Back in the 1950's I remember my mother had something called a 'blue bag' in the laundry - about an inch square and wrapped in muslin. Used, I think, for making sheets etc white. What could it have been made of?

Tiresias

It was called Reckitt's Blue. See www.forgotten-ny.com/ADS/morebrook/bowling.html Apr 15 02, 8:57 PM

Lily

My mother used these too.Here in the north they were called dolly blue.I tried to find on the net what they were made of, but couldn't. I did find that they were used in witchcraft in the Carribean, and if you want to show poultry, first rinse them in Lux flakes, and finish off with a dip in water and dolly blue.The chickens that is.That from Canada, Brainy, they must have them there too. Apr 15 02, 9:18 PM

Jeeves

The blue bag contained man-made ultramarine, which produced the blue colour. It seems that the human brain sees white as being even whiter if a small amount of blue is added. I remember one of the detergents being sold a few years ago with 'the new blue whitener'. See: www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A656804 Apr 15 02, 9:27 PM

Jack Flash

According to my copy of Collins' English Dictionary, blueing or bluing was a material such as indigo which was used in the laundering process in order to counter the effects of yellowing. As Tiresias has said, Reckitt's Blue was the substance most widely used for this purpose. Apr 15 02, 10:09 PM

Fosse4

Fosse4 says: I think it was Daz that had the new blue whitener. Can't find the ingredients of the Blue Bag - need to refer to my older sisters. Mon Apr 15 16:08:51 CDT 2002 (Delete Entry) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fosse4 says: My mate Bookworm has come up with http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/1999/1329.html Bluing--Conservation DistList Mon Apr 15 16:31:55 CDT 2002 (Delete Entry) (Reposted as one entry, edited characters - McG) May 07 02, 2:02 AM

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There is an old toy, called Biff the Bear that my teacher had back when he was younger. I don't know who made it and I want to know where I could find one....? I remember my grandmother used to love Willow Ware. Can anyone tell me the origins of this blue and white pattern? I remember an old movie that had the song 'the worms crawl in the worms crawl out' and I remember a little girl in it that had a doll and there was something hidden in it. It was a scary movie I think. Anyone remember the name of it? A movie possibly from the 50s about a man running from authorities of some kind, meets a dog along the way and after awhile liking the dog. The man goes over a big bridge to freedom and they lure him back at night by tying the dog up in the middle of the bridge and letting him bark. I was rooting for him to get away so I think he may have been a white collar criminal. Does anyone have an idea of the name of the movie? I think it was Black and white.

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