Episode 7: Berea College, Fireside Industries, and the "Revival" of Mountain Crafts
Release Date: 12/02/2024
Episode 18: Aloha Shirts & Bermuda Shorts
Handmade History
Sponsored by Folkwear Patterns: Visit today and sew something extraordinary. We're gearing up for summer--literally--with an episode on aloha shirts and Bermuda shorts! Aloha wear was invented in Hawaii in the 1920s and 30s, but it really took off during WWII, when millions of military personnel passed through the island--and picked up souvenirs to send home. We share the history of aloha shirts from their birth in Hawaii to their boom on the mainland, and trace the evolution of two well-known aloha wear designers, Malihini Sportswear and Alfred Shaheen. We talk about the...
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Episode 17: Indonesian Batik
Handmade History
Sponsored by Folkwear Patterns: Visit today and sew something extraordinary. Batik is a beautiful resist-dye tradition that has a strong association with Indonesia. In this episode, we share the history of batik and some of the history of Indonesia. The fourth most populous country in the world, made up of 17,000 (yes, you read that right) islands, Indonesia has a thousands-year-old tradition of batik. There are even depictions of batik carved into the stone monuments at Borobudur, one of Indonesia's most famous Buddhist monuments (and a UNESCO World Heritage Site). In this...
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Episode 16: Macrame & Knotting
Handmade History
Sponsored by Folkwear Patterns: Visit today and sew something extraordinary. If you ever made macrame anklets out of hemp or friendship bracelets out of embroidery floss, you joined in on a tradition of macrame that is 3000 years old! Macrame fringe appears on stone carvings from the Assyrian civilization--a kingdom of Mesopotamia--that date to the 1000s BCE. The tradition has continued in the Mediterranean up through the present day, and it spread (perhaps via the Moors of Northern Africa) to Spain and Europe, as well as the Americas. In the US, macrame became popular in the Victorian era as...
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Episode 15: The Contentious Invention of Sewing Machines
Handmade History
Did you know that it took 100 years for the sewing machine to be invented? The sewing machine automated a process done by hand for tens of thousands of years--and it does it completely differently. A sewing machine uses lockstitch, a stitch you can't do by hand (without serious difficulty), two spools of thread, and a four-part mechanism to sew fabric together. Each of these parts of the sewing machine was invented by a different person, leading to mayhem and litigation. In fact, sewing machines are one of the first examples of a patent thicket, which led to the invention of the first patent...
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Episode 14: Scottish Tartans & Clans
Handmade History
Tartans symbolize Scotland, but what is a tartan, exactly, and what makes it different from a plaid? Do all Scottish clans have a tartan? (And what exactly is a clan?) We answer all these questions and more in this episode, and do a deep dive into one of the first and biggest manufacturers of tartan, Wilson & Sons. We have a special offer for our listeners from Folkwear Patterns! Use code TARTAN to take 25% off two Folkwear Patterns: 152 Scottish Kilts () and 154 Child's Scottish Kilt & Jacket (). Each pattern comes with detailed instructions to pleat a kilt, plus a pattern for a...
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Episode 13: Zines!
Handmade History
Zines ("zeens") are handmade magazines--one or several sheets of paper, folded and/or stapled together. You can write, type, fold, and staple one yourself and send it to a distro (distributor) or bring it to a zinefest. You can write about yourself (a perzine), your favorite fandom (a fanzine), or tell stories, share how-tos, or make art! Zines are by nature outside mainstream magazines and publishing houses, and communities who have been excluded from the mainstream (or who opted out--like punk rockers in the 70s) have embraced zines. Zines have their roots in little magazines created by...
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Episode 12: The Silk Road(s)
Handmade History
What do you think of when you hear the Silk Road? Do you imagine caravans carrying loads of silk, Marco Polo, and boats crossing over land? The reality is that the Silk Road was a complex system of routes going over land--and rivers--through several very different places and cultures, where people not only traded silk but used it as a currency(!). The Silk Road(s) were also a highway for new ideas--in its over thousand-year life, several "fathers of" (algebra, modern medicine) grew up, studied, and wrote hundreds of books in centers near the Silk Road. We dive deep into silk's...
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Episode 11: Two Big Historical Moments for Knitting Groups in the US
Handmade History
What do World War I and the early 2000s have in common? At both times, knitting groups became hugely popular across the country. By the time the US entered the war in 1917, knitting for soldiers overseas was a very common pastime. Once we joined the fight, the Red Cross and the Women's Council of National Defense organized hundreds of thousands of women's clubs around the country to knit socks, vests, helmets, and sweaters for the army. Together, they contributed more than 23 million garments. Fast forward one hundred years, and knitting groups blew up again. Debbie Stoller, co-founder of...
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Episode 10: The Origins of Amigurumi
Handmade History
Have you seen a Woobles kit lately? We have--they are everywhere! These little stuffed characters are an example of amigurumi, 3-D stuffed toys that are knit or crocheted. Amigurumi originated in Japan in the 40s and 50s, in the aftermath of the atom bombs that the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Often cute, these little toys can be seen as a cultural antidote to immense tragedy. We talk about how amigurumis often have faces, and can come with personalities and stories. Many of these traits can be traced back to their genesis in Japan, and could be tied to traditional beliefs in animism...
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Episode 9: A Brief History of Lace
Handmade History
Lace is, by definition, useless. Whether is it is woven, crocheted, knitted, or made with needles or bobbins, lace is an adornment. And it has been a part of human history since (at least) the 1000s CE. We take you on a tour of lace from South America to Switzerland to South India, and show how lace has not only decorated clothing and table linens across the world, but has also changed domestic and foreign policy. We talk about the first lace pattern book, the curtains in Louis XIV's miniature boats at Versailles, and a courtesan's unique bed covering. Tune in to hear more! Find thorough show...
info_outlineIn the early 1900s, Berea College accomplished something extraordinary: they revived the mountain craft of weaving. Many women left their looms behind when affordable factory cotton became available, but Berea College created Fireside Industries, a commercial enterprise, as a way of preserving hand weaving practices in the area. Various heads of Fireside Industries--especially Anna Ernberg, a Swedish immigrant and weaving expert--expanded the consumer demand for handwoven goods by traveling and speaking in the North. The college invited expert craftspeople like Candice Wheeler to teach techniques and advise on design to local craftswomen and students who participated in the program. Eventually, Fireside Industries combined with other craft programs at the college to become Student Craft, an important part of the college today that allows students to work and develop craft skills. Listen in to learn this complicated but fascinating history and find out how crafts in this area were preserved and evolved through Berea College.
Thorough show notes with all of our sources here: https://tinyurl.com/2bdz7vz4
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