by David Cardillo, NDNP Staff
National Sewing Month is a fairly recent establishment in recognizing the importance of sewing at home to our nation, as President Reagan said in 1982 when declaring September to be national Sewing Month. On one hand, one could argue that with the increase in manufactured textiles and decrease in home economics classes, home sewing was on the decline. However, cosplayers, people who make screen-accurate costumes of both live action as well as animated characters, have taken sewing to a new level. Creators on Etsy steadily continue to sell their creations, sometimes with demand for more product.
Home sewing has also seen a resurgence with the pandemic. Specifically, the making and sewing of face masks, both for oneself, one’s family, and also for sale. If you Google “sewing face mask,” you will find a plethora of patterns, instructions, and websites to buy materials, buy masks, graphics on how to sew, videos on how to sew, and so on.
The November 21, 1904 edition of the Evening Journal, while displaying “winter costumes of the belle for all occasions” mentions that women who know how to sew can create such dresses themselves much more economically.
Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.), 21 Nov. 1904. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.), 21 July 1917. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
#NationalSewingMonth