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.
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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