Thursday, July 3, 2014

The Filatrice or Seamstress

An Italian seamstress often wove the cloth she used in her trade, although historians do differ on this subject. Perhaps it depending on the level of poverty within the family. The spinning wheel was often in use for more than ten hours a day and it was taken outside in warm weather so that the seamstress could get some fresh air while she did her work. She visited with her neighbors and watched her children play in the streets, often singing a tune to the rhythm of the wheel. A seamstress made clothing, bedding, and other household needs. In coastal communities, she often helped weave and repair fisherman's nets.

An Italian woman needed multiple sets of bedding for her trousseau. Therefore, as her marriage day approached, there was much work being done by her family or the local seamstress. The more sets of bedding a woman had, the more well-off she was deemed to be.

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