Friday 2 February 2018

Sewing roll, sewing rollup or hussif/huswif/housewif

I often spend January and February working on small projects, finishing ufo's or doing some crochet. After all the stress in December trying to finish my costume in time. I feel entitled to some time off but I am to restless to do nothing, this year is no different. First off I finished the lace cap I had started working on at an event in December. My second project was a making myself another sewing roll. I had made several sewing rolls last year to give as gifts to friends for Christmas.



They where made with pretty fabric and a pattern by Merchant and Mills. Running out of time, as always, I made myself a simple version of natural colored linnen and cotton. Functional but not spectacular.



One of my friends had also made a sewing roll and when I saw hers I absolutely loved it. It was made with a whole lot a small quilting fabrics and the construction she had just made up herself. Being the sweatheart she is for christmas she gave me a package with some small squares of quilting fabric, some embriodery designs and her sewing roll to copy! I hadn't done cross stitch embriodery in twenty years so it was quite a challenge. With her help and inspiration I made this and I am really happy with the end result.






Please remember it is not intended to be a reproduction.

However I do think she got the look quite right!


Needlework Case 
Place of Origin: United States, North America
 Date: 1795-1820
Materials: Cotton; Wool; Silk


1816 sewing rollup of housewif

Roll up Huswif Sewing Case, ca 1830, New England
Image no longer available at the website 
but definitely worth a visit.

1850's housewife
I just love the fabrics !


Huswif from 1856

Silk Roll-up with seam covering embroidery
from about 1880.
(unfortunately the images no longer seem to load)

Up untill now I have only shown you sewing rolls on which our versions are based upon. Here are some other variaties!




An early 19th century  American Canvaswork Sewing Case Pocketbook

Pocketbook pattern from Godey's Lady's book 1862

1864 Housewife for a Gentleman

Sewing case closed

Sewing case open




This one I would like to make some day.
Source: Groot Handwerkboek uit Grootmoeders Jeugd,
Ilonka & Leonard de Vries & Margrit Reij.

On the subjects of UFO's I today I finally finished my crochet christmas blanket after working on it on and off for over two years!




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