I got a couple of great books for Christmas, now that I'm a proud owner of a 120 year old treadle sewing machine.
One is called The Queen of Inventions, by Laurie Carlson and is a 32 page story book that would be great for young girls. It tells how the sewing machine changed the house wife's world and how it opened up a whole world of industry. Very interesting!
The other is The Encyclopedia of Early American and Antique Sewing Machines. Very interesting read about the early inventors and how it all began. Pictures of most early machines and even a way to guess the value of what you might have.
What impressed me most was a couple of lines from the first book that said "Girls spent hours every day learning how to make tiny, careful stitches (by hand) that would be strong. They needed to know how to stitch well because when they grew up they would need to make all the clothes their family wore. They also had to stitch towels, and blankets, and bedsheets, and tablecloths, and curtains.
Imagine sewing all that out of necessity! Aren't we lucky to be able to quilt for fun. Nancy in Western NY
