Handmade History

20:34

Episode 38: Mae Reeves & JB Stetson, Two Epic...

Handmade History ·

2026/09/28

A milliner of fabulous hats & pillar of the Black community and the creator of the iconic cowboy hat both started their companies in Philadelphia, PA. Mae Reeves and JB Stetson's iconic work could not look less alike, but both of these epic American hatmakers shared a love for their local communities and left their mark on the trade. In this episode, you'll learn... 👒About the hat shop you can visit in the Smithsonian 🎩The truth behind the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland--and its connection to

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26:04

Episode 37: Needlepoint!

Handmade History ·

2026/09/14

What do Mary Martin, Rosey Grier, and Loreta Swit have in common? They all wrote needlepoint books! We're kicking off Season 3 with a deep dive into needlepoint. With stops at King Tut's tomb in 1922, Edo-period Japan, and Renaissance Italy, we take you on a tour of the stitches, materials, and makers that made needlepoint into the wildly popular craft it is today. Highlights include A unique counted running stitch called Kogin Where Berlin woolwork sits on the embroidery evolutionary tree Perhaps

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20:18

Bonus Episode 3: A Chat with Jane Healey, author of...

Handmade History ·

2026/05/27

Join us for a very special bonus episode! Alicia sat down to chat with Jane Healey, the author of The Saturday Evening Girls Club, a novel set in the early 1900s. The SEGC was a real club that launched a pottery venture, Paul Revere Pottery. Bowls, plates, tiles, and vases from this small shop are held in museums today, and sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most of the girls in the SEG were first-generation Americans in Jewish and Italian families in Boston's North End. The Saturday Evening

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20:01

Episode 36: Laura Ashley, Iconic Designer & Company

Handmade History ·

2026/05/25

If you were a 90s kid (like Alicia was) or the little sister of a 90s kid (like Sonia was), chances are Laura Ashley influenced your bedroom design. Laura Ashley, born Laura Mountney in Wales in 1925, started her iconic, eponymous company by screenprinting in her Pimlico apartment with her husband, Bernard. Inspired by a Women's Institute exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Laura wanted to make a patchwork quilt--but she couldn't find any fabric that she liked. So, she designed her own. This

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22:50

Episode 35: A Sampler of Samplers from Around the World

Handmade History ·

2026/05/11

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. Visit Embroydica.com and become part of a growing global archive of embroidery and creative expression. Also check out Alicia's blog post

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23:25

Episode 34: The Saturday Evening Girls and Paul...

Handmade History ·

2026/04/27

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 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

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21:38

Episode 33: Sports Gear, from Baseball Caps to the...

Handmade History ·

2026/04/13

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

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28:49

Bonus Episode 2: A Conversation with Author Anne H....

Handmade History ·

2026/04/06

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

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21:10

Episode 32: A Select History of Early Knitting Machines

Handmade History ·

2026/03/30

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 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

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29:55

Episode 31: Brown Lung and Blow Outs: The First Mills...

Handmade History ·

2026/03/16

Thank you to our sponsor, Quiltfolk! Visit Quiltfolk.com and use code HandmadeHistory for 20% off your first order. When Francis Cabot Lowell built the first end-to-end cotton mill in Waltham, MA, he needed workers. Instead of hiring children, like many other factory workers (horrifying), he hired women. The farmers' daughters of New England flocked to mill towns and for the first time ever, made their own money. A decade or so later, many of the New England natives worked alongside Irish

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21:04

Episode 30: Stumpwork

Handmade History ·

2026/03/02

Have you listened to our latest episode yet? Here's the description: Stumpwork Embroidery from West to East: Birds, Bees, and Byzantine Icons! Ever seen a piece of embroidery where the petals literally popped off the fabric? Welcome to the decadent, dimensional world of stumpwork embroidery. Today, stumpwork artists love to stitch flowers, bees, berries, and birds. But stumpwork has a long history, stretching all the way back to the Byzantine Empire. If you love a craft that combines high-level

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26:17

Episode 29: The Wild World of Millinery: Hatmaking...

Handmade History ·

2026/02/16

Sponsored by Folkwear Patterns! Visit Folkwear.com to explore our collection and join a community that's been stitching history for half a century. What do a 27,000-year-old figurine, a Bronze Age coil of horsehair, and King Henry VIII's "minions" have in common? They are all part of the wild, tangled, and surprisingly complex world of millinery. This week, we're diving into the history of how we cover our heads. While we think of "millinery" today as the art of the women's hat, it was once the

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32:41

Bonus Episode 1: Secret Societies and Silk Collars: A...

