Handmade History

Episode 35: A Sampler of Samplers from Around the World

Close your eyes and picture a sampler. We bet you are picturing a cross-stitched design with an alphabet on it. This type of sampler is quite common in England and North America, but there are many other types of samplers. In fact, samplers have been made in almost every culture around the world for several thousand years. This episode is sponsored by Embroydica [https://www.embroydica.com/]. Visit Embroydica.com [https://www.embroydica.com/] and become part of a growing global archive of embroidery and creative expression. Also check out Alicia's blog post about samplers on Embroydica [https://www.embroydica.com/post/5-samplers-that-will-make-you-rethink-the-category]! Listen in to learn about: * The oldest preserved sampler, from the same Peruvian culture that created the mysterious Nazca lines. * The oldest synthetic dye, Egyptian Blue, plus how to make it yourself (with a thousand-degree kiln) * The oldest British sampler, which is also the oldest signed sampler, the Jane Bostocke sampler * 3-D globe samplers (!!!) * And so much more! Grab your favorite handcraft and listen in for fun facts to text to your crafting bestie! Show notes and sources: https://tinyurl.com/HHepisode35 [https://tinyurl.com/HHepisode35] Have a question, comment, or idea for a future episode? Email us at handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com [handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com]. Find links, images, and more on the free blog post for this episode; visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/handmadehistorypodcast. [https://patreon.com/handmadehistorypodcast.] Or visit our website at handmadehistorypodcast.com [https://handmadehistorypodcast.com/] for more information. Also, in May 2026 we are doing a readalong of Jane Healey's The Saturday Evening Girls Club [https://bookshop.org/a/20565/9781503943278] (this is an affiliate link--your purchase will support Handmade History at no cost to you). Grab a copy of this fantastic historical fiction novel and join us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/handmadehistorypodcast], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/handmadehistorypodcast], or Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/HandmadeHistoryPodcast].

Episode 34: The Saturday Evening Girls and Paul Revere Pottery, Icons of the Arts & Crafts Movement

The Saturday Evening Girls began as a story hour in Boston's North End at a trade school for young people--and quickly grew into something more. This episode is sponsored by our Patreon Patrons. Thank you! We invite you to sign up to our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/HandmadeHistoryPodcast] at any level. Free members get a blog post with links and photos from each episode. Paid members get special discounts to crafty businesses as well as access to our Discord. The Saturday Evening Girls Club included 250 girls at its peak--and launched pottery business that made these girls and women into "icons of the Arts & Crafts movement," according to the Met. Join us for a deep dive into Paul Revere Pottery and the SEG, where we talk about: * Edith Gurrier, the unique woman who started the SEG and PRP, including her connections to Louisa May Alcott and Harriet Tubman. * Helen Osbourne Storrow, the benefactor of the club, who knew the value of a good vacation. * Sara Galner, the most collected pottery artist today--whose tile recently sold for almost $300,000 * Fanny Goldstein, who created Jewish Book Month and became curator of Judaica at the Boston Public Library--the SEG was her higher education * Numerous other girls and women who made beautiful pottery that remains collectible today--and graduated college at a rate three times that of their peers Plus, with this episode we kick off a read-a-long of Jane Healey's The Saturday Evening Girls Club [https://bookshop.org/a/20565/9781503943278] (this is an affiliate link--your purchase will support Handmade History at no cost to you). Grab a copy of this fantastic historical fiction novel and join us on May 6 on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/handmadehistorypodcast], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/handmadehistorypodcast], or Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/HandmadeHistoryPodcast]. Grab your favorite handcraft and listen in for fun facts to text to your crafting bestie! Show notes and sources: https://tinyurl.com/HHepisode34 [https://tinyurl.com/HHepisode34] Have a question, comment, or idea for a future episode? Email us at handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com [handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com]. Find links, images, and more on the free blog post for this episode; visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/handmadehistorypodcast. [https://patreon.com/handmadehistorypodcast.] Or visit our website at handmadehistorypodcast.com [https://handmadehistorypodcast.com/] for more information.

