In my civil war quilting class we also get lecture on life during that time frame. Needles were so valuable that often they were part of a woman's diary for when she got money. Fabric, needles and thread were very scarce. I love the class (on my 3rd one now) and I love the teacher and learning about the past because I didn't pay that much attention when I was in school. Back then I thought why do I need to know this stuff from the past; now that I'm older I want to know this stuff from the past