Are you comfy? Have a cup of tea close to hand? Good. It's time for one of my meli-rambles (aka long stories)
For many, many years, my parents belonged to the Pioneer Heritage Company, a group of individuals devoted to teaching and demonstrating and preserving the pioneer heritage so many Utahns have in common. Their most frequently used method is an encampment. They set up their canvas tents, which is where they really will sleep at night, and outside their tents set up their different specialties, such as blacksmith, woodworking, cooking, sewing, and my mom's specialty, spinning wool. Here's a picture of her "doing her thing" a number of years ago during the local Pioneer Day celebrartions, commemorating when the first wagon train of Mormons arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
MOM SPINNING.jpg
Mom made all of her pioneer clothes, from bonnet to dress to corset to socks to petticoat and all points in between. Once I went to visit her and she had a new petticoat she was working on. It was several layers of thick cotton batting between two layers of muslin. Along the bottom 18" of it she was hand quilting an intricate floral motif she had designed herself. It had never occurred to me before that petticoats would be quilted (this was long before I got into quilting) Since it was heavier than the traditional thin cotton petticoat, I assumed it was for winter use, and said as much. Imagine my surprise when she told me it was actually for summer! She urged me to think about it and figure out why, but, I admit, it was beyond my sense of reasoning. Quilts keep you warm in winter. Thin cotton keeps you cool in summer. Right?
Not when it comes to petticoats, and here's why. Thin cotton has no shape, no structure, and will cling to your legs. During cooler months, women would wear several cotton petticoats at a time, which would wrap around their legs, providing added warmth. During the warmer months, the women would wear a single quilted petticoat. It's stiffness and ability to maintain its shape kept the fabric away from a woman's legs, and would allow air to circulate, thereby helping her to stay cool despite all the layers of clothing
This morning I've been thinking of family and history and this memory popped into my head and wanted to be shared.
Happy quilting!
Meli
For many, many years, my parents belonged to the Pioneer Heritage Company, a group of individuals devoted to teaching and demonstrating and preserving the pioneer heritage so many Utahns have in common. Their most frequently used method is an encampment. They set up their canvas tents, which is where they really will sleep at night, and outside their tents set up their different specialties, such as blacksmith, woodworking, cooking, sewing, and my mom's specialty, spinning wool. Here's a picture of her "doing her thing" a number of years ago during the local Pioneer Day celebrartions, commemorating when the first wagon train of Mormons arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
MOM SPINNING.jpg
Mom made all of her pioneer clothes, from bonnet to dress to corset to socks to petticoat and all points in between. Once I went to visit her and she had a new petticoat she was working on. It was several layers of thick cotton batting between two layers of muslin. Along the bottom 18" of it she was hand quilting an intricate floral motif she had designed herself. It had never occurred to me before that petticoats would be quilted (this was long before I got into quilting) Since it was heavier than the traditional thin cotton petticoat, I assumed it was for winter use, and said as much. Imagine my surprise when she told me it was actually for summer! She urged me to think about it and figure out why, but, I admit, it was beyond my sense of reasoning. Quilts keep you warm in winter. Thin cotton keeps you cool in summer. Right?
Not when it comes to petticoats, and here's why. Thin cotton has no shape, no structure, and will cling to your legs. During cooler months, women would wear several cotton petticoats at a time, which would wrap around their legs, providing added warmth. During the warmer months, the women would wear a single quilted petticoat. It's stiffness and ability to maintain its shape kept the fabric away from a woman's legs, and would allow air to circulate, thereby helping her to stay cool despite all the layers of clothing
This morning I've been thinking of family and history and this memory popped into my head and wanted to be shared.
Happy quilting!
Meli
Did your mother ever get you to quilt a petticoat?
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