Spanning the decade of the 1930s The Great Depression was a time of severe economic downturn that began in the United States and spread worldwide. Although this time period found many families enduring great hardship, there was still an attempt to find ways to give children gifts at holiday time.

Nostalgic Sewn Toys

Cheryl, thanks for your article and bringing back some memories. I was fortunate that my mom sewed my vinyl baby doll new clothes from cotton flour sacks. One Christmas I found a line of these new outfits laid along the back of the couch. It was such a joy for me that even as an adult I love making patterns for the moms and grandmoms of today to sew doll clothes.

Susan, what a happy memory you hold. Those flour sacks had so many uses. Your mom made those doll clothes with much love, for sure. Although I do not create patterns for doll clothes I love the process of sewing dresses from them. The finished dresses bring a smile for me every time.

Cheryl, I make bunnies for infants that have small appendages they can hold onto. That's a fun project, too.