Make it yourself

"Through home sewing, Sarah A. Gordon examines domestic labor, marketing practices, changing standards of feminity and understanding of class, gender, and race from 1890 to 1930. As ready -made garments became increasingly available due to industrialization, many women, out of necessity or choice, continued to make their own clothing ... The shifting meanings of sewing formed a contested space in which businesses promoted sewing machines as tools for maintaining domestic harmony, women interpreted patterns to suit -or flout- definitions of appropriate appearances, and girls were taught to sew in ways that reflected beliefs about class, race, and region."