Vintage Singer Sewing Machine

One of my favorite antiques is my Vintage 1907 Singer Sewing Machine.  I have had it for several years and it is in very good condition.  There are so many ways you can display a vintage sewing manchine in your Primitive home.  It can be displayed with the sewing machine exposed surrounded with other sewing collectibles such as an old sewing basket, wooden spools of thread and an old pin cushion.  With the sewing machine inside, the cabinet makes an excellent table in your family room or a bedside table in your bedroom.  If you have a cabinet that no longer has the machine in it or if the top has been damaged, you can have the frame fitted with another wooden top or a piece of marble to make a cute and useful table.
Even though sewing the family's clothing is not as popular as it once was, many ladies still find pleasure in the art of sewing for a hobby or crafting purposes.  I remember the year that I decided to make all of the ladies on my Christmas list a long flannel "granny gown" for Christmas.  I bought yards and yards of flannel.  It seemed like a good idea at first but by the time I had finished the last gown, I didn't think I was quite so clever.  I made my daughter several dresses when she was small.  I made a few mother/daughter outfits when she was just a baby.  One year, I even made my husband, myself, my daughter and my son matching shirts.  I still have my old Sears console sewing machine sitting in my office and I actually still use it sometimes.  When my mother passed away, I gave her console sewing machine to my daughter.  I sometimes wonder about the lady who used my old Singer sewing machine.  What was she like and what kinds of things did she sew?  Was she a quilter?  The Amish still use sewing machines like the one above since they don't have electricity.  This machine still has the original finish and the one of the drawers contains the instruction manuals and attachments that came with it.  The manuals are dated March 8, 1907 and is numbered 27-4.  Who knows, if I ever decide to become Amish, I'll be set to sew!

Is it a Buttery or a Pantry?

The term "buttery" is seldom used these days, but as we learn more about the Primitive culture, I am sure you will hear the word used more often.  Actually the word "buttery" is chiefly a British term meaning (1) a room in which liquors were stored or (2) A place in colleges and universities where students may buy provisions.  In the Primitive day, it was a room for storing foods or wines.  Actually in some cases, the word "buttery" is used interchangably with the word "pantry".  A pantry has an extended use meaning a room where food, provisions or dishes are stored and served in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen.  Many years ago, there were separate rooms for different functions and food storage.  A pantry was mainly where bread was kept and the preparation associated with bread baking was done.  There were also rooms for storage of bacon and other meats known as a "larder".  Alcoholic beverages were stored in a buttery, known for the "butts" of barrels stored there.  Then there was the room called the kitchen where the actual food cooking was done.  In America, the pantry evolved from the Early American buttery.  The buttery was usually built in a cold north corner of a Colonial home.. The more common spelling was "butt'ry".  The pantry is becoming more popular in both American and English homes as part of a rekindling of nesting and homekeeping since the late 1990's.  It is becoming one of the most requested features in American homes today even though kitchens are being built larger than ever before.  There is quite a charm and nostalgia to the pantry as well as being a practical addition to any home.  The term pantry may be used for any small storeroom for non-perishible foods such as canned goods or dry goods.  Even though it is ideal, the pantry does not have to be located near the kitchen.  Sometimes a pantry can be located in the basement.  I have created a pantry in my laundry room that is just off my kitchen using purchased stainless steel shelving on wheels.  It keeps my staples handy and organized and frees up my kitchen cabinets for other storage.
(Pictures from "A Simple Life" Magazine and research provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Root Cellar

