Craft Traditions - Textile Traditions for the Home

Textile arts such as spinning, knitting, weaving, quilting, braiding and hooking rugs, crocheting, and tatting lace, have been a part of daily life in New Hampshire since Colonial times. In the days of early settlement, these skills were a necessity for keeping people warm indoors and outdoors during the long winters. They also brought color, comfort and beauty into the home.

Women originally made braided rugs
from worn out clothing.
The preferred material is wool,
as it it holds up well and helps keep
the house warm in the winter.

In New England the adage of "use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" was applied to all aspects of life. In the rural farms of the early 1800s resourceful women used scraps of cloth and worn out clothes to patch together quilts and make hooked and braided rugs. Sheep were raised on many farms so women spun the fleece to weave blankets and knit sweaters, mittens, and hats.

When the industrial revolution of mid 1800s brought manufactured fabrics, rugs, and clothing to many ordinary families, the making of traditional textiles decreased, but it did not die out completely. Today, there are many skilled artisans who preserve these important traditional art forms.

When the industrial revolution of mid 1800s brought manufactured fabrics, rugs, and clothing to many ordinary families, the making of traditional textiles decreased, but it did not die out completely. Today, there are many skilled artisans who preserve these important traditional art forms.

For many women, quilts have been
a traditional way to express
their creativity and give
their families warm
bed coverings at the same time.

A handknitted Norwegian sweater
made by Donna Larsen
has intricate patterns in the
body and shoulders and
embroidered flowers around the neck.

Some needlecrafts in New Hampshire come out of particular ethnic traditions. For example, women in the French-Canadian communities in New Hampshire sew delicate christening gowns for the newest members of their families. Knitters of Norwegian ancestry make elaborately patterned sweaters. Russian, Jewish, Latvian, and Hispanic needlework traditions are also practiced in the state.

Other traditions that bring beauty and comfort to the home include decorative painting, wall-and furniture-stenciling, dried flower arranging, and wreath making. Return to the Traditional Crafts overview for more information on these traditions.

• "The Aesthetics of Frugality" by Rebecca L. Lawrence