19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Monday, August 24 – Thursday, August 27, 1914: For lack of something to write.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Good grief, Grandma! Please tell us what you are thinking and doing! We so enjoyed what you wrote about your vacation; and now that we know how well you can write, it seems even more disappointing than it used to when you say nothing happened.
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Since Grandma didn’t write anything specific for this date, I thought that you might enjoy seeing several hundred –year-old toiletry bags that people could get patterns for from Ladies Home Journal. (Maybe Grandma made one before she went on her trip.)
When You Travel This Summer
Whether you are going on a long or a short trip you will want those little aids to comfort and beauty that are so handy at home. Descriptions of these useful articles, which may be easily made at home, and other helpful suggestions for the comfort and convenience of the summer traveler, will be mailed, upon request, for five cents. Write to the Needlework Editors, The Ladies Home Journal, Independence Square, Philadelphia.
Ladies Home Journal (June, 1914)
A Hundred Years Ago 
The design hasn’t changed much in a 100 years. Just the fabric. 🙂
I was surprised how similar the design was to a toiletry bag that I got for Christmas last year.
I think Grandma’s still “down” after the excitement of her trip.
So do I.
I made one of these for my travels. Lots of pockets … Keeps everything in one convenient place not all scattered in the suitcase.
Wow, I’m impressed that you made one.
Our bags are much more elegant zip-locks. 🙂
Works for me. 🙂
These look strangely familiar!
I was amazed at how similar they are to modern toiletry bags.
Back to the taciturn Helena! But I bet she’s smiling over her memories.
I bet that she is, too. She sure had a wonderful trip.
I still use the one my aunt made over 50 years ago. She used a pattern from about 1914.
Wow, that’s amazing. You’re aunt must have been a skilled seamstress for it to have held up across all of these years.
My mother had several old toiletry bags now mine. I stuffed one with pillow stuffing and is quite a helpful neck pillow on painful days.
What a great idea! I like how you improvised.
I would like the pattern for these bags. They looks so handy 🙂
I wish that they’d include the patterns in the magazine instead of instructing readers to send a nickel to get them.
I agree with you – Grandma did spoil us with her enthusiasm over her vacation! Now we want more details!
And believe it or not, my modern day toiletry bags looks similar to these 🙂
I also found it amazing how similar modern toiletry bags are to the old ones. I guess that a good design is timeless. 🙂