Why Crocheting Is Wrong

Cotton, first domesticated in 2300-1760 B.C.E had been domesticated and heavily cultivated and manufactured into textiles for export (dying techniques had become prominent as

It increases resiliency, bulk, warmth, elongation, absorbency, and skin comfort. Makes the hand harsher and luster is reduced as crimp increase. Allows the fiber to stand off the skin so fabric will not cling to the wearer 's skin. Also helps make the fiber able to withstand being bent back on itself many times without breaking.

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.

In such a unique nation where the average person is family oriented and running a family owned farm and/or business their was bound to be room for change. In 1793 Samuel Slater, a born European created the first cotton spinning factory in Pawtuckett. This is said to be one of the many things that sparked Industrial Development in America. This project alone sparked the need for more cotton to be produced at a faster rate which brought upon the creation of the cotton gin. New growth in any field brings more than what meets the eye. The cotton gin producing more cotton made it neccassary for a new form aof transport to be developed. Shortly after the country started to adapt textile mills started to pop up

Doris Hill - This actress would assist in making the cloche a popular clothing item for women.

Documents 1, 2, and 7, are charts that shows the production of cotton yarn and cloth throughout the years along with women labor. From 1884-1914 in India, hand spun yarn decreased from 150 to 90 millions of pounds. Machine spun yarn increased from 151 to 652 millions of pounds (document 1). Unlike the hand spun yarn in India the hand spun cloth increased as well as the machine spun cloth, but the hand spun

In the 19th century, America saw major expansions and technological advances that paved way for the grand expansion of agriculture that boosted the nation’s economy. Regardless of the fact that Great Britain had tried to keep secrets regarding machinery and inventions, most of America’s advances were propelled by inventions such as the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793, steel plow by John Deere, railway, steamboats, telegraph, and canals. In addition, technology’s profound effect on agriculture also led to the rise of the textile industry whereby factories produced materials such as cotton thread and cloth. Many of these initial factories are recognized in historical texts, but the Lowell factory system is one that is famous – precisely the

Introduction of the factory system was earth shattering and increased manufacturing for the cotton and iron industry which effected cities and the population distribution. There were four inventions that changed manufacturing and the way people worked. Some inventions included the spinning Jenny, Crompton’s Mule, and the Self acting Mule, and the Water Frame. “In 1764, Hargreaves invented a new spinning wheel. He called it the spinning jenny in honor of his wife. This simple machine allowed one spinner to work six or eight threads at a time.” (course reader 102) The Spinning Jenny was a machine that helped the people sew clothes faster. Then came Cromptons Mule, “In 1779, Samuel Crompton combined features of the spinning jenny and the water-frame

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)

In 1830, Barthelemy Thimmonier, a French tailor, patented the first functional sewing machine that used a hooked embroidery-type needle to produce a chain stitch. However, in 1841, after successfully using his machines to mass produce army clothing, his production facility was destroyed and he was almost killed by other tailors in the town who were angry and threatened by the machine’s efficiency and utility. In America during the early 1830’s, a New York inventor, Walter Hunt, produced the first sewing machine that created a lockstitch. As a result, thinking changed and duplication of the human hand stitch was no longer the standard that inventors were measured by. Hunt at that time did not see the promise of his invention and did not file for a patent to protect it. He sold his interest for a small fee. (Museum of American Heritage, 2010).

As time went on changes in society came with more fitted clothing. People began to customize their own clothing. The only problem is people had to be sewn into their clothes because their were no zippers, it was still a little difficult to get dressed. The article justifies, “By the 17th century, crafting and tailoring of Western clothing required more and more skill as designs became more complex.” (5)Scenes that included animals and flowers were embroidered by hand.

As the 1900's progressed, women were presented with new inventions which slowly took the place of traditional corsets. With the start of World War I, women began to enter the work-force and many of these women worked as laborers in factories, making daily corset wear a problem. In 1917 the U.S. War Industries board even requested that women stop buying corsets to reduce consumption of metal. Some sources say that up to 28,000 tons of metal was conserved through this effort.

A recently discovered leather daybook dating within the period of 1837-1857 accurately depicts the activities of a small crafts business prior to the arrival of the industrial revolution.

The textile industry, which came to make up the majority of Britain’s factory system, was going through a period of substantial change. The pre-industrial cloth industry, consisting mainly of wool, was organized on the domestic system by using hand-powered machinery. By 1850, this system was giving way to steam power and the factory system, and the primacy of wool was replaced with the primacy of cotton . The invention of James Hargreaves’ ‘Spinning Jenny’ and Richard Arkwright’s ‘Water Frame’ had already revolutionized the textile industry, however, the development of the ‘Mule’, so-called because it was a cross between the Jenny and Water Frame, by Samuel Crompton, led to the rapid establishment of many cotton mills. The ‘Mule’, which incorporated the steam engine to increase its output, would produce seven times as much cloth as hand operated looms. This led many employers rushing to replace male hand weavers with machines, as noted by Richard Guest in his 1823 publication Compendium History of Cotton-Manufacture: ‘the same