DUP and Fabrics

Going to my DUP meetings opens up my mind to my ancestors.  It makes me think and wonder what their life was about and did my Great Grandmother ever think about her life back in Norway?

When my Great Grandmother arrived in Salt Lake City, it was in the fall of 1862.  I've wondered many times on what did she think of her new country and this new state where she would be making her home?  She left a  beautiful country of Norway, her homeland, for an unknown, only for a testimony that burned in her heart.  She arrived with only the clothes on her back and a few belongings.  She had left a younger sister back in her homeland, never to see her again, but she did make this journey with an older sister, which I suppose, they were a great support and comfort to each other.

The lesson we had at DUP this month was on fabrics.....  Now I love fabrics.  When I go into a fabric store, I love to go up and down the rows, just looking and feeling the different fabrics.  The different textures lets my mind dream of what I could do with them.  I'm very happy when I buy just a yard or two of something that catches my fancy.  I do have a "Stash" of fabrics here in my sewing room.  But it brings me comfort and joy....

In the early beginning of the State of Utah and before the railroad, the pioneer's had to manufacture their own goods.  This was long before a Wal-mart, or any kind of a store that you could go and buy your supplies at and if you wanted to have a new dress, or a quilt for your bed, you not only had to make it, but you would have to make or barter for your fabric goods.

Sheep was raised for the wool.  We had a demonstration at DUP on the process that went into making wool fabric, from the shearing of the sheep, to cording, to spinning, to dying, to weaving, to the finish product. Oh', the time it took just to have a yard of fabric.  I'm sure if I had to go to all that work, for just a yard of fabric, I would treat that fabric like it was spun of gold.

St. George was were the Cotton Mission was established.  Here they planted cotton fields and built a cotton factory, to manufacture cotton fabric. That building is still standing today. Now it is, "Star Nursery" where we have purchase some of our fruit trees that we have planted in our small orchard.

The pioneers were also encourage to grow silk worms, so they could have lovely fabrics for their wear and their homes.  My  Aunt Sissie was a 1st grade teacher.  I remember her having a box that had silk worm in it and how each new school year she would take this box to her school, so the students would learn about silk worms and watch them as they would spin their cocoons and watch the process of where silk comes from.  She also had a large Mulberry tree in her yard, and the leaves from this tree, is the food that the worms eat.  I remember they were sure noisy eaters.

As I thought of these industries that were established, I thought of how important it was to teach these skills to those that were there and especially to the children.  I then thought of how some of these skills have touched my life.

I have an old treadle sewing machine in my entry that was my Grandmothers.  I remember sewing on it when I was a young girl and my mother telling me, that it was this machine she learned how to sew on, and how she would watch her mother when she was sewing her a dress.  I think you would have to have good coordination to move your feet back and forth on the treadle making the needle go up and down while having control of your material.  Look at the multitasking process you were doing.  Not only were you sewing a project, but you were also exercising too.

My mother in law and her mother use to take old clothes and recycle the material..  My son Mark had a quilt made out of old wool coats and suits, it's backing was red plaid flannel tied with red yarn, which was made and given to him by his grandmother.  He had this quilt on his bed the years he was growing up. They would also cut old clothes into strips and either crochet rag rugs or take the wool strips and make them into braided rugs.  When I was first married and had my first home, I had several of these rugs on my floors, complements from my mother in law.

When my daughter Marta was little, we lived only a couple of block away from her Grandmother and her Great Grandmother.  Many of days she would go visit this Great Grandmother and sit in her tiny front room, cutting strips, watching and helping this special Great Grandmother, make a rag rug.  In this daughters home today you will see crochet rag rugs in different room in her home.  I think she found comfort and peace and memories too when she was sitting there, with her fingers busy crocheting one of these rag rug.  In my sewing roon on a shelf, in a box I have a wool braided rug that my sister in law, Zella, gave me that needs to be finished.  Some day I'll take it down and start working on it.

Learning about our ancestors teaches us about our self.  For many years this Great Grandmother of mine worked for a Tailor in Norway.  She surrounded herself with fabrics, a sewing machine of some sort, needles and thread and a scissor.  I too surround myself with fabrics, sewing machines, lots of needles and thread and scissors.  In fact my husband calls me the "String Lady."

In my sewing room, over my door I have a sign that reads, "Surround yourself with the things you love,"
and I do.....