The cost of hand embroidery supplies in 1930

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.

Prices are given in pounds, shillings and pence, the form of money we used here in the UK before decimalization in 1971.

In Britain, a pound was made up of 240 pennies or 20 shillings. 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. This information will help you read the table below.

Let's start with the tools and equipment that Helen listed and then we will move on to the embroidery fabrics and floss...

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 that time may have been about 30/- (30 shillings or 30 'bob') which was the equivalent of £1.50. Due to inflation that would relate to a lot more today, perhaps nearly £15.