Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Recently I was listening to a podcast called Still Growing.  It's about gardening, a hobby I enjoy.   The episode (585) that prompted this post is about Laura Ingalls Wilder.  The podcast interviews a writer who suggests that Mrs Wilder should be thought of as an environmental writer in addition to a children's author. 

This has me thinking about her textiles in her books.  I do not begin to suggest that the Ingalls wove all their cloth to make their clothes (we'll peek in at the Wilders in due course).   But there are considerable mentions of sewing,  quilting, embroidery,  knitting and, I believe,  even  crochet. 

Here's a list of the titles in order of publication. 

  *  Little House in the Big Woods 
  *  Little House on the Prairie 
  *  Farmer Boy
  *  On the Banks of Plum Creek
  *  By the Shore of Silver Lake 
  *  The Long Winter
  *  Little Town on the Prairie 
  *  These Happy Golden Years 
  
And as an unfinished book that was later published as found,  The First Four Years 

Ma sewed all the clothes for the family by hand, no sewing machine here until near the end of the series.   She did use factory made yard goods.  The fabrics were gotten from nearby towns.  Some of this explains why clothes were treated better than we do today and why they lasted longer as well, in some ways.   I think some has to do with our electric dryers also.   

Ma also knits their stockings and socks by hand.  These are carefully mended as needed,  again by hand.  I have to imagine that some of these are knit of thicker yarn than we currently use (sport weight Vs.  Fingering or lace weight), especially the work socks. They learned to knit and share the work as witnessed by the mittens they knit for Carrie in By the Shores of Silver Lake at Christmas time.  


Mary and Laura learn to hand sew,  carefully picking out wonky seams and tiny stitches until perfection is achieved.  From the early books we see that quilt blocks were the early seam practice.  Smooth straight seams are important for the comfort of clothes and bed linens as well as the way the clothes look and fit. 

As the books progress,  things become a trifle easier.   A sewing machine is acquired.   This is not today's electric whiz machine.  The sewing machine of Laura's day was a treadle machine. It required foot power to make the needle go up and down. Even so,  there was a lot of hand finishing to do. 

Towards the end of the series we see Laura preparing for marriage by teaching 3 terms of school and working as a seamstress and assistant milliner.  The teaching may have been easy but she didn't care for the sewing required.  She learned how to do it quickly and neatly to get it over with but not have to redo it. 

We also see Mary contribute to the household by being able to knit and sew even though blinded by illness, as well as keep baby Grace occupied and out of trouble while others did heavier work that required vision.  Mary braids fabric strips to be sewn into rugs. 


Now let's look in on the Wilders of the book,  Farmer Boy.  Mother and Father Wilder are prosperous farmers.  They can afford fine fabrics purchased from the store for Sunday best.   School clothes and work clothes were woven from wool from their sheep, dyed with natural dyes from things found on the farm.  Father may have raised the sheep and sheared the sheep.   Mother carded the wool,  spun the wool, wove and knit the yarn, dyed the resulting fabrics,  cut and sewed the clothes. She did all this for four children and Mother and Father in the book without benefit of a sewing machine.  In reality there were more children.  

If you would like to read these books for yourself,  check out your local library.



Sunday, July 1, 2018

Anti boredom month

Have you eve heard of this month?  I'm willing to bet you have.  It's more commonly known as July.
Why the name change?  Here in the U.S.,  most schools use a 9 month on 3month off clock.  By this I mean school is in session for 9 months and then nothing for 3 months.  How many of us have heard about 4 weeks into summer "I'm bored. There's nothing to do."

As a way to combat this, I suggest each week,  the kids learn something new.  A crafty way to release some of their creative juices.  Sculpting with clay, painting, knitting, crocheting,  jewelry making, metal working,  woodworking and these are just the tip of the iceberg.   We all have the waxy sticks of wonder known as crayons.  We all have colored pencils and markers.  There are only so many hours a kid will sit still and color either in coloring books (are these still a thing?) or use sticker books.  There are only so many hours a day we can park the kids in front of the tv to watch or play games on whatever system is currently popular or in front of a computer screen.  These are pretty much one in the same to me.

For younger children,  there are usually kits for most of these.   As the kids get older, try thinking outside the box.   These can also be an opening for them to become involved in volunteer work.  Your religious organization can be a great place to start.  A local charity can also be a good start. There are usually jobs to be done that are not skilled work which are very good for those not really acquainted with the systems used by that organization.  Recently my church had a paint day for woodwork.   

I'd like to see more kids knitting or crocheting.  Check out my website for ideas that will keep kids busy and productive with their time.  For the 4 - 7 year olds, I have finger knitting and finger crochet.  For the 5 + ages I have straw weaving, basic knitting, basic crochet, weaving on cardboard, arm knitting and dying with the food dyes.  These classes are free with the exception of having to purchase yarn and tools you don't have.  See your local big box craft store or thrift shop.

Ideas for the kids to use to create something from their handwork can be found here and in other posts of a similar name.

Don't forget to get out and exercise.  An hour a day can help the waistline and the mood of the family.  Play kickball with the kids, or maybe Frisbee.  Running games like little league or pickup games in the neighborhood are also great. 

Whatever you do, don't forget to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen.