![]() In the 1980s I found a pattern for a Colonial lady’s pocket in an issue of Early American Life magazine. The pockets, made of wool or linen, were large enough to stow one’s knitting, a small book, letters, spectacles, a child’s toy, scissors, precious pins and needles, or other items. These pockets, worn singly or in pairs, might be plain or prettily embroidered in crewelwork. The dress of women in Colonial America did not have sewn-in pockets, but their dresses had openings in the side seams for access to pockets worn tied around the waist. Humans always have had a need to carry stuff so perhaps the pocket as we know it today originated with pouches that tied around the waist or were slung over the shoulder. The origin of the pocket also is lost in the great draperies of time. ![]() I’ve made them a few times, but it’s a tricky undertaking and I never became expert at it. Or it can be left uncut to serve as decoration.īuttonholes also can be made by hand using the utilitarian buttonhole stitch, well known to embroiderers, worked close together to bind the raw edges.īound buttonholes have the raw edges finished with fabric. The buttonhole is slit after the stitching is done. Charming story, but it doesn’t give the hardworking maids much credit for common sense.īuttonholes are easy to make using modern-day sewing machines. ![]() Thus buttonholes on ladies’ clothing got moved to the right so as not to confuse the maids, according to Wikipedia. The story behind that, apparently, is that in the beginning, buttonholes for both sexes were on the left, but when the maidservants dressed their mistresses, facing them, everything was reversed and the maids got confused. Buttonholes in women’s clothing are made on the right-hand side of garments, and buttonholes on men’s clothing are made on the left.
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