Crafts of Olden Days – with Giveaway By Donna Schlachter

Neolithic Gold Bead by Mark Cartwright

Crafting is a creative process that has occupied humans for many years. Depending on the social and financial situation of the crafter, they might produce an item solely for use, such as knitted socks, a clay jar to carry water, or a wooden tool or implement such as a wheelbarrow or a chisel. When societies had solved most of their day-to-day problems such as gathering or producing enough food and water, or providing sufficient clothing and shelter, they might turn their attention to producing items used more for decoration or demonstration of status, such as embroidery, decorative wood carving, and jewelry.

The earliest stage of crafting began with early man as every object needed had to be made by hand. Without automation, this could often be tedious and labor-intensive. Consider that to knit socks, they first had to raise sheep or have access to the wool. Then somebody had to spin it, perhaps dye the wool, before the knitter actually sat with needles and a pattern in hand.

Oh, wait. No patterns. At least, nothing officially published, at least not until the early 19th century. Before that, patterns were passed along and passed down by word of mouth or perhaps on scraps of papyrus or eventually paper. 

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Decorative and household items have been found as early as 6500 BC, and each culture had its own unique style and process, using raw materials readily available, such as types of clay, gemstones, wood types, and metals. By far, gold is the most widely used metal, and as metallurgy advanced, bronze (the mixing of copper and tin) became widespread.

As sea travel advanced, sailors often returned home with samples from other people groups, spreading the styles and processes all over the world. Around 1000 BC, the Phonecians brought crafts from the English isles back to the Mediterranean, while sharing their own processes with the Brits and Celts.

During the Renaissance period, crafting moved from necessity to decoration. Folks specialized in particular crafts, including metal work, jewelry-making, clay work, needlework, and the like. The wealthy often employed craftsmen and craftswomen whose sole job was to do what they were best at. Unions and groups formed that regulated what the craftspeople could do, often testing them to determine their level of skill. It is here we see apprenticeships and journeymen and master designations important in controlling the craftspeople and setting appropriate prices.

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In the Industrial Revolution, machines were designed to replicate the manual skills in areas such as weaving, carving, woodworking, beadwork, in response to the increased population’s demand for products.

As mentioned before, in the early 1800s, patterns were published for common products such as knitted items, dresses, and needlework. Near the 1900s, manuals and instruction books became popular as most families no longer employed craftspeople, and producing craft items became indicative of leisure and free time.

Regardless of the reason—to produce something useful or beautiful or both—creativity is a trait we share with our ancestors, which shouldn’t surprise us, since we are made in the image of a creative God.

Giveaway: leave a comment, and I will randomly draw one winner of a tin-punch kit. Include your email in this format: email AT server DOT extension. For example, donna AT historythrutheages DOT com

About Donna:

Donna writes historical suspense under her own name, and contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts, and has been published more than 30 times in novellas, full-length novels, and non-fiction books. She is a member of ACFW, Writers on the Rock, SinC, Pikes Peak Writers, Capitol Christian Writers Fellowship, Christian Women Writers, and Christian Authors Network; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; ghostwrites; edits; blogs regularly for Heroes, Heroines, and History; and judges in writing contests. www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com





Resources:

https://www.ancient.eu/crafts/

https://www.marthastewart.com/7839594/historical-origin-of-craft-techniques

https://www.pinterest.com/dmtamari/pioneer-crafts/

Dala Horses, a Swedish Tradition

by Susanne Dietze

Once a toy, the carved, painted wooden Dala Horse, also known as a Dalecarlian horse or Dalahäst, has become a symbol of Sweden, as well as Dalarna, the province from which it originated. 

Dalecarlian horses in three different sizes. Public Domain.

It isn't known precisely when Swedes first started carving Dala Horses as toys for their children, but they have been around for centuries, most likely fashioned from wood scraps from furniture making, the local industry. Legend says they became the national toy in the winter of 1716, a time of war. Soldiers were quartered in private homes in the Mora area of Sweden, and families and soldiers alike suffered from the severity of the winter. Food was scarce.

According to the legend, a soldier boarding with a family carved a Dala Horse from scrap wood and painted it bright red, a color which was available due to pigments produced from a nearby copper mine. He painted a harness and saddle onto the horse in the kurbits style, which is a decorative motif referencing the kurbit plant which shaded Jonah as he waited outside Ninevah for the city to receive its judgment.

The soldier gave the toy to the household's child, and in return, the mother provided him a bowl of soup. He crafted another horse and received more soup, and his fellow soldiers took to carving horses to barter for food, as well. 

Dala Horse from around 1950. Public Domain.

Others insist the wooden horses are relics of pre-Christian paganism in Scandinavia, and note that some Viking graves contain small wooden horses. Later, it's suggested wooden horses were tied to witchcraft.

However Dala Horses were first crafted and used, however, in the eighteenth century, the making and enjoying of small horses grew in popularity. Children carved them as well as adults. Eventually, Dala Horses came to stand as representatives for Swedish culture, handicrafts and for the country itself.

While popular in Sweden, the horses were little known in America until the World Exhibition of 1939 in New York. A 2.5 meter Dala Horse stood sentry outside the Swedish pavilion, and visitors loved it. In the following year, 20,000 Dala Horses were shipped to New York.

