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.
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