Meet the Housewife

In this case, a housewife isn’t a person.

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I’ve got a notion

I like the word “notion.” It can mean a personal inclination or a general concept, but it can also refer to little tools and supplies. When used to describe physical objects rather than ideas, “notions” usually refer to common sewing tools and consumable necessities such as thread and buttons. Type the word into an image search on your favorite search engine and you’ll see collections of needles, thread, straight pins, safety pins, thimbles, ribbons, pincushions, snaps, measuring tapes, and more. Notions often enter into project planning as an afterthought, once primary fabrics being used to construct a garment have been selected. But, having the perfect bits and bobs right at hand when you need them can make a project come together much more smoothly than if you have to stop working to find what you need.

What is a Housewife (or Hussif or Huswif)?

Housewife (noun): “A little case or bag for materials used in sewing, and for other articles of female work.”

wiktionary.org

If you have found yourself often sewing by hand, as I have recently, you need a place to keep your favorite notions at the ready. When I first began researching historic dress of the 18th century, I came across the portable storage solution of the day, roughly rectangular pouches made from various bits of fabric and arranged in a series. Generally, they were designed to be rolled up and secured with a set of tied ribbons, or alternately, buttoned closed. In the 18th and 19th century, the need to keep little items from getting lost in pockets and bags was just as prevalent as it is now. To a Georgian-era woman, a “housewife” was the perfect place to secure small valuable items she wanted to keep on her person.

Brief Historical Note

The history of sewing kits in their various forms is a subject which deserves its own blog post. Therefore, today I will focus on chronicling my own efforts to create one, rather than delving into the broader historical context. That said, it may be helpful to offer a historical note regarding the name of these objects, as “housewife” seems an odd moniker to me. Various spellings can be found in Anglican newspaper advertisements and court proceedings of the 1700’s, such as housewifes, huswives, huswife, huswyf, etc. In this case, I can imagine regional accents and preferences might have influenced the variety of spellings used, but in practice, it appears that the term served as a single word with two meanings. The word referring to a sewing kit and the word meaning a person seem to be homonyms, meaning the two words share both pronunciation and spelling, but differ in meaning. One particular form eventually diverged, and “huswife” (pronounced “huh-ss-wife”) became more associated with sewing kits rather than with the women who used them. (wiktionary.org)

Each a Reflection of Its Maker

As I browsed online museum collections in search of housewifes*, I realized that each one I encountered seemed highly particular to its maker. Some included intricate embroidery and luxurious fabrics, and others, though constructed of more humble materials such as linen and wool, were no less laboriously crafted. They reminded me vaguely of the commercially-made emergency clothing repair kits with safety pins and a few coils of thread, which have, in the present age of disposable fashion, inexplicably continued to be available. The 18^th century portable storage solution for notions, despite having long-ago lost their contents, drew much closer to folk art and were far more fascinating than any ready-made, prefabricated sewing kit I could remember seeing in my own lifetime.

I knew I had to create one of these lovely objects for my own use, but I resisted getting to work on it right away. Why? I wanted to follow the 18^th and 19^th century tradition of making one from off-cuts and scraps, and I needed a few other projects under my belt to have small pieces of linen, wool, and cotton to use.

*Yes, this really is the plural.

Designing my own Housewife Sewing Kit

About 10 months after I sewed my first 18th century garment, I finally began work on constructing my own rolled sewing kit. Though housewifes were made and used across multiple centuries, I decided to base mine on ones reflecting the tastes and materials of the late 18^th century. After researching and drawing inspiration from a variety of online images of extant versions made in the 1700’s in England, colonial America, or the early years of American independence, I developed my own design. My wish list of features included ample pockets, a flap of wool for holding needles, ribbon ties, enough width to accommodate small scissors, and a bit of personalized embroidery. I also planned to make a matching pin cushion and a small draw-string pouch to fit inside the pockets. Finally, it needed to be big enough to fit many things, but small enough to stow in my roomy 18th century pocket (a pouch tied around the waist under petticoats).

I drew inspiration from a few examples in particular:

• A housewife in the collection of Colonial Williamsburg, purported to have been made of Martha Washington’s gowns, featuring a pocket with pleated sides.
• Sewing Case by Magdalena Gros – 1798 Pennsylvania, Colonial Williamsburg collection – embroidered panel at top inside, striped linen outer fabric.
• Sewing Roll (Huswif) – 1780-1825 North America, Winterthur Museum – Blue and white checked linen binding.

Making a Hussif, Housewife Sewing Roll

The first order of business was to gather my materials and make some calculations. I decided to make all of the pockets equal in size, except for the bottom pocket, to which I added extra capacity by including a pleat at each side.

You can see from my sketch, I planned to have the larger pocket in third position, rather than fourth, and two patches of wool for needle storage instead of one. I also later decided to overlay the embroidery panel on top of the lining material, for durability.

