Imagine you are a lady living in New Zealand in the Second World War. You have joined up to one of the ladies services, the WAAC, and today you are ready to begin a new sort of training. You have learned all sorts of new skills, but this course should really help you to hone skills you already have – sewing. You received the coursebook last week, and you have already seen a few things which you would like to make – if you can get the fabric that is!
When I showed the children this Fine Needlework Study Course, they were fascinated. They were stunned to see so many patterns for clothing and everyday items. Today, such items are mass produced, cheap and easy to get, but during the war, sewing was an important skill and could keep people clothed. The children were most amazed by the patterns for underwear though – they simply couldn’t imagine having to make ‘your own undies, when they’re so cheap!’
Sewing is a skill which has been around for thousands of years and archaeologists believe it was a skill that was even well known during the last ice age, when people sewed hides and furs to keep warm. Of course, this sewing was a long way from sewing of today. Where we use metal needles, these first sewers used wood or bone for their needles - iron sewing needles didn’t start to appear until about 2300 years ago. The other major innovation of the ancient world in terms of sewing was the creation of woven fabrics. Instead of natural materials like fur or hide, the Egyptians, Chinese, Japanese and other ancient civilisations worked to create materials made from plants or even the thread of silk worms. Sewing was still done by hand though, and it was a very labour intensive process.
The sewing machine is a relatively recent creation. Plenty of people had tried to create a machine to make sewing easier and the first sewing machines appeared in the late 1700s, but these early machines were really only for commercial use and they weren’t all that reliable. Then in the 1850s Isaac Singer developed the first quick and accurate sewing machine. Soon, sewing machines were making it possible to mass produce clothes, but the machines themselves were too expensive for most people to buy. By the 20th century though, sewing machines had become more affordable, and to cater for the home sewers, patterns began to be published. There were patterns for everything from underwear to home furnishings to more elaborate gowns. Although ready to buy clothing became more affordable as the 20th century moved on, sewing was still an important skill for the housewife to possess. In times of hardship, like the Great Depression or during wartime, sewing could even ensure your family had something to wear, with any fabric, from old sheets to flour sacks, perfect for the home sewer to reuse and transform. The book I showed the children is just one of many courses available, and was of particular import during the war, when sewing was considered essential to the home front efforts and keeping the home fires burning.