Episode 33: Sports Gear, from Baseball Caps to the Sports Bra Seen Round the World

When you think of sports gear, what do you imagine? Stretchy synthetic fabric, baseball caps with stiff brims, huarache sandals... ...yes! Join us as we talk sports gear from head to toe, and share deep dives into questions you didn't know you had, like * Who invented the sports bra, and when? (Spoiler alert: two women, less than fifty years ago!) * Why is the baseball cap round, instead of shaped like a "tiny layer cake"? * What does synthetic fabric have to do with explosives? * Who won the Guachochi Ultramarathon when she was 22 while wearing sandals, beating out 500 competitors? * What is the Ravens' secret weapon against other football teams? Grab your favorite handcraft and listen in for fun facts to text to your crafty pals. Show notes and sources: https://tinyurl.com/HHepisode33 [https://tinyurl.com/HHepisode33] Have a question, comment, or idea for a future episode? Email us at handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com [handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com]. Find links, images, and more on the free blog post for this episode; visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/handmadehistorypodcast. [https://patreon.com/handmadehistorypodcast.] Or visit our website at handmadehistorypodcast.com [https://handmadehistorypodcast.com] for more information. Check out the Sports Bra Project: https://www.thesportsbraproject.world/ [https://www.thesportsbraproject.world/]

Bonus Episode 2: A Conversation with Author Anne H. Putnam about Breakups & Mending

In this bonus episode, Alicia chats with author Anne H. Putnam about her newest book, Make Do and Mend, a breakup memoir. Grab your favorite handcraft and listen in to learn about kintsugi, the Japanese art of filling cracks with gold and silver; why Anne decided to self-publish this memoir; and how embroidery and mending helped guide her through a difficult time. Scroll to the end for a giveaway! More about Make Do and Mend: Radically vulnerable and illuminating, Make Do and Mend is perfect for anyone who's ever played one of Taylor Swift's heartrending breakup songs on repeat or talked a little too much about her ex on a first date. Anne Putnam has a doting British boyfriend, a job in book publishing, an East London flat with a water view—even a published book of her own. But, having never expected the fairytale, 28-year-old Anne has no reason to anticipate its abrupt ending. When her fiancé cheats and their wedding is canceled, she's knocked into a tailspin that takes out nearly everything that held her life together. She flees London for her hometown of San Francisco, which becomes the unstable base camp for the steepest uphill climb she's ever faced: a torturous game of will-they-or-won't-they with her ex. Slowly, painfully, and with a lot of snark and bravado, she claws her way back from depression, with the help of an assembly line of bad dates, her cohort of brilliant friends, and a lot of guidance from her annoyingly astute therapist. Ultimately, she faces one major decision: take back the one person who loves her most, or burn it all down and start over. A touching, and sometimes funny, tale of one millennial's journey through the ugly parts of heartbreak, Make Do and Mend examines the decidedly unsexy process of healing and post-traumatic growth. To celebrate the publication of Anne's book, we're doing a giveaway of both of her memoirs! Enter to win a copy of Make Do and Mend and Navel Gazing in three ways: * Sign up at any level, free or paid, on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/HandmadeHistoryPodcast]! All of our members are automatically entered to win. * Find us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/handmadehistorypodcast]--we are @handmadehistorypodcast [https://www.instagram.com/handmadehistorypodcast]! The giveaway post will be pinned at the top--just follow us and comment to win. * Send us an email! Don't do social media? No worries! Just email us at handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com [handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com] and mention that you'd like to win Anne's books. Check out Anne's website [https://annehputnam.com/], where you can find all of her books and writing. And for more information, please visit our website at handmadehistorypodcast.com [https://handmadehistorypodcast.com/].

Episode 32: A Select History of Early Knitting Machines

This episode is sponsored by our Patreon Patrons. Thank you! And a special thank you to Emily for supporting the show! We invite you to sign up to our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/HandmadeHistoryPodcast] at any level. Free members get a blog post with links and photos from each episode. Paid members get special discounts to crafty businesses as well as access to our Discord. You probably have heard of sewing machines...but did you know that there are also knitting machines? Knitting machines are used to make accessories and garments at home and in factories. They can be very simple--a cardboard tube and some popiscle sticks--or extremely complex. In this episode, we share the early history of knitting looms, including... * A simple knitting machine you can make at home * The earliest knitting machine, which peacefully coexisted with handknitters * The true story of the Luddites (they actually used knitting machines!) * The connection between knitting machines and the first computers, as well as Ada Lovelace, Charles Babbage, and Joseph-Marie Jacquard, early computer/knitting programmers * The story of knitting machine inventor Masahiro Shima, who invented the first glove knitting machine after a week of no sleep! Grab your favorite handcraft and listen in for fun facts to text to your crafting bestie. Show notes and sources: https://tinyurl.com/y8hwefyp [https://tinyurl.com/y8hwefyp] Have a question, comment, or idea for a future episode? Email us at handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com [handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com]. Find links, images, and more on the free blog post for this episode; visit our Patreon page at patreon.com/handmadehistorypodcast. [https://patreon.com/handmadehistorypodcast.] Or visit our website at handmadehistorypodcast.com [https://handmadehistorypodcast.com/] for more information.