Julie's Northwest Huswif, stitched in 2001
As we celebrated the 4th of July last week and
the birth of our independence, my thoughts go to the early sailors and military men as they set off to gain our
independence, brought back items for trade from lands far away or carried our
immigrants to this country. Many
carried the huswifs and other tokens, we so enjoy in the stitching world
today. What did theirs look like, what
did they carry in theirs? Why did they carry the tokens they did?
The earlier huswif was pronounced hussif, and this
pronunciation survives in the application of the word to a small case
containing scissors, needles and pins, cottons.
Huswifs were popular with the early infantry men. They were in charge of keeping their
uniforms in good order. So they were
sent off with huswifs made of bits of wool or cotton. Formed into pockets and
pages to hold the important needle and threads, possibly an extra button.
What is a huswif and
who used it?
It is a small piece
of cloth used to store scissors, needles and thread. Women , sailors and
soldiers often carried them.
What else did our military men carry with them to battle as
tokens of remembrance of those they were leaving behind or as a comfort while
they were away from home?
Perfume buttons
We learned about Perfumed buttons from Sherri of Patricks
Woods, when she lead us in her beautiful Button Lovers Brag Book class. Below
is information I found from a couple of button sites on the web.
It does sound romantic to send your lover off with your
scent to remember you by as you go to lands unknown or into battles and
difficult conditions.
Perfume Buttons were designed and manufactured in the United States
in the early 1800's, incorporating fabric as part of their design - usually
velvet. The ladies of the day wore these buttons on their dresses, putting
their fragrance on them rather than running the risk of staining their
clothing.
The story goes that during the Civil War the ladies would
take a perfumed button off their dress and give it to their loved one, sending
him into war with a romantic memento. Many stories are told of soldiers who
died with a button in his pocket or stories that recount how this memento kept
them alive during those stressful times.
Perfume Buttons were also used earlier in history in France
and England
Victorian women wore specially designed “perfume buttons” to
absorb perfumes too irritating to be applied directly to their skin.
What tokens did
soldiers carry to war with them?
Besides the above-mentioned tokens, many soldiers did not
leave home without a pocket bible, maybe a lock of hair of a loved one. In
later times they of course had photos of the many family members and loved ones
to carry with them. Some would be lucky
enough to have a special quilt to add warmth to their bedding in the early
days.
I know a few years ago when I had a Girl Scout troop, we
sent pocket flags to the soldiers and they were greatly received. The book below is one my daughter read in
high school and it also talks of various things soldiers carried with them and
why.
If you had to go to war, what would you take as mementos of
your family and loved ones to give you comfort? It’s a daunting thought, how to put so much into a compact
package.
We at In The Company of Friends, have a love affair with
tokens and smalls that were treasured in prior years and love trying to
recreate a few of them for our
customers to enjoy. We hope you enjoy
the bits and pieces of history we find to share with you as well and that all
of you in the United States have all enjoyed a wonderful 4th of July
with family and friends.
More links for
huswifs:
http://artantiquesmichigan.com/textiles-clothing-fabric-sewing/wonderful-pa-19th-century-rollup-huswif-sewing-housekeeper/
We, at In the Company of Friends have long been enamored of huswifs, and besides stitching some for ourselves, have added some of the flair of the huswif to our products. Our latest is the Norfolk Inspired Spool huswif, that rolls up decorated pins and needles wrapped around a spool topped with a silk-covered pin cushion over-stuffed with 100% wool roving, surrounded by antiqued lace trim and adorned with an embellished pin!
