![6 Reasons Why This Historic Photo of St. Louis is Amazing [Mid-19th Century Sunbonnets, Part 3]](https://spriggedandspotted.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/St.-Louis-Canton-Tea-Company-1848-women-on-balcony-with-bonnets.jpg)
In Part 2 of this series, I concluded that despite scarce photographic evidence, American women who participated in the movement West in the early to mid-19th century really did wear sunbonnets on a regular basis. Surviving physical examples, newspaper references, and written recollections help to paint a picture of the frequency with which sunbonnets would have been in use. While researching the topic, I came across a rare and unusual photo taken in St. Louis, Missouri in 1848, showing a large group of women and girls wearing sunbonnets. After looking at thousands of daguerreotypes in online collections, this photograph stood out as unique and compelling.
(more…)Tag: handmade
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Project Log: How to Make an 18th Century “Housewife” Sewing Kit
Meet the Housewife
In this case, a housewife isn’t a person.
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.
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Festoons of Fringe: How to turn Fun Fur and Eyelash Yarn into Durable Christmas Garland
The problem of what to make with Fun Fur or Eyelash Yarn
Novelty yarn can be a challenge to use, not only because it can be awkward to crochet or knit with, but because its oddness makes it unsuitable for making elegant accessories or practical items for the home. When “eyelash yarn” and “fun fur” polyester (aka acrylic) yarns were popular in the early 2000’s, I made a tubular scarf, but didn’t end up wearing it much. This kind of glossy yarn is still available for purchase in saturated colors at craft stores. So, what do we do with leftover or bargain bin fringed yarn? Having made myself a knitting fork, also known as a lucet, earlier this year, the perfect Christmas-season application for this unique yarn occurred to me: garland.
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Mindful Mending: Repairing a Vintage Cotton Apron
What is it with the 1950’s and poodles?
For some reason, poodles seem to be the decade-defining embellishment in our collective cultural memory of the post-war, pre-hippie decade. However, I have never before handled a genuine mid-century garment adorned with the famous silhouette of a well-groomed poodle.
In a jumble of aprons my grandmother had acquired over the years, I found just such a treasure: a home-sewn cotton apron with a repeating red and blue poodle design. Closer inspection revealed the apron had sustained some minor damage in its previous life. The most obvious issue was a small L-shaped tear in center near the waistband.
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