Yesteryear Treasures - pretty re-purposed paint pails

Things were different back then. Since money was often tight, people tended to make-do with what they had, instead of going out and buying it. It's almost like they lived by this New England proverb as a mantra: Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

Do you know someone who took the time to re-purpose pails? Syrup pails, paint pails, any kind of pail, really. I had a grandma who couldn't see a perfectly good pail go to the nuisance ground, so she gave them a new life. She turned paint pails into practical works of art. Grandpa must have helped her cut off the top ridge. Finally grandma added her own creative touch: After applying a coat of paint to the outside of the pail and allowing it to dry, she added the pretty floral design. These pails were used as knitting 'baskets' or to store stuff in.

The pail featured here is one my Grandma Anna gave to my Grandma Susie. She used it as a knitting basket for many years. After she passed away, my aunt had it for a while. I'm not sure what she used it for, I'm guessing for some hobby like crocheting. Then it was passed on to my sister, Joanne, who uses it for knitting, just like grandma did.

There's something to be said about reusing things, instead of going out and buying them. I know, with places like Dollorama we all seem to think it's not necessary. But now and then we should borrow a page from our grandparents and let our creativity go wild with re-purposing something you are tempted to throw out.

When I see grandma's pretty pail, it reminds of a book we had in our school years ago: Syrup Pails and Gopher Tails: Memories of the One-Room School. During those one-room schooldays, children brought their lunches to school in syrup pails. Does syrup ever come in pails nowadays?

How about you, any syrup pail tales in your family? I'd love to hear them!

Treasures from Yesteryear - Hinterbind-Tiechl (woolen headcovering)

Years ago Hutterites' winter wear did not include coats with hoods. Perhaps they were seen as "too worldly", I'm not sure. Since Hutterites settled in areas of North America which are subject to severely cold winters, they naturally had to find ways to keep their heads warm. Men wore fur caps, in Hutterisch known as Kopm. I still remember my dad wearing one of those - there was no way any kind of cold could penetrate this type of head gear. When I see photos of a Kopm, I think of Russia and wonder if that's where the Hutterites started wearing them.

Women, especially the grandmas kept their heads warm with a Hinterbind-Tiechl. Not quite as warm as the men's fur cap, I assume, but it did the trick for many years. Most likely women would not have spent a whole lot of time outside anyway; at least not as much as the men, who always walked to the barns and shops, which were often a considerable distance from their houses. These Hinterbind-Tiechlen tended to be quite fancy, with colourful embroidered borders with flowers and the name of the person who it belonged to in big, bold letters. The Hinterbind-Tiechl shown above belonged to my grandmother, and as you can see is over 70 years old.


This was an era when both men's and women's clothes were quite dark. Which makes me wonder about those fancy bright-coloured borders on the Hinterbind-Tiechl. I believe the Hinterbind-Tiechl says something about the Hutterite women back then: they were practical, knew that it's important to keep their head warm, and in their own unique way added flare and beauty to their clothes, despite the fact that bright, bold colours were frowned upon.

Today, when I see head coverings with fancy little borders, I'm reminded of the woolen headcovering of yesteryear: Hmmm, I muse, not quite as big and bold as yesteryear's, but floral-bordered head coverings are definitely making a comeback. 

Recently, my sister-in-law wished for one of those woolen wonders to wear in winter. My mom found a plain black one and gave it to her. I'm not sure if she can embroider, but I can certainly see how she would find joy in adding a bright yellow border to her new-old Hinterbind-Tiechl. 

Treasures of Yesteryear - the spinning wheel

 The spinning wheel is its itself an exquisite piece of machinery. 

My head daily bows in reverence to its unknown inventor.  

Mahatma Ghandi

There are few Hutterites left who know how to use a spinning wheel. But back in the day, almost every household had one and it was being used. My mom tells me, since she was the oldest in the family, she started helping her mother with spinning as a young school girl. Back then, you didn't go to a store to buy wool; you simply spun your own. Later the wool was put in big skeins and dyed; then used to knit winter stockings and mittens.

A few years ago we invited a Hutterite grandmother to our school. She's one of the few Hutterites who can still spin. She lives at a near-by colony and gladly came to demonstrate this lost skill. As her daft fingers worked at the wheel, our students stood round her, wide-eyed with wonder, watching the bundle of wool in her hands being spun into a spool of yarn. This was almost as magical as Rumpelstiltskin spinning straw into gold! To be sure, soft, warm wool was like gold for our grandparents; more so than it is today, when we can easily buy stockings, mittens and gloves. Really, how often to we stop to think, when we wear woolen items, where they come from (beyond store), how they're made? I know I never do.

Today, if there's a spinning wheel left in a home, it's been relegated to collect dust in the basement or in the attic, or some other forgotten corner on the colony. A few years ago my sister, Elma rescued one such treasure from the basement of a friend. It now stands in the office of our house, in need of repair. When people see it, they're taken back in time, when things were much slower paced than today. When grandma would sit at the spinning wheel, humming to herself or telling stories to grandchildren, as she made sure there was wool around to keep the hands and feet of her family toasty warm.

Do you have any spinning stories to share?

I was inspired to start a new blog series, Treasures of Yesteryear, when someone sent me a message through the blogger contact form, asking me about Hutterite antiques. If you can think of such items I could feature, please send me a message or leave a comment. Thanks!