Martha was here? Who’s Martha?
Grandma and me c.1972
Sometimes when you are growing up something so simple will leave such a profound effect on you. That’s how it was with my grandmother’s lamp table.
My mother and I would go visit for a few days at a time and when we got to “the farm” as I called it, time slowed to a crawl. Suddenly you had time for a second cup of coffee, you could watch the Noon news. look for deer up on the ridge or, as often happened, you found yourself reaching for the magazine on the lamp table.
What was that magazine? The Workbasket.
Some folks may think this website is named after “Aunt Martha” of The Workbasket fame, but in truth it is named for my grandma who’s name was Martha Herring.
She was a lady of great talent and amazing ingenuity. Grandma crocheted, tatted and quilted and The Workbasket provided her with new patterns for very little money. I was always charmed by the size of the magazine which was non-standard, kind of TV Guide sized. Every woman who came into that house and sat next to that table leafed through the pages – whether she crafted or not.
As I got older I got my own subscription and then sadly in my early adult years the magazine ceased publication. It was a slow and painful death for such a wonderful piece of history, I always wished they had just stopped it outright instead of trying to remake it into something new, but they tried to get that last little bit of profit from it. The magazine was fine just the way it was and I miss it to this day. Thankfully back issues are treasured and plentiful so we can still share the wonderful bits of wisdom and creativity that graced those pages for so many years. I still place a copy on my lamp table to leaf through when I get a chance, it just so happens that some issues are 50 years old.
On my website you will find all kinds of references to The Workbasket and other special magazines of years past. Some are still published but they are by no means the great magazines they once were. As a child I spent many afternoons engrossed in the beautiful Christmas crafts and heartfelt stories in a 1976 Woman’s Day magazine or I made a mess on the kitchen table trying my hand at a recycled craft from Pack o’ Fun. My love for magazines of the past still looms large and it provides me with a great sense of joy and discovery whenever I find a new one – or rediscover one I read as a child.
So if you are here looking for information on The Workbasket, start with the main Workbasket page here. If you are interested in Pack o’Fun, start with that page here. And if you aren’t sure what you’d like to see, well, just browse around the categories on the menu until you find something interesting. I’ve got thrift store trips, craft projects and recipes and all kinds of things on here. Kind of like a magazine on the lap table… pick us up and leaf through for a few minutes.
I’m always interested in chatting with visitors so please feel free to email me at apmom@amusementparkmom.com with any questions or comments.