DSL was down for most of the day...

Our internet two-wire went out, so we had to buy another and spent most of the day gone, no work on my dress. Makes me think about how things were long ago, sewing and other daily life. I love reading accounts in historial fiction about making dresses by hand. Little House books are what come to mind, the hand piecing of quilts, embroidery, crochet, rag rugs, and hand sewing dresses, long dresses, with bustles, trains, etc. I wonder how we would survive in that environment? Probably not very well, given our level of "comfort". It was a big deal to own a treadle sewing machine, something that the family dragged out to take their portrait with (I saw this in a book about antique quilts on the frontier) and sent a photo back home so others could see their great fortune. In light of present day economics and everyone bandying the "D" word around, we as homemakers and sewers/crafters may have to turn our attention to practical sewing (wardrobe refashioning, hand-me-downs and making-do). Certainly there are whole web communities dedicated to those endeavors. We may have to revert to our grandmothers' way of thriftiness and craftiness to make sure our children are still well-clothed and presentable. This also comes to mind reading old sewing manuals and with collecting vintage patterns. How did our grandmothers know that things might come full circle and what is old is new again? Let's pray we are able to weather any downturns, but be crafty in our weathering it. Maybe this philosophizing came about from listening to talk radio in the car today, but it m ade me realize that if needed, I could survive not buying clothes for the kids or myself (My husband survives in tshirt and jeans, and buys them maybe once a year). I draw the line at shoes and underwear, though...