Sponsored by Folkwear Patterns: Visit www.folkwear.com today and sew something extraordinary.

We're gearing up for summer--literally--with an episode on aloha shirts and Bermuda shorts! Aloha wear was invented in Hawaii in the 1920s and 30s, but it really took off during WWII, when millions of military personnel passed through the island--and picked up souvenirs to send home. We share the history of aloha shirts from their birth in Hawaii  to their boom on the mainland, and trace the evolution of two well-known aloha wear designers, Malihini Sportswear and Alfred Shaheen. We talk about the difficulties and opportunities given to different groups in Hawaii and share how Japanese American business owners found ways around discrimination to thrive in the Hawaiian economy. We also share inspiring and unique examples of modern aloha shirts in the New Zealand Museum's collection. 

Then, we talk about Bermuda shorts. These long, formal shorts were invented--probably--on the island of Bermuda, which has an interesting history (did you know it was uninhabited until 1609?). We talk about Bermudas vs. Ghurka shorts, the official Boy Scout uniform, and how Bermuda shorts became "badges of independence" on Barnard College's campus in 1960.

Plus, we recap our most popular and favorite episodes of our first season--see you in September for more Handmade History!

Show notes & sources here: https://tinyurl.com/4bh8w3bd

Do you own or make aloha wear? Do you have a favorite Bermuda shorts pattern? We'd love to see your creations! Or have a question, comment, or idea for a future episode? Email us at [email protected], or visit our website at handmadehistory.com. 

Happy listening!

Sponsored by Folkwear Patterns: Visit www.folkwear.com today and sew something extraordinary.

Batik is a beautiful resist-dye tradition that has a strong association with Indonesia. In this episode, we share the history of batik and some of the history of Indonesia. The fourth most populous country in the world, made up of 17,000 (yes, you read that right) islands, Indonesia has a thousands-year-old tradition of batik. There are even depictions of batik carved into the stone monuments at Borobudur, one of Indonesia's most famous Buddhist monuments (and a UNESCO World Heritage Site). 

In this episode, find out about the ways that batik was traditionally made, learn the differences between classical and coastal styles of batik, and discover how batik that was sold in the West differed from batik sold in Indonesia. You'll also hear about the connection between African waxprints and Dutch imitation batiks. (And learn how to use the word "batik"--spoiler alert: it's noun and verb.)

Show notes & sources here: https://tinyurl.com/3w5ymj3y

Do you batik? Do you have any batiks? We'd love to see your creations! Or have a question, comment, or idea for a future episode? Email us at [email protected], or visit our website at handmadehistory.com. 

Happy listening!

Sponsored by Folkwear Patterns: Visit www.folkwear.com today and sew something extraordinary.

If you ever made macrame anklets out of hemp or friendship bracelets out of embroidery floss, you joined in on a tradition of macrame that is 3000 years old! Macrame fringe appears on stone carvings from the Assyrian civilization--a kingdom of Mesopotamia--that date to the 1000s BCE. The tradition has continued in the Mediterranean up through the present day, and it spread (perhaps via the Moors of Northern Africa) to Spain and Europe, as well as the Americas. In the US, macrame became popular in the Victorian era as part of the Victorian obsession with lace, and again in the 1970s. We talk about why this simple but extraordinary craft gained popularity with the hippies.

We also touch on the broader tradition of knotting, which has been a part of human activity since humans became humans (and maybe even earlier!). We explore sailors' knotting art (a part of marlinspike seamanship) and how sailors may have helped spread the craft of macrame. 

Also, those embroidery floss bracelets use a stitch created by a Victorian woman, Valentina Cavandoli, who ran a school in Italy.

Hear all these fun facts and more in this episode!

Show notes & sources here: https://tinyurl.com/mpesdbxu

Do you macrame? We'd love to see your creations! Or have a question, comment, or idea for a future episode? Email us at [email protected], or visit our website at handmadehistory.com. 

Happy listening!

Did you know that it took 100 years for the sewing machine to be invented? The sewing machine automated a process done by hand for tens of thousands of years--and it does it completely differently. A sewing machine uses lockstitch, a stitch you can't do by hand (without serious difficulty), two spools of thread, and a four-part mechanism to sew fabric together. Each of these parts of the sewing machine was invented by a different person, leading to mayhem and litigation. In fact, sewing machines are one of the first examples of a patent thicket, which led to the invention of the first patent pool.

Listen in to learn how Singer & Company successfully sold sewing machines around the world in the late 1800s and early 1900s, becoming one of the first mass-marketed global products. Find out how the sewing machine changed the readymade clothing industry, the lives of seamstresses (unfortunately not for the better), and the craft of quilting. And guess how many sewing machines we collectively own?

Show notes & sources here: https://tinyurl.com/448xt7u2

How many sewing machines do you have? Do you have a question, comment, or idea for a future episode? Email us at [email protected], or visit our website at handmadehistory.com. 

Happy listening!

Tartans symbolize Scotland, but what is a tartan, exactly, and what makes it different from a plaid? Do all Scottish clans have a tartan? (And what exactly is a clan?) We answer all these questions and more in this episode, and do a deep dive into one of the first and biggest manufacturers of tartan, Wilson & Sons. 