Handmade History ·

2026/02/09

What does it mean to be a "custodian of craft"? 🧵✨ In our latest episode, Alicia sits down with the heritage crafter, conservationist, podcast host, and Odd Fellow Willow Polson for a journey through the hidden corners of history. From the secret symbolism of the Odd Fellows to the year-long process of weaving baskets, Willow shares what it's like to hold traditions in your hands. We're talking: The delicate art of restoring 100-year-old silk collars. The ethics and honor of holding traditions

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22:10

Episode 28: Rhino Armor and Dog-Tooth Purses:...

Handmade History ·

2026/02/02

Did you know the world's oldest leather shoe is a right-footed size 7? In this episode, we talk all things leather. From the science of tanning (using everything from tree bark to animal brains) to the world's oldest right-footed shoe, we explore how humans have used animal skins for over 70,000 years. Join us and travel from an ancient cave in Armenia to the snowy Schniedejoch Pass in the Alps to see how our ancestors stayed warm, protected, and stylish. Highlights include: 🦴A 4,000-year-old purse

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25:32

Episode 27: Harriet Powers and Her Quilts

Handmade History ·

2026/01/19

This episode is brought to you by Quiltfolk, an ad-free magazine made for quilters like you! Visit quiltfolk.com and use code HandmadeHistory for 20% off your first order. Thank you, Quiltfolk! We are running a stumpwork stitch along this March and we would love to have you join us. Starting March 3, we are going to stitch a design created by Melissa Galbraith of MCreativeJ–a 3-dimensional wild pansy. We will post our progress each week on social media and on our Patreon page. If you would like to

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25:44

Episode 26: Papercutting Around the World

Handmade History ·

2025/12/15

A quick reminder: if you'd like to join us for the Wild Pansy Stumpwork Stitch Along with MCreativeJ in March, please pre-order your kit or pattern today! You'll get everything you need (pattern, supplies, and a great Handmade History article) to make a beautiful hand-embroidered 3-D pansy & learn to do stumpwork! Get 15% off the kit or PDF pattern before 12/31/25. Want to share the Stitch Along as a gift? Just put a note in your order and we will send a cute e-card to your giftee to let them know

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21:55

Episode 25: Polymer Clay & Artists

Handmade History ·

2025/12/01

This episode is brought to you by Sculpey. Are you curious to try out polymer clay? Are you a polymer clay artist or enthusiast? We have a special offer for you from Sculpey, the original polymer clay company. Use code HANDMADE25 to get 25% off your entire purchase on Sculpey.com. If you aren't sure where to begin, Sculpey III clay is the perfect polymer clay for beginners. It comes in almost fifty colors and is easy to mold and shape into fun creations. You can also buy a multipack of Sculpey

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24:49

Episode 24: Blackwork Embroidery

Handmade History ·

2025/11/17

We're doing a giveaway! To celebrate our collaboration kit & pattern with Melissa Galbraith of MCreativeJ, we are giving away one of Melissa's books, DIY Embroidered Shoes. If you would like to enter the giveaway, visit Handmade History Podcast on Instagram. You'll see the giveaway post pinned right at the top and you can comment and enter there. If you're not on Instagram, no worries! Just send us an email with your name and let us know that you'd like to enter the giveaway. You can email us at

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22:37

Episode 23: Mimeographs & More

Handmade History ·

2025/11/03

This episode is brought to you by our Patreon page: visit patreon.com/handmadehistorypodcast and sign up to get our free posts! You'll be the first to know when an episode is live. Explore more on each topic with videos, photos, and links to research rabbit holes. This week also marks the launch of our first collaboration: the Wild Pansy Stumpwork Stitch Along! Pre-order your kit to make a beautiful stumpwork pansy designed by Melissa Galbraith of MCreativeJ. A PDF pattern is also available. Both

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27:12

Episode 22: From Morojo to Yaya Han: The History of...

Handmade History ·

2025/10/20

Sponsored by Folkwear Patterns. Folkwear – Where history meets your hands. Visit Folkwear.com and use code HANDMADE20 for 20% off your purchase. Code is good through the end of 2025! Cosplay might make you think of shiny spandex and elaborate makeup--but did you know it got its start in 1939? Morojo (pronounced mo-roy-oh) was the first ever sci-fi fan to create a costume for a con: a dress that converted into a cape and romper. This "costume of the future" inspired other fans to start making their

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