The Fine Art of Being a Balabusta--Part #1

A commenter on the Gemach thread made the following comment. I think the comment deserves more space and I'd like to reply here. My answer is in two parts.

d said...
"That brings a thought to mind here that I would be interested to hear others comment on.Maybe part of the problem is that many of those who are involved with getting such garments these days are not adept at sewing and altering. The older generation of balabustas were perhaps better at that. Those who are not good at it, have to hire someone to do it, so that makes things more difficult, complicated and expensive. So they look to a 'gemach' instead. Even if you do not think this point is relevant here, however, I would like to also raise the question, in general, if the newer generations of bnos Yisroel are as adequately trained in domestic arts such as sewing, cooking, and baking, as their forebears were. I understand that those who will work outside the home in modern careers are busy learning other skills to earn a nice income, so they have less time for the domestic arts, as opposed to e.g. Satmar girls. They might also say that they will be lacking time to practice them and they could easily hire someone to do such things for them if they make a nice salary.Nevertheless, I wonder if it still is something that those who deal with such things should give thought to.In the past, I would sometimes hear of balabustas who made clothes for their children. Nowadays I get the impression that it is quite rare to nonexistent. Is it because people are too busy, it doesn't pay, they don't know how to, are not comfortable doing so, or what?"

Sewing. As d refers to it it has to do with making clothes. He asks if women today are being adequately trained in domestic arts, sewing among those arts. What he should be asking is if the generations that came before this one were so trained. We take it as a given that our immediate ancestresses were all accomplished makers of clothing. They weren't. Whether or not they sewed clothing for their families had a lot to do with where they lived and what strata of society they were in. And yes, it depended also on their ability, skill and interest in sewing.

Pre--WWII Europe. Personal sewing machines had not yet come into vogue. Tailors and perhaps some few women who did sewing for parnoseh had the machines. Everyone else was limited to needle, thread, material and two hands. Did all women sew clothing for their family? No. Those who came from families that had a comfortable parnoseh had their clothes made by those in the business of making clothes. They did not own as many pieces of clothing as we seem to consider necessary today, but what they did have was not made by the women of the house.Those who did not have economic means had even less clothing, and much of it was hand me downs or donations of used clothing from families with more means.

Most women could take up a hem or repair a fairly small tear. Some might even be able to alter clothing from one child to fit another child. Many were not very good at sewing--it's a skill that can be taught, but you can't teach aptitude, and some women had no aptitude for dressmaking.

Some items were made by most women at home, although these,too, could be ordered. Bed linens were one such item. European comforters, whether feathers, down or straw, were covered. These covers were made by the women of the house--sometimes by the balabustas themselves, sometimes by their maids, sometimes by their daughters. Aprons were another such item, as were tichlach.

But European women were encouraged in a different area of needlework--the decorative arts. Girls were taught in school and at home the basics of embroidery. They were taught the different types of needlepoint. They embroidered tablecloths for Shabbos and Yom Tov. They embroidered pillow covers for the seder. They embroidered challah covers. They provided the finishing embroidery touches for many a parochet in their shuls. They embroidered their clothing to add a special touch. They created beautiful needlepoint pictures for their walls, many on Jewish themes.

Some of these needlepoint pictures survived the war and are treasured pieces in my mother's house, my house and my sibling's houses. The needlepoint picture my mother made for me as a wedding present holds pride of place in our living room. As do the embroidered pieces she made for me at various times throughout my marriage. When I walk into someone's home I can tell who had European parents when I spot the "goblein"--needlepoint pictures.

My mom taught me to embroider and to do needlepoint. I did not learn to knit from my mother, because in her area of Europe knitting was like sewing clothes--you ordered what you needed from the women who made parnoseh doing knitting. Ditto with crocheting, with the exception of some fine lace. I picked up knitting and crocheting on my own.

I crocheted and knitted baby blankets for all my children along with sweaters and booties and hats and scarves. I needle pointed pictures throughout each pregnancy to put into the rooms of the expected children. I did not ever sew baby clothes for them. Oh I fixed a rip or a tear, but I didn't sew their clothes. And I knew how to use a sewing machine. We had home economics classes in grade school that taught machine sewing. My mother also taught me the basics. But it was just plain cheaper to buy the ready made clothing then to make it by myself. And it took a lot less time as well. Except, of course, for bed linens, which are still homemade in our family.

By the time the youngest of my mom's kids came along somehow the importance of needlework had diminished. My youngest sister doesn't do embroidery or needlepoint. Neither do her girls. My daughters all picked up the idea of needlework as art and added hooked rugs to the mix as well.

So to answer d, are the girls of today adequately trained in sewing, the answer is no, but why do they need to be? Beyond a simple sewing up of a tear, clothing can be purchased for the same price and far lower then it would cost to sew at home, for the smart shopper. Time is also money, and working women--and all Jewish women are working women--have judged sewing clothing as taking up more time then it is worth to them. Having said that, I do know of a few women who regularly sew their own clothes and who sew for their children--female children. They are skilled at sewing, have an aptitude for it and get enjoyment out of it. But they aren't sewing those clothes because they have to; they are sewing because they want to.

Everyone, male and female, should know how to sew on a button. After that sewing is a matter of choice. But me, personally, I would love it if the decorative needle crafts were given more attention. No purchased tablecloth, no purchased scarf or hat can ever equal the value of the one that was made by a mother or grandmother--the secret ingredient is the love sewn in with every stitch.

To be continued