The Archives
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09.21.08Sewing Heritage: Stitching Old GloryWe 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 ...
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09.14.08Sewing Heritage: Women, Sewing & the WPAFolks, 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 ...
recent posts
- Thirteen Random Things
- Book Review: French General Home Sewn
- Election Pennants at Crafty Wonderland
- Interview: Chika Mori, Co-Author of Zakka Sewing
- Dayton Triangles Redux Hoodie
- We’re Still Here!
- Sewing Heritage: More Stitching Up Old Glory
