Creative Collecting
Juin Foresman had only a few family heirlooms when she was married 47 years ago.
“My mother was the last of 13 children and the only one born here in the United States. There was almost nothing from her family that was passed down, except for a little black lacquered snuff box and a cranberry glass goblet. I did get a little more from my father’s side, but not much more.”
Foresman’s heirs will not suffer a similar fate. Her San Juan Capistrano home is filled with antiques and self-made heirlooms. She is a creator and a collector. In just one small room, she has a collection of about 400 toy sewing machines on display in ceiling-high glass cabinets crafted by her husband. Some of the surprisingly heavy iron machines date as far back as 1880.
Foresman, 73, has company in her compulsions. She is a founding member of the Mission Trails chapter of Questers, a national organization whose members share a passion for antiques and collectibles. The 25 members of the local chapter will celebrate its 10th anniversary Sept. 24 with a Victorian-themed luncheon at the Marbella Country Club in San Juan Capistrano, with the West Coast editor of Victoria Magazine as guest speaker.
“Collecting can become an obsession. My husband says he sees me smuggling in little packages, bulging under my coat.
“Some of our members collect articles of vintage clothing, beaded purses, porcelain that was made specifically to hold cans of evaporated milk, dolls, plastic and composition jewelry, celluloid dresser sets, furnishings, depression glass, old linens, and on and on. My sewing machines are invading my whole house.”
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She began collecting toy sewing machines about 35 years ago after buying one on a whim at a charity rummage sale.
“I saw this little green and white box that had a little toy Singer sewing machine in it. It was just like the one my mother had given me when I was about 9 years old. So I bought it, for $3. I took it home and went to put it in a drawer, and when I opened the drawer there was another one just like it in there. To this day, I do not know how that other machine got there. But I said to myself, ‘Well, now I have a collection.’ ”
During her regular visits to antique stores, Foresman acquired more of the tiny yet sturdily made machines. She first learned to sew on such a machine while growing up in Oak Park, Ill., and is now an accomplished seamstress.
The advent of the affordable sewing machine was a significant cultural event, Foresman said, representing one of the first technological revolutions to directly affect women.
“The domestic sewing machine came in and changed life for most women. It was almost as thunderous of a change as the computer. The mother out on the plains would buy a sewing machine from an itinerant salesman, who would sometimes offer a child’s version along with it to get her to buy it.”
The machine’s usefulness was a mixed blessing, Foresman said.
“Because women had these machines, they could make more and better clothing for their families, who then expected more and better clothing. So the labor-saving aspect of the machine was lost. You can’t win.”
Before she bought her first toy sewing machine, Foresman had spent more than a decade collecting miniature kerosene lamps. But their soaring prices prompted her to switch to the less-popular toy sewing machines. Now, some of the most sought-after toy sewing machines are selling at auction for nearly $20,000.
“Believe it or not, there are two international sewing machine collectors publications and organizations. There are newsletters, meetings and even conventions that feature huge auctions. I never envisioned the popularity of these little toys.
“Collectors are an interesting lot. Some people think collecting is an odd hobby, and yet others realize that it serves a useful purpose, as a method of gathering the greatest variety possible in one particular field and preserving it for the future.
“It’s not just about having things. It’s about having a relationship with an object, learning the stories behind it. You can always learn more about the manufacture of an object and its reason for being. I also heard the darndest statement some time ago, that as a civilization is dying, it begins to recognize the value of things from its past. We start collecting when things start disappearing.”
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Profile: Juin Foresman
Age: 73
Hometown: Oak Park, Ill.
Residence: San Juan Capistrano
Family: Husband, Robert; four grown children; seven grandchildren
Education: Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana); master’s degree in library science, Cal State Fullerton
Background: Modeled during high school and college years for John Robert Powers and Conover Cover Girls agencies; toured as an actress with road company of “Life With Father” and subsequently signed with Warner Bros.; acted in several movies, including “This Woman Is Dangerous,” with Joan Crawford; acted and modeled for television and print media; produced children’s plays at the Claremont Public Library; wrote and produced puppet shows for disabled children in conjunction with Assistance League of Capistrano Valley during late 1980s; earned Athena Award in 1995 from the National Panhellenic Organization of Orange County for outstanding volunteer work; founding member of Mission Trails chapter of Questers, national organization dedicated to love of antiques and historic preservation
On antique collecting: “Some young people think they have nothing worth saving. My advice is to make your own heirlooms. You can make things important, things to pass down to your grandchildren. You’ve got to start somewhere.”
Source: Juin Foresman; Researched by RUSS LOAR / For The Times