10 Vintage Homemaking Skills to Learn This Summer
Looking to embrace a simpler life? These 10 vintage homemaking skills are perfect to learn this summer — practical, frugal, and full of old-fashioned charm!
Summer is a wonderful time to slow down a bit, catch your breath, and enjoy learning new skills.
For generations, homemakers spent the summer months preserving food, caring for their homes, and teaching useful, life-giving skills to their children.
Today, as many of us seek a simpler, more mindful way of living, it’s the perfect season to reclaim a few vintage homemaking skills. Not because we have to, but because they add beauty, rhythm, and meaning to our days.
If you’re looking for ideas, here are 10 vintage homemaking skills to learn this summer, simple, practical, and full of old-fashioned charm! 🌿
1️⃣ No-Sew Mending
Learning to mend clothing without sewing is a fantastic skill. It helps you extend the life of your wardrobe, practice stewardship, and reduce waste.
It’s also a wonderful way to teach children that we can care for what we have instead of tossing it out!
(Be sure to read my full post on Old-Fashioned No-Sew Mending Options for lots of easy tips!)
2️⃣ Line-Drying Laundry
There is something so peaceful about hanging laundry on the line, and the fresh scent of sun-dried sheets is hard to beat!
Line-drying also saves energy and wear on your clothes. It’s a frugal, gentle practice for any home.
You can read how we created our own clothesline here: How We Built a Simple DIY Clothesline
3️⃣ Canning and Preserving
Summer is harvest season — the perfect time to learn basic canning and preserving skills.
Start with simple things: jams, pickles, or tomatoes. You’ll gain confidence quickly and love the feeling of filling your pantry with home-preserved foods.
4️⃣ Baking From Scratch
In our fast-paced world, many have never learned the joy of baking bread, biscuits, or simple desserts from scratch.
Summer is a great time to slow down and experiment in the kitchen, and to pass these old-fashioned kitchen skills on to the next generation.
5️⃣ Making Homemade Broth
Learning to make nourishing bone broth from scratch is one of the most useful kitchen skills. It’s frugal, healthy, and a great way to steward every bit of what you cook.
It’s also a wonderful rhythm to add to your homemaking routine!
It’s incredibly simple with the right tutorial. You can read how I make our broth here: How to Make Homemade Bone Broth in the Instant Pot
6️⃣ Handwashing Linens
Some items, vintage tablecloths, delicate garments, simply do better with gentle handwashing.
Learning this simple skill helps preserve family treasures and builds a deeper sense of connection with your home.
7️⃣ Gardening & Herb Growing
Whether you plant a full garden or just a few pots of herbs on your porch, tending plants connects you to the rhythms of creation in a way that few other things can.
Summer is the season to dig in the dirt, try new varieties, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
You might like these gardening posts:
- How To Prepare Your Garden for Planting
- FREE Printable Vintage Victory Garden Guide for Gardening Success
- How to Grow Garlic
8️⃣ Hand Embroidery or Simple Handwork
These quiet, creative skills bring so much beauty to homemaking, and they’re easy to pick up with a little practice.
Embroidery, knitting, crocheting, all teach patience, attention to detail, and the joy of making something with your own hands.
9️⃣ Cooking With Cast Iron
Cast iron cookware was a staple in vintage kitchens , and for good reason. It lasts for generations, cooks beautifully, and adds that old-fashioned charm to your meals.
Summer is a great time to learn how to care for cast iron and experiment with new recipes. I have a complete cooking with cast iron guide you can read here: How to Cook with Cast Iron: A Simple Beginner’s Guide
10️⃣ Creating a Simple Home Apothecary
Basic herbal knowledge was once a common part of homemaking.
Learning how to make simple teas, salves, or tinctures for your family can be a wonderful, empowering skill, and a beautiful way to bring faith and stewardship into your care of the home.
Closing Encouragement
You don’t need to master all of the vintage homemaking skills. Just choose one or two that speak to your heart, and enjoy learning this summer!
Vintage homemaking skills help us slow down, savor the beauty of the home, and steward our lives with greater intention.
If you’d like more encouragement, be sure to explore my Why Great Grandma Could Do It All series — full of simple living wisdom and vintage homemaking inspiration!
And if you’re ready to begin with one simple skill, start with Old-Fashioned No-Sew Mending Options — it’s one of the easiest ways to begin practicing mindful, faith-filled homemaking today.
