When I moved to the back country a little over three years ago I knew that I would have to pick up a lot of new skills to survive… Falling trees, hunting, trapping, and gardening were at the top of my mental renaissance man motif, but one that has become increasingly important (and one I never envisioned) was learning to sew.
Sewing is something that I was never taught as a young kid… It makes sense, though. In the southern culture I was raised in sewing was something that was reserved for women, not men. It was a vessel to hem jeans, fix dresses, and patch holes… yet, the history of sewing is truly unisex in nature.
In the days of the mountain men, when folks were moving westward to trap beaver and build new homesteads everyone knew how to sew. Both men and women knew this vital skill because the longevity of the clothes on their backs relied on the thread and needle everyone carried with them. People romping around the woods would regularly tear clothing and there was no Target or Walmart to run to in order to get a new set of clothes. Yes, the mountain men and women all had to preserve their clothes for as long as possible to do the one thing they were out there to do… survive.
Now, as a 21st century pseudo mountain man, the stakes are not nearly as high when it comes to the need for sewing. However, learning the basics of sewing provides for an extra-level of self sustainability that can be used to fix working clothes, sew together mittens, and even make blankets out of caught fur. My first lessons came from my wife, who taught me the basic tenants of the Straight Stitch, Back Stitch, and Whip Stitch (See videos below). I plan to use my newly developing skills to sew some felt onto one of the larger beaver pelts I tanned this year to make a blanket for my daughter — a saga which I am sure to write about in a future post.
I failed as a mother not teaching you to sew! Lol I agree though a great skill to tackle!