:: January 2003 
Advice
A Link to Fibreworkers of the Past
Part of the enjoyment of browsing through antique stores is appreciating the time and care people once as alive as we put into the equipment that helped them do their work. An old handsaw, a black flat iron made to be heated by the open fireplace, a cobbler's toolbox, or a traveling seamstress's case can speak to us of the pride their first owner took in having just what he or she needed within easy reach.
The inside of the traveling seamstress's case has dark green burlap pockets for patterns, fabric samples, and other sewing aids. On the right side of the opened case, a thin wooden shelf can be raised and held in place by the wooden brace beneath it. This makes a small table ledge on which to place scissiors, thimbles, or other implements while sitting in front of the case and stitching. On the underside of the wooden shelf, the seamstress printed her name in black stenciled letters: Mary Alaline Cook. What a charming name for a woman who made her living through her knowledge of and experience with fibrework!
It can be assumed that this traveling seamstress was either allowed to use her customers' sewing machines in their homes, or, in the absence of a machine, expected to complete the sewing by hand. The families who hired her year after year must have been pleased to see her coming. It is hoped that she, too, found pleasure during her working visits among her clients.
CyberFibres recommends looking at old fibrework implements and equipment as a form of communing with the fibreworkers who came before us. If you find a piece that speaks to you personally, consider acquiring it for your continued enjoyment