A charming piece of mid-century needlework history: Aunt Ellen’s Complete Book of Needlework 1949-50.

This is not a conventional pattern booklet but a full mail-order catalog from Modern Handcraft, Inc. of Kansas City. It offers a fascinating window into postwar American craft culture, filled with stamped goods, ready-to-order kits, fabric samples, and Aunt Ellen’s personal recommendations. Ideal for collectors of vintage needlework ephemera, advertising art, and 1940s–50s domestic crafts.

Inside you’ll find:

• Colorful illustrations of quilt kits (Lone Star, Broken Star, Butterfly, State Bird, State Flower, and more)
• Crochet kits for doilies, aprons, and panholders
• Stamped pillowcases, vanity sets, towels, and lunch cloths
• Needlepoint, felt projects, baby items, toys, and transfers
• Fabric yardage, threads, paints, and supplies with original 1949–50 pricing

A delightful collectors’ item that captures the spirit of mid-century mail-order needlework rather than a practical working pattern book.