An Embroidery Pattern and A Balloon

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Thursday, July 25, 1912: Spent nearly all afternoon in getting an embroidery pattern reversed so as to have the whole design. It’s finished now and stamped on the material.

For several evenings I’ve seen a balloon go up, but tonight I saw only the gas.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Help!! I don’t understand this diary entry—and am hoping that some of you can help me make sense of it.

Embroidery Pattern

How do you reverse an embroidery pattern and then stamp it on cloth? I can remember using an iron to transfer the patterns to cloth when I was child—but I have no idea how Grandma reversed the pattern and then stamped it.

Balloons

Was Grandma referring to a hot air balloon?

Hot air balloons were popular attractions at fairs and festivals in the early 20^th century. Steve Shook has a wonderful picture of hot air balloons at a festival in Valparaiso, Indiana that was taken around 1910.

But what did she mean when she said that she only saw the gas?

Will be Glad When School Starts

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Monday, July 22, 1912: Heard that school starts on the 26th of August. I’ll be glad when that day arrives. I’d rather go to school than have to hardly anything else, and I’m not going any places any ways.

DSC04308.crop — Recent photo of building that once housed McEwensville School.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

When I was a teen I always dreaded the end of summer vacation—but Grandma seemed to miss school.

. .. . though she probably had to work harder on the farm during the summer months than I did. And, I suppose she missed her friends.

Rain Makes Mud and Rain Makes Corn

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Sunday, July 21, 1912: Went to Sunday School this morning. Had to go through the mud coming homeward. Hence it rained today. Went over to see Miss Caroline May, though it rained, for it won’t hurt me.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma saw rain and mud. . . Did her father give a sigh of relief and see more corn? (Somehow this brings to mind that crazy country song about rain making corn.)

Farmers worry about the weather–too much rain (not good) . . . too little rain (not good).

This year so many farmers are worried about a drought and the possible failure of their corn crop. Did Grandma’s father have similar worries a hundred years ago?

To get lots of corn in the fall it is vital that the corn plants get enough water in July when the corn is tasseling, and the ears are beginning to form.

—-

Miss Caroline refers to Grandma’s friend Carrie Stout. Carrie lived on a nearby farm.

Brain Getting Full of Rubbish

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Friday, July 19, 1912: My brain must be getting full of rubbish, that I cannot even remember the happenings from one day to the next.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

The way this diary entry is written almost makes it seem like Grandma forgot to write anything in the diary a hundred years ago today–and then tried to remember what had happened the following day.

Once before Grandma wrote that she sometimes did two entries at the same time:

By jingo if I haven’t forgotten what I did today. Just what I did several days ago. You see, sometimes it happens that I don’t always feel like writing in this diary every evening, so I wait until the next evening and make two entries at one time.

May 9, 1911

Grandma must have been in the doldrums of summer.

Remodeling a Hat

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Friday, July 18, 1912: Made over an old hat. Wonder after it’s finished whether it will be presentable or not. I worked at it nearly all afternoon.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma was so excited in April when she got a new hat:

. . . After a trying time I got a hat that I thought would do. It is trimmed in light brown ribbon and red roses. . .

April 27, 1912

Source: Ladies Home Journal (June, 1912)

I assume that wasn’t the hat she was refurbishing—but maybe a hat could become an “old hat” in only three months.

A hundred years ago 5 & 10 cent stores sold ribbon, artificial flowers, feathers from ostriches and other less exotic birds, and other types of millinery supplies so that people could easily change the look of their hats.

Does anyone refurbish old hats anymore? . . . or old clothes (or anything else) for that matter?

I just move things to the back of my walk-in closet or give them away when they go out of style.

Injured While Playing Croquet

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Monday, July 15, 1912: We went up to Oakes’ this evening. I played crouquet with the other players, but such playing as I did was rather shocking. If I didn’t get a game I did get a sore eye, which resulted from tossing a mallet in the air and trying to catch it with my hands. Needless to say it first came in contact with my eye and second with my hand.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Ouch! Sounds like Grandma was showing off or fooling around. Was she bored while she waited for her turn?

I bet the embarrassment when the mallet hit her eye was worse than the pain. I can almost imagine what her sister Ruth might have said. 🙂

Church Bulletin Fans

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Sunday, July 14, 1912: Went to Sunday School this afternoon. I was almost melting by the time I got there.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Did Grandma fold a church bulletin to make a fan to cool herself ?

—

Fast forward 50 or so years to a time when Grandma actually was a grandmother and I was a small child. . .

I can remember sitting on hard pews in Messiah Lutheran Church in McEwensville on hot summer days.

To cool (and entertain) myself, I’d make fans out of church bulletins. Inevitably I’d accidently drop the fan onto the pew in front of me. And, Grandma would smile, pick it up, and give it back to me.