From our Sisters Across the Pond – Sewing Circle 1946

Sewing Circle England 1946CREATE 2020 Contest: Identity as Inspiration

‘A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.’ Coco Chanel

Britain is bracing itself for the second lockdown starting this Thursday, moods are varied. This morning I checked in with our local baker, who assured me that they were going to try and stay open this time around, and then I got a message from a dear friend. She said, I finally got my sewing machine out, I am going to get back into sewing with this lockdown, and you should draw! (I am an illustrator and yet I haven’t drawn properly in months, which inevitably has made me question if I am, in fact, still allowed to call myself an artist. Quite a load to carry for a creative lacking creativity.) Post-Covid has stripped me bare to mothering my children and paying the bills, with occasional dips in the cold British seas to stay sanely positive about everything that is happening to us.

For a lot of creatives, their work is the essence of their identity so we can probably agree that it is absolutely paramount to find the time and space to create.

Nayila reminds us that learning new skills and implementing them into new projects is a wonderful way to grow the self and feel replenished. Sarah has written a whole article on the “Doldrums of Creativity”. She observes:  ‘it’s not that I don’t have ideas, it’s that I don’t have faith in my ideas. It’s not that ideas aren’t flowing, it’s that in some ways I’m holding myself back from creating them.’ Morgann shares her own story on how to pursue a creative life through sewing. Today I wish you to sit down at your sewing table and make something quite wonderful however small or challenging. If you are a bit like me, struggling to find your creative mojo and with it your own self and identity, the best thing to do is just sew, (or draw in my case).

Image: Sewing Circle 1946

From: The________Thread

Early Motto of the ASC – ‘Many a little makes a mickle’

Many small amounts accumulate to make a large amount.

What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Many a little makes a mickle’?

A mickle, or as they prefer it in Scotland, a muckle, means ‘great or large in size’. Apart from ‘many a little (or pickle) makes a mickle’ the words only now remain in use in UK place-names, like Muckle Flugga in Shetland (which amply lives up to its translated name of ‘large, steep-sided island’) and Mickleover in Derbyshire (listed in the Domesday Book as Magna Oufra – ‘large village on the hill’). ‘Over’ and ‘upper’ are very common prefixes in English place-names, along with their opposites ‘under’, ‘lower’, ‘nether’ or ‘little’. Examples of these are the Cotswold villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter, and the Hampshire villages of Over and Nether Wallop. The word ‘much’ derives from the Old English ‘mickle’ and has now almost entirely replaced it. ‘Much’ is also used in place-names like Much Wenlock, Shropshire (there’s also a Little Wenlock, of course).

The proverbial phrase ‘many a little makes a mickle’ has now itself been largely superseded by the 18th century ‘look after the pennies (originally, ‘take care of the pence’), and the pounds will look after (‘take care of’) themselves’.

An answer to an inquiry about “The Annisquam Cookbook”

Yes, the Annisquam Sewing Circle is still going strong. You have a find there, but perhaps not valued much in your area. On the title page, you will see the names Margaret (Peggy) Norton and Dorothy Norton, both of whom we part of the well-known group, The Folly Cove Designers. The Cape Ann Museum has information on the ASC as well as the Annisquam Historical Society and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts archieves.
https://www.capeannmuseum.org/https://www.annisquamhistoricalsociety.org/https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:3r077d35chttps://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:3r077d610Video presentation: https://youtu.be/oMyj4yjp9ds

The Annisquam Sewing Circle published a much-loved cookbook in 1941 and another in 1945. The organization celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2012 and published another wonderful cookbook bound to be a cherished addition to the kitchen. “A Circle of Recipes” has over 400 recipes from the membership. It is out of print now.

This information might not be what you are looking for. If you have any questions, please let me know. I will try to locate the answers for you. [email protected]

The Summer of the Cucumber

Cold Cucumber Soup recipe

It appears that everyone’s cucumber plants are more bountiful than usual! Here is a solution for the overflow. Jackie Littlefield’s “Cold Cucumber Soup” recipe from “A Circle of Recipes by the Annisquam Sewing Circle, 175th Anniversary, 1857 – 2012”.