Robin Brzozowski's Article: Understanding Crochet

After I applied all of these craft techniques to the poem "One Today" it helped me

There has been plenty of time when people decided that they needed change. Can breaking the tradition be good for you? I once experienced change when I felt the need to move from my hometown to Hattiesburg,Ms. I eventually went back to visit, and I stumbled upon a problem. I couldn't remember my friends name's. Furthermore, I honestly believe that Maggie, from "Everyday Use", should get the quilt that was made by her grandma. Dee Wangero came back, and she was a changed girl. Even though Dee wanted the quilt,Maggie should acquire the quilt because she was willing to offer the quilt to Dee.

Guatemala is home to a centuries-old weaving tradition through which indigenous women assert a sense of “belongingness” to family and community. The women and their families are descendants of the ancient Maya Indians, and the tools of their trade are cotton yarn, the backstrap loom, and time-proven patterns and techniques. Each village and region is identifiable for its own weaving design and colors. Techniques and designs are passed from mother to daughter and traditional clothes are still preferred by most. Some believe that the different patterns existed before the Spaniards arrived. Others believe they were brought from Europe. It is known that the conquistadors used the clothing to label people and control the populations. The traditional technique was to wrap the threads on a warping board, and then mount them on back-strap loom where a panel was woven. Panels were decorated with brocade designs depending on the textile tradition of the weaver’s community as well as her personal taste and skills. Finally, the woven panels were sewn together to make a garment (Guatemalan Culture).

In the latter part of the Victorian era there were significant developments signaling the decline of the corset. The way garments were produced is perhaps the key factor in the move away from the corset. In 1839, a Frenchman by the name of Jean Werly patented a loom for the production of women 's corsets. This type of corset was popular until 1890, when machine-made corsets gained popularity. The development of the sewing machine in the early 1850’s gradually led to mass production, manufacturers could produce corsets in far greater numbers and increase the variety of designs available to women of all classes. These advances finally led the way to new designs in underwear in keeping with the changes to the fashions and silhouettes of the early Twentieth Century.

A lot of countries made their clothing for different reasons. For instance, Scotland made a fabric called tartans that showed what clan they are in, and Hawaiians production of clothing was part of religious significance. In the Middle Ages ties and belts were used more frequently because their clothes was oversized by modern standards. “With the Renaissance’s changes in art and society came more fitted clothes” (Source 2). They made their clothes more fitted by sewing multiple pieces of cloth instead of using just one big piece of cloth. Without closures like zippers it made it very difficult to get into their clothes. The wealthier people had their tailor customize their own patterns. “... height of 18th century, French fashion garments were truly works of art” (Source 2). The french started to ship in foreign pieces of clothes shipped from miles away and used silk-like materials. “... flashy fabrics fell out of use.. fit became increasingly more important in the 19th and 20th centuries” (Source 2). The flashy material went out of style and nobody really wanted to use it anymore. Instead of tunics and robes, men started to wear suits. Men and women were looking for a more fitted look

The earliest crochet was made by using fingers, rather than the hooks used today. The history can be traced back to the early 1500 BC, as part of nun’s work, which included needlepoint lace and bobbin lace. (Bardum)

Although there are many differences in fashion from era to era the similarities are outstanding. Some of the most repetitive pieces from era to era include corsets, robes, and codpieces. Codpieces were a very fashionable cover for the zipper of men’s pants that the weather men wore to make themselves more presentable. Codpieces are still very popular

Although it seems as if the main conflict is about the quilt, it is not. In fact, the real conflict is between the two sisters competing for their mother’s affection. The quilt itself represents the mother's love and acceptance of her daughter and the value or the worth that is placed on the relationship.

Dee chooses to change her name because she feels that she no longer wants to be named after her oppressors, when in fact the legacy of her name is attributed to four generations of Dees in the family. If she doesn't even understand the significance of her own name and decides to change it without inquiring, Mama must feel that she can't possibly understand the significance of quilts that have pieces of clothes that were either worn or owned by possibly a century of their ancestors. The quilts held stories and documented generations within the family, Dee's intent to preserve it as art would do the quilts no justice as she could not tell the story of the patches they contain, whereas, Maggie has probably heard every one of these stories being

After reading the short story, I found it said that, as a reader, I noticed that the mother favor or likes Maggie better than her other daughter, Dee. I was confused on why Mama believed that Dee hated Maggie, until Mama and the community raised enough money to send Dee to school in Augusta. Mama resented the intimidating world of ideas and education that Dee forced on her family on her trips home. Dee has come back to lay claim to some old blankets that she has a newfound “historic” appreciation for: she thinks they would make trendy décor for her apartment. To Dee, the quilts represent the historical significance of an oppressed people. The problem is that Mama has a much more practical use for the quilts; Mama intends to give them to Dee’s

In the story “Everyday Use”, author Alice Walker uses a comprehensive illustration to help describe the family heritage through the quilts, and the different characters to represent the main theme that heritage is something to always be proud of. The main characters in this story are Mrs. Johnson(Mama), Wangero (Dee) and Maggie, and each character has different values and meanings for the quilts. The quilts show the bond between each generation and illustrate the tradition of African American culture throughout the story. Alice walker use quilts to portrait the symbolism in this story.

Often many people say that crocheting is significantly superior to finger knitting because the finished product has better stitching and because crocheting is easier, because there is less things to do. However, they do not consider all the hardships and extra work that comes with it. Finger knitting is more superior because it is less time consuming , cheaper, and gives you more of a variety of techniques to use.

Corsets are typically constructed of fabric panels with stiff boning (also called ribs or stays) inserted into channels in the fabric. Popular fabrics include satin, cotton, rayon, polyester, silk, and leather. In the 19th century, steel and whalebone were favoured for the boning. Corsets get their iconic reputation by use of hook and eye fasteners in the front and lacing, usually at the back. Tightening or loosening the lacing produces corresponding changes in the fit and firmness of the corset. Corsets can be laced from the top down, from the bottom up, or both up from the bottom and down from the top, using two laces that meet in the middle. It is very difficult, although not impossible for a back-laced corset wearer to do their own lacing.

It wasn’t until Chanel started to create jackets which not only had the purpose of being worn closed, she created jackets that looked good opened, closed or hanging over the shoulders. She emphasized on this style by making blouses to serve the complete outfit. She was also the creator of the “Little Black Dress”, which was a relatively simple black dress made by elegant materials such as lace, tulle, weightless silk and even embroidery in a new, more tailored way. Chanel is today world known for its high quality designs and has women of the 21th century dependent on its classical style (Rennolds Milbank 120-121).

It wasn’t until the 1930s that ready to wear clothes became available with multiple fabrics. Fabrics started to become more elaborate. They could now be embroidered or have prints and designs. Many women began to wear scarves with fringed edges. This was when beaded designs, bright colors and fringes became popular on dresses too (Hossell).