by Joanna Dermenjian | Jan 29, 2022 | Exhibits, Research
A number of women have been in touch with me since the podcast, Canada’s Forgotten Quilts aired, telling me they remember their mother/aunt/grandmother mentioning being involved in the making of wartime ‘comforts’, as adult women and also as children. If these women...
by Joanna Dermenjian | Jan 24, 2022 | History, Podcasts
In 1944, a baby was snatched from a crib just moments before a bomb explosion shattered the window beside her. In the nearby refugee centre where the family fled because their home was no longer habitable, a quilt was given to the family. The tag on the quilt said...
by Joanna Dermenjian | Jan 22, 2022 | History
As I research Canadian women’s lives on the homefront during WWII, I am conscious of the words that were used to inspire, encourage, and sell to them. These three ads from Chatelaine magazine in 1942 are great examples. “I pledge myself to guard every bit of Beauty...
by Joanna Dermenjian | Jan 21, 2022 | History
Alas, Jim sent a telegram, but did not say ‘Love, Jim’ – just signed off ‘Jim’. What could this possibly mean? According to this advertisement in the April 1940 issue of the Canadian Home Journal, “Men grow neglectful when wives grow careless”. In this case, Betty...
by Joanna Dermenjian | Jan 17, 2022 | History
Example of ‘Foreshortened’ quilt – Canadian Red Cross Kitchener Branch In my ongoing research into Canadian WWII Red Cross quilts, I have seen reference regarding construction that some quilt tops were made ‘by the yard’. That is, blocks were made and sewn together...