We don't hear as much about the Root Cellar these days as in the past.  With all of our modern refregeration options available, the need is not as great as it once was.  The root cellar is a type of structure built either completely or partially underground and used to store vegetables, fruits and nuts or other foods.  They are for keeping food supplies at a low temperature and steady humidity.  Root cellars keep food from freezing during the winter and keep it cool during the summer months to prevent spoilage.  Usually, several kinds of vegetables are placed in the root cellar in the fall after harvesting.  Another use for the root cellar is as a place to store wine or home made alcoholic beverages.  The most common vegetables stored in the root cellar are potatoes, turnips and carrots.  Other food supplies placed in the root cellar during the winter months are beets, onions, preserves and jams, salt meat, winter squash and cabbage.  Sometimes separate cellars are used for storing fruits such as apples or pears.  Water, bread, butter, milk and cream were sometimes stored in the root cellar.  Also, items such as salad greens, fresh meat, and jam pies were kept in the root cellar early in the day to keep cool until they were needed for supper. 

My grandparents had a root cellar built under a garage  on their farm and was therefore underground.  I can still remember the smell as I entered the root cellar.  It smelled a little like an old basement.  There were several rock steps leading down to the heavy wooden cellar door.  Papaw had built wooden shelves from rough lumber on three sides of the root cellar.  The floor was cool and smooth.  Mamaw lined each shelf with clean newspaper.  She would line up her canned tomatoes, green beans, pickles, beets, shelly beans and corn in straight rows on the shelves.  There were bushel baskets of potatoes, sweet potatoes and turnips sitting on the floor in front of the shelves.  I remember Mamaw taking a big granite dish pan down to the root cellar each day to gather the items she needed to cook supper.  The root cellar felt so cool compared to the heat and humidity on the outside.  After Mamaw told me she once saw a snake in there, I never spent much time  there and certainly never went in alone.  I just knew that snake was in there somewhere waiting for me.

There are a few ways to build a root cellar:  One way is digging down into the ground and erecting a shed or house over the cellar which is accessed via a trap door in the shed.  Another way is digging into the side of a hill which is easier to excavate and facilitates water drainage.  Yet a third way is building a structure at ground level and piling rocks, earth, and/or sod around and over it.  This way may be easier to build on rocky terrain where excavation is more difficult.  Root cellars take advantage of the earth as a natural source of insulation and coolness.  Since deep holes are naturally cooler than the area around the surface of the earth, a root cellar will be cooler than the air temperature by design, and several features can make a root cellar even colder.  Usually a root cellar is constructed in an area which is already cold, such as a north-facing hill in the Northern Hemisphere, and it may be shaded by trees and buildings.  Thick insulation such as stone, brick, and straw may be used to keep a root cellar's temperature stable, while ventilation shafts pull cold air up, keeping a constant flow of cool air going through the root cellar.  Root cellars have also been used to age cheese.  Modern day root cellars continue to be used for the storage of fruits and vegetables, and a growing interest in natural preservation techniques and small scale farming in the early 21st century led to a revival of the root cellar in some communities.

The primitive "staples" pictured above are available for sale at Persnickety Primitives.  With these great items, you can "stock" your primitive pantry or buttery for just the right look to enhance your primitive decor.  They also look great in your primitive cupboards and Hoosier cabinets.  These primitive home decor items have been created by me and coffee stained for that old grungy look we love.

(Research provided by: http://www.wisegeek.com/ and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Rosehips and Potpourri

We will have rose hips and fragrant potpourri available for sale at Persnickety Primitives.  Rosehips make a wonderful addition to your primitive candles and pantry cakes.  They also look wonderful in a Treenware bowl or scoop.  They are great in a Ball or Mason jar.  You are limited only by your imagination as to how to display them.   We have unscented rosehips as well as ones with scents to match our 1803 Candle line.

Old Trunks

If these old trunks could talk, they would have wonderful stories to tell!  The top trunk belonged to Clark's maternal grandfather.  They traveled a lot down toward Texas and many times slept in their car or camped out beside their car.  They used this camel back trunk to store and move a lot of their belongings.  After Clark's mother was married and had a family, her father gave the trunk to her.  Clark said he remembers the trunk being kept in the basement where they would fill it with fresh picked pears every year.  It eventually came to us and we had it refinished.  It now holds afgans and quilts.  The second trunk is an old steamer trunk.  We purchased it from an elderly friend of ours who has since passed away.  She used it during her college days to store and ship her clothes to and from college each year.  It is now packed completely full of Christmas linens, placemats and stockings. 

