Episode 34: The Saturday Evening Girls and Paul Revere Pottery, Icons of the Arts & Crafts Movement
Release Date: 04/27/2026
Episode 34: The Saturday Evening Girls and Paul Revere Pottery, Icons of the Arts & Crafts Movement
Handmade History
The Saturday Evening Girls began as a story hour in Boston's North End at a trade school for young people--and quickly grew into something more. This episode is sponsored by our Patreon Patrons. Thank you! We invite you to at any level. Free members get a blog post with links and photos from each episode. Paid members get special discounts to crafty businesses as well as access to our Discord. The Saturday Evening Girls Club included 250 girls at its peak--and launched pottery business that made these girls and women into "icons of the Arts & Crafts movement," according to...
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Episode 33: Sports Gear, from Baseball Caps to the Sports Bra Seen Round the World
Handmade History
When you think of sports gear, what do you imagine? Stretchy synthetic fabric, baseball caps with stiff brims, huarache sandals... ...yes! Join us as we talk sports gear from head to toe, and share deep dives into questions you didn't know you had, like Who invented the sports bra, and when? (Spoiler alert: two women, less than fifty years ago!) Why is the baseball cap round, instead of shaped like a "tiny layer cake"? What does synthetic fabric have to do with explosives? Who won the Guachochi Ultramarathon when she was 22 while wearing sandals, beating out 500 competitors? What is...
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Bonus Episode 2: A Conversation with Author Anne H. Putnam about Breakups & Mending
Handmade History
In this bonus episode, Alicia chats with author Anne H. Putnam about her newest book, Make Do and Mend, a breakup memoir. Grab your favorite handcraft and listen in to learn about kintsugi, the Japanese art of filling cracks with gold and silver; why Anne decided to self-publish this memoir; and how embroidery and mending helped guide her through a difficult time. Scroll to the end for a giveaway! More about Make Do and Mend: Radically vulnerable and illuminating, Make Do and Mend is perfect for anyone who’s ever played one of Taylor Swift’s heartrending breakup songs on repeat or...
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Episode 32: A Select History of Early Knitting Machines
Handmade History
This episode is sponsored by our Patreon Patrons. Thank you! And a special thank you to Emily for supporting the show! We invite you to at any level. Free members get a blog post with links and photos from each episode. Paid members get special discounts to crafty businesses as well as access to our Discord. You probably have heard of sewing machines...but did you know that there are also knitting machines? Knitting machines are used to make accessories and garments at home and in factories. They can be very simple--a cardboard tube and some popiscle sticks--or extremely complex. In this...
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Episode 31: Brown Lung and Blow Outs: The First Mills and Millworkers in New England
Handmade History
Thank you to our sponsor, Quiltfolk! Visit and use code HandmadeHistory for 20% off your first order. When Francis Cabot Lowell built the first end-to-end cotton mill in Waltham, MA, he needed workers. Instead of hiring children, like many other factory workers (horrifying), he hired women. The farmers' daughters of New England flocked to mill towns and for the first time ever, made their own money. A decade or so later, many of the New England natives worked alongside Irish immigrants--the first immigrant labor force to work in sizeable numbers in the mills. As you gear up to celebrate St....
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Episode 30: Stumpwork
Handmade History
Have you listened to our latest episode yet? Here's the description: Stumpwork Embroidery from West to East: Birds, Bees, and Byzantine Icons! Ever seen a piece of embroidery where the petals literally popped off the fabric? Welcome to the decadent, dimensional world of stumpwork embroidery. Today, stumpwork artists love to stitch flowers, bees, berries, and birds. But stumpwork has a long history, stretching all the way back to the Byzantine Empire. If you love a craft that combines high-level skill with a bit of historical drama, this episode is for you. This episode also marks the start of...
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Episode 29: The Wild World of Millinery: Hatmaking Across the Ages
Handmade History
Sponsored by Folkwear Patterns! Visit to explore our collection and join a community that's been stitching history for half a century. What do a 27,000-year-old figurine, a Bronze Age coil of horsehair, and King Henry VIII’s "minions" have in common? They are all part of the wild, tangled, and surprisingly complex world of millinery. This week, we’re diving into the history of how we cover our heads. While we think of "millinery" today as the art of the women’s hat, it was once the "department store of the past," selling everything from jewelry and gloves to clocks and "certain stuff."...
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Bonus Episode 1: Secret Societies and Silk Collars: A chat about heritage crafts and conservation with Willow Polson
Handmade History
What does it mean to be a "custodian of craft"? 🧵✨ In our latest episode, Alicia sits down with the heritage crafter, conservationist, podcast host, and Odd Fellow Willow Polson for a journey through the hidden corners of history. From the secret symbolism of the Odd Fellows to the year-long process of weaving baskets, Willow shares what it’s like to hold traditions in your hands. We’re talking: The delicate art of restoring 100-year-old silk collars. The ethics and honor of holding traditions for other cultures. The essential Victorian tool modern sewists overlook ...
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Episode 28: Rhino Armor and Dog-Tooth Purses: Leather's Long History
Handmade History
Did you know the world’s oldest leather shoe is a right-footed size 7? In this episode, we talk all things leather. From the science of tanning (using everything from tree bark to animal brains) to the world's oldest right-footed shoe, we explore how humans have used animal skins for over 70,000 years. Join us and travel from an ancient cave in Armenia to the snowy Schniedejoch Pass in the Alps to see how our ancestors stayed warm, protected, and stylish. Highlights include: 🦴A 4,000-year-old purse flap made of 100 dog teeth. 🦏 Chinese warriors wearing 7 layers of rhinoceros skin. 🧵...
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Episode 27: Harriet Powers and Her Quilts
Handmade History
This episode is brought to you by Quiltfolk, an ad-free magazine made for quilters like you! Visit and use code HandmadeHistory for 20% off your first order. Thank you, Quiltfolk! We are running a stumpwork stitch along this March and we would love to have you join us. Starting March 3, we are going to stitch a design created by Melissa Galbraith of MCreativeJ–a 3-dimensional wild pansy. We will post our progress each week on social media and on our Patreon page. If you would like to join us, you can . Harriet Powers was a quilter and artist. She was born into slavery on a plantation in...
info_outlineThe Saturday Evening Girls began as a story hour in Boston's North End at a trade school for young people--and quickly grew into something more.
This episode is sponsored by our Patreon Patrons. Thank you!
We invite you to sign up to our Patreon at any level. Free members get a blog post with links and photos from each episode. Paid members get special discounts to crafty businesses as well as access to our Discord.
The Saturday Evening Girls Club included 250 girls at its peak--and launched pottery business that made these girls and women into "icons of the Arts & Crafts movement," according to the Met. Join us for a deep dive into Paul Revere Pottery and the SEG, where we talk about:
- Edith Gurrier, the unique woman who started the SEG and PRP, including her connections to Louisa May Alcott and Harriet Tubman.
- Helen Osbourne Storrow, the benefactor of the club, who knew the value of a good vacation.
- Sara Galner, the most collected pottery artist today--whose tile recently sold for almost $300,000
- Fanny Goldstein, who created Jewish Book Month and became curator of Judaica at the Boston Public Library--the SEG was her higher education
- Numerous other girls and women who made beautiful pottery that remains collectible today--and graduated college at a rate three times that of their peers
Plus, with this episode we kick off a read-a-long of Jane Healey's The Saturday Evening Girls Club (this is an affiliate link--your purchase will support Handmade History at no cost to you). Grab a copy of this fantastic historical fiction novel and join us on May 6 on Instagram, Facebook, or Patreon.
Grab your favorite handcraft and listen in for fun facts to text to your crafting bestie!
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