Category

Sewing History

09.28.08

Sewing Heritage: More Stitching Up Old Glory Sewing History | (0)
As a follow up to last week's sewing heritage post, this photo is quite striking. In sharp contrast to the highly-mechanized sewing of the American flag in the factory of the Brooklyn Yard, this woman, in 1917---which is about the same time as last week's photo, is hand-stitching an American flag. As Josh said, can you imagine the intense work that went into sewing this by hand? Photo credit: DN-0069332, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society ~Sarah Blogged with the Flock Browser Related posts:Sewing Heritage: Stitching Old Glory We all know (or should, at least) the story...Sewing Heritage: Women, Sewing ...
09.21.08

Sewing Heritage: Stitching Old Glory Sarah the Sewist, Sewing History | (1)
We all know (or should, at least) the story of the Betsy Ross Flag, none of us know the story of these ladies and how they came to be sewing American flags at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1909. This photo was taken while the U.S. was still engaged in military action in the Philippines (an extension of the Spanish-American War, although it officially ended in 1902). The Yard was winding down from a huge surge in manufacturing employment due to goods needed by the military, with women engaged in the production of garments and textiles, including the sewing of ...
09.14.08

Sewing Heritage: Women, Sewing & the WPA Sarah the Sewist, Sewing History | (3)
Folks, it's time for a little sewing history lesson... The Works Progress Administration (rename Work Project Administration in 1939) was created in 1935, and employed millions of people--especially in the rural West and Appalachia and other mountain regions--following the catastrophic downturn of the U.S. economy resulting in the Great Depression. What many people don't know about the WPA is that a sizable number of people put to work during this time were women, around fifteen to twenty percent of WPA-participants. They were considered unemployed heads of household for a variety of reasons, including abandonment or a husband's death or disability--and the ...