My grandfather was a set builder, mostly for MGM, during the “Golden Age of Hollywood.” His garage was filled with Craftsman hand and power tools that lasted forever and made his woodworking hobby much more enjoyable (much of the furniture in my home was built by him). My grandmother also bought top of the line sewing and kitchen tools. I am the lucky recipient of the sewing tools that have lasted well over 50, 60, 70+ years.
In The Home Economics Omnibus, we are told that we should view our homemaking tools just as a carpenter views his tools…
A good carpenter is known by his tools and the state in which he keeps them. Too frequently a homemaker’s tools are makeshifts. Very often good utensils are kept in poor condition. If you help wash dishes at home, and if any of the utensils are not in good condition, is any of the poor condition of those tools due to your carelessness, for instance (emphasis added)?
Ouch. I’m guilty of putting things in the dishwasher that I know shouldn’t be put in there because I feel too lazy to fill up the sink and wash them by hand. The irony is that I prefer washing my dishes by hand, but I get all cranky and rebellious about doing the dishes. It probably stems from a lot of childhood drama/pain associated with washing the dishes.
As a result of my rebelliousness, my cutlery goes dull rather quickly and, instead of having them sharpened, I just keep using dangerously dull knives or I buy a new set of them at Target. Another result is that tools end up getting rusty because the detergent wears the protective coating off of them.
I would never treat my sewing tools this way…yet, I’ve never thought twice about my kitchen tool carelessness.
Hmmmmmm…..It might be time I let the drama/pain go so that I can “grow up” and take care of all of my tools so that they last forever (or, at least, a very long time)
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I would so love to see photos of your old and sturdy sewing and kitchen tools. I’m sure others would love it too!
Well, Pattie, I don’t have any old and sturdy kitchen tools that were my grandmother’s (alas). The sewing tools are rather mundane things (scissors, for example) but they are certainly better made than what we can buy at JoAnn’s!
I take that back…there ARE some kitchen things–I still have some Pyrex pie plates and a couple of gadgets that belonged to my grandmother.
The comment from the Omnibus caught my attention, too. My mother and grandmothers had only a few cooking utensils and certainly nothing fancy. My husband loves knives, so he has given me a couple of nice ones for the kitchen with the admonishment that they are not dishwasher proof. He also cares for our knives, sharpening them when he sees they are dull.
Yes, I was just looking at my utensil drawer in disgust. i have a lot of tools I can’t seem to part with – like the egg slicer and lemon squeezer etc. I do think the hardest part of keeping house is managing too much stuff. Quality vs. quantity, I am sure a sharp knife and some effort could replace many tools. But, also having scheduled time to do things every day as a habit would also work, like washing dishes – yes, I am in the baby step program.
Hi Ann! Your last comment, “having scheduled time to do things every day as a habit,” sparked thoughts for me. I have never been able to so structure my life as a homemaker so that it falls neatly into a schedule. I think the key is to approach your homemaking duties as though it were your job — because they are. On the other hand, in today’s world there are many worthwhile options that interfere with schedules.
I have 3 cutting knives (yes, only 3), but I sharpen them semi-frequently with a sharpening blade. I recently learned that you’re supposed to have your knives professionally sharpened once a year. ! I doubt I’ll ever make the effort for that.
Hi Hallie!
I have a resident “professional” who sharpens my knives — your dad! He states his willingness to sharpen yours, too. And anyway, I don’t know of a real professional knife / scissors sharpener in my community.