If you buy a cross stitch kit today, you will get the same five things: a pattern with tiny squares and symbols, a piece of aida or even weave cloth, DMC floss colors (or a color guide) a needle, and a hoop. Leaving off the ancient origins of a needle and hoop, this episode covers the history of everything else. Surprise, we’re all Victorians! Listen in to learn about the woman who invented (or perfected) aida cloth, why aida cloth has the same name as an opera, and how DMC created their uberpopular Mouline Special thread.
Tune in on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts–or click on the player at the bottom of this post!
Listen in to hear the story of the very first Pride flag(s) ever made! Artists and volunteers created two enormous flags on a rooftop in San Francisco, brought them to a gay pride parade, and the rest is history! You’ll also learn all about the flags that have been invented since, by activists, artists, and graphic designers. And Sonia and I discuss–what even is a flag these days? Because: internet, we argue that it’s an emoji, but it still remains super powerful.
If you’re interested, tune in on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or click the player down below!
Hello! My sister Sonia and I have been working on a fun new project…a podcast called Handmade History! It’s going to cover all kinds of topics, from people to practices to materials (we’re working on episodes about the history of cross stitch, the original Pride flag[s], and nalbinding!). I imagined it originally as the history of home ec–it would be great to play in a home ec class! Click the player at the bottom of this post to listen to our first episode, all about Jessie Young and the Radio Homemakers. Or, find it wherever you listen to podcasts!
Jessie Young and several other women became immensely popular hosting shows from 1926-1980. They shared recipes, tips, and stories with women in rural America. They were incredibly popular and beloved. Did you know Betty Crocker was originally a radio homemaker fabricated by General Mills?
I pitched and wrote this article for the Craft Industry Alliance — JEMS is the first Black-owned athletic shoe company in the United States and it’s in Somersworth, NH. Read it here!
My husband Andrew mentioned seeing this in the local news and I thought it might be a good fit for the Craft Industry Alliance, a trade organization for craft professionals (makers, pattern designers, folks who sell on Etsy or at craft fairs, craft teachers, and so on). I’ve written for them before and it was a great experience. I dragged my kiddo out on a car ride to see the JEMS factory and snap a few pictures of downtown Somersworth to add to my pitch, and then I wrote it up and sent it out. The CIA got back to me quickly and I had two and a half weeks to write the article.
Downtown Somersworth
This was a fun challenge–I actually interviewed folks on the phone, including someone at City Hall in Somersworth, who pointed me to a local historian and put me in touch with contacts at JEMS. I spoke to the president of JEMS and to its founder, Dr. D’Wayne Edwards. It was fun to get back into reporting, and it felt really exciting to share this story with a new audience. JEMS is a great story: it’s named after a Black immigrant inventor, Jan Ernst Matzeliger; it’s a revival of shoe manufacturing in Somersworth, which used to have three shoe factories; it’s the first Black-owned athletic shoe company in the US; and it’s a new factory in America. Telling all these different stories and making them make sense in 1000 words was tricky, and I really liked it.