We have a special offer for our listeners from Folkwear Patterns! Use code TARTAN to take 25% off two Folkwear Patterns: 152 Scottish Kilts (https://tinyurl.com/2pdba88z) and 154 Child's Scottish Kilt & Jacket (https://tinyurl.com/e2b6z4nj). Each pattern comes with detailed instructions to pleat a kilt, plus a pattern for a Prince Charlie jacket (152, the adult pattern, comes with a vest, too!). Thank you, Folkwear!

Show notes & sources here: https://tinyurl.com/2s43mnwv

Do you have a clan tartan or a tartan of your own you'd like to share? Or a question, comment, or idea for a future episode? Email us at [email protected], or visit our website at handmadehistory.com. 

Happy listening!

Zines ("zeens") are handmade magazines--one or several sheets of paper, folded and/or stapled together. You can write, type, fold, and staple one yourself and send it to a distro (distributor) or bring it to a zinefest. You can write about yourself (a perzine), your favorite fandom (a fanzine), or tell stories, share how-tos, or make art!

Zines are by nature outside mainstream magazines and publishing houses, and communities who have been excluded from the mainstream (or who opted out--like punk rockers in the 70s) have embraced zines. Zines have their roots in little magazines created by Black artists and writers in the Harlem Renaissance and the amateur press, and some of the first zines were created by sci-fi fans and queer folks. They were embraced by members of the punk movement in the 70s and became a vehicle for the riot grrrls to share their message and find fans in the 90s.

Tune in as we trace the history of zines in the US from amateur press to the present day. 

Find thorough show notes and sources here: https://tinyurl.com/5n954b6v

Do you have a zine to share with us? Or a question, comment, or idea for a future episode? Please email us at [email protected], or visit our website at handmadehistorypodcast.com.

Happy listening!

What do you think of when you hear the Silk Road? Do you imagine caravans carrying loads of silk, Marco Polo, and boats crossing over land? The reality is that the Silk Road was a complex system of routes going over land--and rivers--through several very different places and cultures, where people not only traded silk but used it as a currency(!). The Silk Road(s) were also a highway for new ideas--in its over thousand-year life, several "fathers of" (algebra, modern medicine) grew up, studied, and wrote hundreds of books in centers near the Silk Road. We dive deep into silk's significance to the Silk Road and explore its impact on local culture and economy (And yes, we talk about Marco Polo.) 

Find thorough show notes and sources here: https://tinyurl.com/23w8dsyd

Do you have a question, comment, or idea for a future episode? Please email us at [email protected], or visit our website at handmadehistorypodcast.com. Happy listening!

What do World War I and the early 2000s have in common? At both times, knitting groups became hugely popular across the country.

By the time the US entered the war in 1917, knitting for soldiers overseas was a very common pastime. Once we joined the fight, the Red Cross and the Women's Council of National Defense organized hundreds of thousands of women's clubs around the country to knit socks, vests, helmets, and sweaters for the army. Together, they contributed more than 23 million garments.

Fast forward one hundred years, and knitting groups blew up again. Debbie Stoller, co-founder of Bust, organized the first modern Stitch 'n Bitch in NYC in 1999, and a few years later, thousands upon thousands of women were knitting together. These knitters used knitting groups to connect with their peers and share experiences of third-wave feminism. Listen in to learn more!

Find thorough show notes with sources here: https://tinyurl.com/4mf7bap4.

Do you have an idea for a show, a comment, a question, or a knitting group of your own? We would love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]. You can also visit our website at handmadehistorypodcast.com.

Have you seen a Woobles kit lately? We have--they are everywhere! These little stuffed characters are an example of amigurumi, 3-D stuffed toys that are knit or crocheted. Amigurumi originated in Japan in the 40s and 50s, in the aftermath of the atom bombs that the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Often cute, these little toys can be seen as a cultural antidote to immense tragedy. We talk about how amigurumis often have faces, and can come with personalities and stories. Many of these traits can be traced back to their genesis in Japan, and could be tied to traditional beliefs in animism and shintoism. Listen in to learn more.

Find thorough show notes with sources here: https://tinyurl.com/5vphvfcw. A shoutout out to Jennifer Ramirez of @thesunandtheturtle (thesunandtheturtle.com) for providing us with her book, Amigurumi, including her research into the history of amigurumi.

Do you have an idea for a show, a comment, a question, or an amigurumi of your own you'd like to share? Email us at [email protected]! You can also find us on Tumblr, Instagram, and Blue Sky.

Lace is, by definition, useless. Whether is it is woven, crocheted, knitted, or made with needles or bobbins, lace is an adornment. And it has been a part of human history since (at least) the 1000s CE. We take you on a tour of lace from South America to Switzerland to South India, and show how lace has not only decorated clothing and table linens across the world, but has also changed domestic and foreign policy. We talk about the first lace pattern book, the curtains in Louis XIV's miniature boats at Versailles, and a courtesan's unique bed covering. Tune in to hear more!

Find thorough show notes with all of our sources here: https://tinyurl.com/2sbxapuc

Do you have a question or a topic we should cover? Email us at [email protected]! You can also find us on Instagram, Tumblr, and now on Blue Sky. Thanks for listening!