Black Friday Alternative? Vintage Crazy and Not-So-Crazy Craft Patterns III

We have a confession to make here.  Deb and I don’t do Black Friday.  “Gasp”,  I can hear you all:  since the thrift stores never do door busters, what’s the point?  We have been known to get out, coffee in hand, at five in the morning for an estate sale, but that’s different!  So, since we KNOW there are others out there not shopping, we decided to give you an alternative.  If you are not out shopping, here are some wonderful crazy craft patterns to inspire you to stay well away from your craft room.  After all, I don’t think most of these really should be turned loose on the world, even if Christmas is coming.

You know, fashion is always appreciated, and often knitting and crocheting patterns transcend the times, especially if the colors are updated.  This book is from the late 50s/ early 60s:

This first pattern is lovely.  Hairpin lace is elegant no matter when it was made:

But then they decided it was time to get clever, or they started smoking something:

For the chronic bank robber in your family?  Here, Uncle Harry, for the next time you go on a crime spree.  You can outfit the whole gang here.

In contrast, these hat patterns seem almost tame.  May have to actually admit, I think they are rather cute, but I am not sure I would have the nerve to venture out in public with one on my head.  Come to think of it, the model looks like she would be mortified if one of her friends caught her looking like this:

Besides Swiffer ads, have you ever seen a woman having this much fun with her duster?

This next one is a case of a manufacturer so desperate to generate sales that they had to come up with a craft pamphlet to give ’em a lift.  It almost worked, as we spotted a red plastic doily the next week and ALMOST had to buy it.  We resisted manfully.

Need to see more?

Feeling like a glutton for punishment?

Is there any decorative thing that can’t be made with plastic doilies?  Apparently not according to this picture.

OK, just one more, as how can you resist dollies dressed in plastic?

Speaking of dolls, I can’t resist a doll pattern especially if it is even vaguely fashion doll-like, so this pattern book had to come home.

Front Cover:

Back Cover:

You know those were too cute, to be the only pix from that book.  Yep, here it comes.  Always wondered where these patterns came from.

These little dolls always look to me like they just got a good goose on the rear end.  Check out the look on the one in the middle.

This next craft pamphlet may be one of the craziest we have ever seen:

Looks pretty innocuous from the front, doesn’t it?  Just a pretty blond woman enjoying a fluffy, sweet mother-daughter moment while wearing a pink apron.  Let’s have a look at the back cover:

Eek!  Who on earth would cover a window and flower pots with fluffy ruffles?  We are wondering how she became a mother; no man we know would live in a house decorated like this.

But there is more of course; once you’ve gone this far there is no turning back:

We think this must really be the work of a frustrated spinster diverting all of her home-making energy into over-the-top ruffles.  We can see her 85 cats having a grand old time playing all of this edging.

The book isn’t a total nightmare:

Once you remove that giant fake poppy pinned to this collar, it’s rather lovely.  We aren’t sure why she is holding an envelope next to her cheek–could this be a love note from her beau?  More likely it’s a death threat, if she is the one who designed all of the fluffy ruffle patterns.

OK, this last one is a true confession if ever I wrote one.  In my defense, I did wait till the second day of the Estate sale to get it for half price.  I just can not resist things in this sort of condition, especially from the 1940s.  Fun, Simple, Profitable, ( says so on the box! ) just like me, only I seem to spend money.

Check out the contents, Every one of those little shells, beads, findings and rhinestones still in their little packages.  The glue is rock solid though.  After 70 years, how can that be?

See, wasn’t that more fun than fighting crowds just to find out you missed the one and only $1 DVD player?  We’ll be back to our regular posts next week, and Christmas posts should be appearing soon, now that Thanksgiving has flown by.