Gathering the Materials

Piece	Material	Original project use
Pocket	Blue & gray striped linen	work apron
Pocket	White & terracotta reproduction of block-printed cotton Adapted by me from public domain image in Met Museum collection and printed through Spoonflower	cut from sample swatch
Pocket	white with red printed sprigs & spots	decorative tips of woolen mitts
Pocket	deep blue worsted wool with gray stripe	heavy winter bedgown
Binding & pocket lining	white & blue checked linen	men’s shirt
Outer fabric	red and pale tan striped linen	slated to be a pair of stays someday
Pin & needle flap	gray wool broadcloth (felt)	pair of woolen mitts
Embroidery backing	white linen	woman’s shift
Fasteners	spring green silk satin ribbon	purchased for this project

Overview: Assembling the Housewife Sewing Kit

My procedure for assembly included the following steps.

1. Complete the embroidery and cutaway excess fabric, leaving sufficient seam allowance.

18th Century Embroidery

I sketched out a plan for cross-stitched embroidery to adorn the very top of the interior face of the housewife. Though arranged to suit my taste, the elements of my embroidery pattern were drawn directly from surviving objects of the period. The quad of hearts came from this sampler held by the Schwenkfelder Library in Pennsylvania. And, this sampler from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art is the source for the bird and three-petaled flower motifs (pictured below).

I worked the embroidery in cotton thread (rather than the more period-accurate silk) on a piece of white linen leftover from making a shift (18th century undergarment) for myself. Cotton embroidery floss is much easier to obtain than silk, here in the 21st century, and compromises must always be made. I also chose to incorporate my own initials and the present year. Though, I plan to use this object as a part of living history activities, it remains primarily a useful, personal object rather than a prop. Thus, I felt it more appropriate to feature the real date, rather than an artificial 17XX one.

2. Cut pocket and binding pieces.

Binding strips cut to 1 5/8 inch width on straight of grain (not bias). Cut one pocket piece about half again as wide as the other pockets to allow for side pleats. I made a rectangular pocket template out of discarded cardboard, measuring approximately 5 7/8 inches x 4.5 inches (15 cm x 11.5 cm), including seam allowance. I then used this to trace and cut out the pocket pieces, all on straight of grain. I made the large pocket piece about 50% wider than the others. Cut a rectangle of wool for holding needles.

3. Hem pockets.

Fold over twice and hem one long edge of each pocket.

4. Join and fold pieces of binding to make a continuous strip.

Join lengths of binding to form a continuous strip long enough to encircle the entire housewife. To prep binding for assembly, fold in half lengthwise and fold edges towards center.

5. Cut lining and exterior fabric sections.

Lay out hemmed pocket pieces and embroidery patch in the desired assembly arrangement. Cut outer and lining fabric pieces to fit the combined length and width of the pockets.

6. Attach pockets and embroidery detail to lining.

Fold bottom edge of embroidered panel, and use felling stitch to affix to lining. Fold bottom edge about 1/8inch toward wrong side of each pocket. (I did not fold the striped wool patch, because of the bulkiness of the material.) Align, pin, and sew pockets to lining. I chose blanket stitch, to capture some of the folded-under material in the seam. For the bottom pocket, pleat fabric equally on each side and align wool patch with bottom edge before attaching both to lining.

7. Join binding to inner side.

Pin pockets and lining to outer fabric piece. Back stitch one edge of binding to inner side of housewife, with binding on top of pocket, then lining, then outer fabric. Back stitch through all layers. Trim excess binding and join it to itself with a seam.

8. Complete binding.

Wrap binding around edge and pin to outer fabric face. Stitch to secure using a felling stitch around entire housewife, making sure to conceal previous back stitch under the binding.

9. Add ribbons.

Cut 28-inch (70 cm) length of silk ribbon, hem ends, sew to center tip of exterior.

10. Make accessories: Pin cushion & pouch.

I fashioned a small drawstring pouch from a spare rectangle of gray linen and braided pink wool string, and made a pin cushion from the same gray wool as the needle patch and the green ribbon used for the ties.

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Completed Housewife

I am quite happy with how my housewife turned out. I think it was well worth the wait, and am especially delighted with how the embroidery adds a highly personal touch.

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How I use my Housewife

What to keep in a housewife kit

In the 18^th century, court records indicate that women used their housewifes as a catch-alls for small things that might otherwise be lost such as coins. In later eras, a housewife more often was dedicated to carrying sewing notions.

In mine, I usually keep a pin cushion with pins, a spool or two of thread, a bone awl, a few needles, beeswax, small snips, and my favorite thimble. I add or subtract items according to the particular project I’m working on. For instance, I added the necessities for making thread buttons (heavy linen thread, button stick, additional wax, and blunt needle) during the last event I attended.

Taking it on the Road

I have enjoyed having a housewife to use just as much as I enjoyed the process of making it. I unroll it in the car with me to sew seams while waiting to pick up my kids, and I have brought it to historical events as a demonstration item. It does fit into my 18^th century-style pocket, if I don’t overfill the housewife’s pouches too much. Though, I am glad to have made a removable drawstring bag, because that prevents my beloved thimble from falling out, as smaller items can if the housewife isn’t tied tightly.

Regardless of how you use one, the concept of a housewife kit is truly as relevant as ever as a practical device for organizing and transporting little necessities. One could also be used for stowing toiletries in your purse or first aid items in your hiking pack. The possibilities are infinite. Perhaps you will find time to whip one up with bits from your fabric stash. I highly recommend it.

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