The interior decorator works in many mediums...

{HISTORY}

And so begins this detailed discussion of how to decorate your home 1940s-style via DIY design and determination. Written by long-time newspaper columnist and home decorating guru, Ruth Wyeth Spears, Home Decoration with Fabric and Thread was published in 1940, just as America was heading into WWII. 

With practicality, cost-saving, and personality in mind, Ruth shares all her handmade secrets to turn a house into a beautiful home without sacrificing quality or skimping on design. 

It was the war years, so budget and use of appropriate materials were always present-of-mind but so was the idea of making home the most cheerful, attractive and pleasant place possible.  In this book, you'll find a few scrappy ideas that were born out of necessity (the tin-can footstool and the placemats made from burlap and nylons for example) alongside classic 1940s furnishing styles (ruffled curtains and doll clothes) making this book both a time capsule of design and also a creative DIY instruction book for the vintage house lover. 

With just a rudimentary knowledge of sewing and access to a sewing machine, projects embarked upon here include how to make a braided rag rug, oilcloth curtains for the kitchen, samplers for framing, silk scrap cushion covers, table linens, furniture slipcovers, lamp shades, door pockets, padded pillows, toys for the little ones, etc. Spanning more than 125 ideas, many of the projects can be used for any room of the house, but Ruth mainly focuses on designs specifically for the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and kids' room. 

It's a fun look not only at vintage 1940s decorating but also at the number of design projects you can undertake using simple tools, few materials, and creative techniques. 

An extra layer of vintage charm includes a handwritten note by a previous owner as to when this book was lovingly packed up from an old house in Massachusetts, an original bookplate paper label and a sticker from the Boston bookstore where it was first purchased. 

 {SPECIAL FEATURES}

- 1940 first edition (unstated) 

- 150 pages covering over 125 unique projects

- Includes vintage 1940s bookplate, and bookstore sticker

- Handwritten note regarding the antique Massachusetts house where this book once lived.

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition. this book is clean and bright on pages inside and out. There is some tanning/toning to a few pages. Please see photos. 

{SIZE}

Measures 10.25" inches (length) x 7.5" inches (width) x 1" inch (thickness) and weighs 1.8 lbs.

{THE 1940s LIFE}

Find more vintage heirlooms from the 1940s here.