I’m always amused by the notion of women in the 40s and 50s doing naughty needlework, like these naughty embroidered vintage handkerchiefs — pin ups with crocheted clothing you lift to find boobies and other raunchy parts.
Sometimes the crafty person edited your view with lingerie, usually when going up-skirt.
Typically the breasts and butts were padded too. Apparently this padding of female sex parts, of a sort, was such a delightful concept that the padded versions without peek-a-boo sections to lift were also quite common.
Whether they are hankies, napkins, or guest towels, I wonder if these handcrafted items from yesteryear stymied once they were made; after all, where could they be used or displayed?
Maybe this is why so many of these vintage linens can be found in such good conditions today.
However, a woman’s privates can be made more public than a man’s; I’ve yet to find male beefcake versions of these textiles. …Though I suppose, to be fair, there could be other reasons for this.
Such as the fact that female beauty is more universally agreed upon (and exploited). And perhaps the male versions were more often used and had the embroidered decorations “beat” out of them.
In a “stroke” of genius, one Etsy seller is capitalizing on our love of naughty handiwork — both the needlework and masturbatory varieties — as well as our love of practicing sex, creating the Tidy Cloth: hand embroidered cum rags.
What is a Tidy Cloth? Well, a Tidy Cloth is a classy little lifesaver for anyone who has ever been on the giving or receiving end of a sticky post-coital situation. No more shame, no more awkward silence, no more “Umm… can you hand me one of those t-shirts out of the laundry pile?” The Tidy Cloth, or “cum rag” as it’s known in the vernacular, replaces that uncomfortable pause with an excellent conversation piece, great for distracting a partner from your pitiful performance or untimely release.
Tidy Cloths are not only a very practical idea with clever decorator flair, they are witty too.
I would suggest you collect them all, but, frankly, I’d recommend only buying and collecting new &/or freshly laundered Tidy Cloths. …Unless you want to turn this into some sort of Monica Lewinsky bed-notch thing.
The hankies are great – they remind me of a toilet paper roll “doll” that my grandma had in her bathroom. Basically, a doll from the waist-up, with a crocheted dress that would hang down over the roll. I got such a thrill from peeking under the skirt, which is rather ridiculous – I mean, it’s toilet paper. Also, I got a laugh out of the dowel used to look under the lady’s shawl.
I love your site! And I’m excited to find other people interested in sex history. Please take a gander at my site, Hersteria, interesting – in which I dole out advice as found in vintage sex-ed and marriage manuals. Some truly hilarious and horrifying stuff.
http://hersteria.wordpress.com/