Handmade History

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 ...

14 Apr 202524min

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 an...

31 Mar 202522min

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 brin...

17 Mar 202527min

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 ro...

3 Mar 202519min

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 overs...

17 Feb 202529min

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 Japa...

3 Feb 202519min

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 C...

20 Jan 202522min

Everyone knows that flannel is warm, soft, and plaid. But did you know that flannel was likely traded between Europe in Africa before 1486? And that the origins of the word are actually unknown? (And-...

16 Des 202416min