lovetosewstudio

On a recent trip to colonial Williamsburg, Virginia I took a step back in time when I entered a dress shop and all the ladies were in costume, sitting and chatting while hand sewing. I daydreamed of living just for one day in the colonial era, and took in sights around me. As I was looking, I noticed straight pins. Thinking I "caught" them using a modern tool, I questioned them about the pins. To my surprise I found out that pins are one of the oldest artifacts known to mankind. Throughout the years, human beings have invented methods of holding two pieces of cloth together: Pre-historic people used thorns and bones as pins. In ancient Egypt pins were made of bronze with beautifully decorated heads. In archeological digs throughout the world, there have been findings of pins made from bone, ivory, silver, gold, and brass. Colonial women also used pins to close or mend many of their clothing together, men too. They would hide the pins in the seams of their clothing. (I image it was uncomfortable working like that.) Evidence of this is found in James Town, Virginia where you can find a skeleton of a man and everything that was found with him, including a bullet in the leg and yes, five straight pins. I'm sure they were helping hold his clothing together. So the next time you're prepping your newest project with pins, think about the long history it carries, and the importance of how something so tiny can be so helpful.

Happy Sewing,
Judi