yard)
Cotton crash
4/- (20 pence a yard)
Hardanger
6/- to 14/- (30 - 70 pence a yard)
Linen 36 to 72", white
7/6 to 17/6 (35 - 87 pence)
Linen, dyed 36"
10/6 (52.5 pence)
Unbleached calico, 36"
4/6 (22.5 pence)
Canvas(various)
3/- to 7/- (15 - 35 pence)
Gingham
3/2 (16 pence)
Felt
14/6 (72.5 pence)
Net
6/- (30 pence)
Threads
Clarks cotton, stranded
4.5d a skein
Soft embroidery cotton
4.5d a skein
Cotton a broder
3d a skein
Embroidery wool, 4 ply
3d a skein
Sewing cotton
6d a reel
Tacking cotton
2/2 a spool
Tape 36 yards
1/5
Bias binding
1/5
Coloured cord
from 2.5d a yard
Wooden beads 1/4 sq
1/- each
To put the prices of the hand embroidery supplies above into perspective, a weekly wage at this time may have been about 30/- (30 shillings or 30 'bob') which would now be £1.50.
I don't know about you but I find it fascinating to see how the cost of hand embroidery supplies have changed over the years. When I saw a list of equipment and supplies in Helen Whiteford's school exercise book from the 1930's I wanted to share it with you.
