The Purse is the New Sewing Basket

As I looked into my purse, where there was a small wallet, a glasses case, mints, a pass for work, an international driver’s license, money from three countries, a small bottle of Advil, et al., I started to wonder how it would all fit into a reticule. Look at the one below, which would hold a small book of prose and some coins, but the glasses, mints, and more? No, it would not do.

Further, I am certain only to purchase a purse that can safely store my Kindle, and there is always a Ziplock bag for my phone and any other electronics if I am stuck out in the rain. And if one digs deep enough, one will find a bottle of 5-Hour Energy, as one never knows what day may inadvertently drag into the night for work and video games, not to mention writing. As I dug to find the mints, I wondered what the ladies did to avoid going through their days and travels with all their “necessities” during the Regency era. The answer was simple to stumble on, for it was their sewing basket!

As a lover of cross stitching myself, I was excited to learn that they, too, had a variety of ways to separate their needles from their threads and their laces folded neatly away from the handkerchiefs. One such example was called a housewife. Many patterns are available, should anyone wish to make one as a gift. It could be folded and buttoned closed, and had many pockets for various items. And even then, there were needle cases to keep them secured.

The research for this blog encouraged me to pull out the canvas bag I carry while doing a project. Tucked inside, I found a book, a few dollars in one of the side pockets, and a letter I had meant to mail to my bestie some years ago. I took a moment to appreciate the small, magnetic containers that secure the needles. To close the post, I thought I would share one of my on counted cross-stitch pieces titled “Her Majesty’s Carousel.”

Sources for The Purse is the New Sewing Basket:

Vic “Regency Fashion: Keeping Hems Clean” Jane Austen’s World April 12, 2014, Regency Fashion: Keeping Hems Clean | Jane Austen’s World (janeaustensworld.com)

Ladies “Jane Austen’s Women and Their Creative Skills” Janeausten.co.uk, December 9, 2011, Jane Austen’s Women and Their Creative Skills – Jane Austen articles and blog

ellenandjim “2016 ASECS, Pittsburgh: on novels & Scottish culture & the Anthropocene; disability to film studies » sewing” Reveries Under the Sign of Austen, Two April 15, 2016, 2016 ASECS, Pittsburgh: on novels & Scottish culture & the Anthropocene; disability to film studies | Reveries Under the Sign of Austen, Two (wordpress.com)