By Lisa Hawk
In the late 1800’s to early 1900’s silk fabric for clothing was a major business for our country. In Scranton Pennsylvania they were known as America’s Silk City. During this time they employed 15,000 workers in the silk mills. Pennsylvania alone had over 40 silk mills.
The employees at the mills were mostly immigrant women.
Then a new invention was created, called Rayon. This was a new synthetic fabric that was invented in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
When this was created, it caused silk production to become too expensive to manufacture and sell to the public. So, by 1950 almost every mill in the United States closed. This closure erased an entire industry and put 15,000 workers out of jobs, all in one generation.
Since, I own and operate a professional sewing shop and dress shop in Middletown, Indiana, and am a retired Home Economics and Business teacher, it made me think of what seamstresses have been going through here in Indiana.
During the last 10+ years, fabric and sewing shops have been closing their doors. In the past two years all Joann Fabric Stores have closed. Finding fabric to make clothing, repair clothing, repair or replace upholstery fabrics and more have become almost impossible.
This has lead my shop to working with major alterations of already existing clothing. We also have become quite busy repairing clothing for work, school and sports. Of course wedding apparel is also a big part of our business to alter.
I think my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother would have been shocked that people could not make their own clothing any longer.
I started my sewing training at 10 years old. I learned to sew on a treadle sewing machine that belonged to my grandmother. This is a machine that requires no electric. You simply pump the foot peddle and that makes the belt move the gears to operative the machine. I made almost all of my 4-H sewing projects on this machine.
When I graduated from high school my parents purchased me a brand new Singer Electric Sewing machine. I used this machine for 42 years. I gave this machine to my grandson who now uses it to create his own styles to sell online.
I keep hoping that the skill of sewing and designing clothing is not a dead skill and art for our world. But with so many businesses related to our craft closing, I makes me wonder what the future holds. From experience, we have learned that an entire industry can disappear in one generation or less.
References:
True Pennsylvania webpage
History of Silk in the United States, North Carolina University
National Museum of American History
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