Grandma's Kraut Cutter

Kraut Cutters are a great primitive wall art collectible.  They look great in your kitchen or even in your laundry room along side of your washboard.  I am fortunate to own my grandmother's kraut cutter.  It's the one in the bottom picture.  The small square box sitting in front of it is a cabbage box.  You would place half of a head of cabbage, cut side down, in the box and use the box to move the cabbage back and forth across the kraut cutter blades to keep from cutting your fingers.  The middle picture has the cabbage box attached to the cutter for display purposes.  The top two cutters are very old and will be for sale in the Persnickety Primitives shop.  There is nothing quite like home made sauerkraut.  Recently my brother made a batch of sauerkraut the old fashioned way.  Making sauerkraut the old fashioned way is quite an adventure.  First you have to have just the right fermenting vessel.  A straight sided crock works great.  Once the cabbage has been shredded, it is mixed with coarse salt and layered until the cabbage is several inches below the rim of the fermenting crock.  The salt brings out the moisture in the cabbage to start the fermenting process.  If the moisture does not cover the cabbage, you can add a little boiling water.  Once done, the cabbage is weighted down with a plate with something heavy on top of that to keep the cabbage covered in the liquid while it ferments.  The fermentation process takes several weeks.  Once finished, the sauerkraut can be kept in the refrigerator or canned in Mason or Ball jars.  There is nothing like the taste of homemade sauerkraut, whether it is served as a side dish or piled high on a Reuben sandwich.  If you would like to try your hand at making sauerkraut, there are numerous recipes available on the internet.

Great-grandma's Parlor Stove

One of my most treasured collectibles is my great grandmother's Parlor Stove.  It is made of cast iron and dates back to the late 1800's.  Every time we have to move it, Clark threatens that it is the last time he will move it.  I barely remember the time when my great grandmother still lived in her home.  Most of my memories of her were after she began living with my grandmother.  Back in those days, the elderly were very seldom sent to a nursing home - they just moved in with their children who cared for them the remainder of their days.  I faintly remember this stove in her home.  After my great grandmother Laura moved in with my grandmother, her son (my great uncle) restored great grandma's house and used it for a weekend get-away.  Keri, my daughter, just said the other day that she remembered walking down the tree lined country road between my grandma's house and my great grandma's house.  It was such a cool and peaceful walk.  My uncle Wilson (nicknamed "Toots") kept the old stove and used it to warm the large kitchen in the house.  I remember going down there and lovingly admiring that stove.  I thought it was the prettiest stove I had ever seen.  The wood stove in grandma's house and at our house were so plain in comparison.  Several years passed and I had not been in my great-grandma's house.   After my uncle  Toots passed away, his remaining family arranged to sell  great grandma's house and contents.  I remembered that stove.  Due to my job, I was unable to attend the auction that day, but Clark was able to go.  I told him that I didn't care if he got anything else at all as long as he came home with that stove.  When he got home that evening, I could hardly wait to see the stove.  All he had brought home was a pile of rusty metal in the back of his truck.  It sure didn't look like the stove that I remembered.  He said that was the only stove that sold and it was in pieces out behind one of the barns.  I decided that it must be the stove I wanted, but it was unrecognizable.  Clark took the stove to a friend of ours who restores antiques.  He had the stove sandblasted.  He then polished the cast iron.  When we got the stove back, I remember how happy I was.  I said, "That's it - that's grandma's stove".  Clark fitted the stove with electric logs and I sometimes joke that it is the world's largest lamp.  Great grandma's stove proudly occupies a corner of my kitchen and even though it doesn't produce heat, I still get a warm feeling every time I look at it.