While most often seen as bright, orange-red toys (or even as statues in town squares), they are also painted blue, white, black, or other colors, and are sometimes left plain. Swedish store Ikea even sells black-and-white versions. 

Huge dalecarlian horse near Avesta (Dalarna). Public Domain.

While some are now mass-produced, Dala Horses are most often crafted of pine, hand-carved, so no two horses are identical in size or shape. Some aficionados consider the only authentic Dala Horses to be those originating in the Dalarna village of Nusnäs, where a quarter million horses are made each year.

They are considered must-have souvenirs for those visiting Sweden, and today, they can be found in homes across the globe.

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GIVEAWAY: I incorporated a special Dala Horse in my newly released story, Love in Any Language, part of the Barbour Collection Lessons on Love. If you'd like to win a copy, let me know in the comments. I'll randomly pick a winner tomorrow, Oct 4, 2019, at 9 am pacific time. Void where prohibited.

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RITA-nominated Susanne Dietze is an award winning, bestselling author. You can learn more about her and the story on her website, www.susannedietze.com.

Tatting

By Vickie McDonough

I’ve always been interested in handcrafts, even when I was young. The first time I’d ever heard of tatting was when my sister brought home a note card with a multicolored tatted flower glued onto one corner. I fell in love with the tiny blossoms, so much so, that I ordered several dozen of the cards to use as thank you notes for my wedding gifts. 


So what exactly is tatting? It’s a form of lace making, which involves wrapping thread around one or two shuttles and using the shuttles to guide the thread into patterns of knots to create rings and chains in delicate designs. To make the lace, the tatter wraps the thread around one hand and manipulates the shuttle with the other hand. No tools other than the thread, the hands, and the shuttle are used, though a crochet hook may be necessary if the shuttle does not have a point or hook.

Tatting consists entirely of small rings, or rings and arched chains. These rings and chains are usually embellished with picots (tiny loops of thread between stitches.) Some picots are purely decorative, but others are used for the important function of joining elements together. Surprisingly, only one simple knot is used throughout, the Lark's Head, which consists of 2 half hitches. 

Lace has always been popular, but back when it was all handmade, it was very expensive to buy. Tatting was a fairly quick way to create pretty lace, although the learning process can be difficult. Historically, tatting was used to create doilies, reticules, bonnets, lacy collars and cuffs, bookmarks, and designs to be framed and hung on the wall.

Tatted Bracelet

Needle tatting is another form of tatting. Instead of using a shuttle, you use a needle, which you wrap loops around. 

Needle tatting video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtMR_XtTvTk

Tatting Shuttles

Tatting is a fairly new craft, emerging in the first half of the 19th century. It gradually evolved from knotting, which was popular in the 18th century. The end product of knotting is embroidery, but the finished product of tatting is lace. However, they both involve making knots with a shuttle and thread. Knotting produced a thread with a raised texture, which could later be used for couched embroidery.

Tatted Doily

Tatting is a popular craft in Europe, although no one is certain of it origins. The German word for tatting is schiffchenarbeitm, which means 'the work of the little boat,' which refers to the boat-shaped shuttle. The Italians call it occhi, meaning 'eyes,’ which refers to the rings, which make up the lace. In France, it is called frivolite. In Finland, tatting is called sukkulapitsi, which combines two words: sukkula, which means shuttle, and pitsi meaning lace. 

Doing handwork allowed the historical woman to sit and rest, while being useful at the same time. It enabled her to show off her industriousness and creativity. Small pieces of work such as lace making, were acceptable items to occupy one’s time while visiting and could be brought to a friend’s house for a bit of work over tea and pleasant conversation.

If you'd like to see live-action tatting, check out the links below to some excellent videos:

Good video that shows you how to wind the shuttle: http://www.tattedtreasures.com/2011/08/absolute-beginner-series/

It you want to learn the various tatting stitches, this page has really good videos that will teach you: http://www.tattedtreasures.com/tutorials/

Pinterest site with lots of completed tatting projects, tutorials, and pictures illustrating how to tat: http://www.pinterest.com/huskerrhonda/needle-tatting/

Song of the Prairie, releases August 15th, but is now available for pre-sale.

Janie Dunn’s dream of being an opera singer suddenly fades when, at her dying cousin’s request, she flees Boston with her cousin’s newborn son to protect him from his abusive father. She moves to Kansas to live with her brother, but life takes another dire change when he is suddenly killed. Is a marriage of convenience the answer to her problems? Is Kansas far enough away from Boston that they are safe from the baby’s vengeful father?

Bestselling author, Vickie McDonough, grew up wanting to marry a rancher, but instead, she married a computer geek who’s scared of horses. She now lives out her dreams in her fictional stories about ranchers, cowboys, lawmen and others living in the West during the 1800s. Vickie is the award-winning author of over 30 published books and novellas. Her books include the fun and feisty Texas Boardinghouse Brides series, and End of the Trail, from the Texas Trails series, which was the OWFI 2013 Best Fiction Novel winner. Whispers on the Prairie, Pioneer Promises book 1 was a Romantic Times Recommended Inspirational Book for July, 2013. Forging a Family, a novella in The Pioneer Christmas Collection, is a finalist in the IRCA (Inspirational Readers Choice Awards)