My family tells me I make them buy me text books for Christmas presents – guess I’m a bit of a lame duck when it comes to the variety of books I read. I like history, more specifically textile and women’s history, how to’s (always looking for a new technique), biographies, and on a rare occasion fiction.

Here’s my latest read – history, although not all of it is textile, but with most any textile history you’ll find women’s history. Did you know the very old (early 1700’s and earlier) embroidery samplers that include letters and/or phrases demonstrated a family’s wealth by the shear fact that it revealed a female member of the family was literate?

This book covers myths about homespun, women’s role and economics and history, with artifacts (not just homespun) that support that claim. It brings in a lot of personal history from specific individuals.  Many of the artifacts can be found in the North East – possible road trips in my future???

Super interesting and come to find out the author, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, also wrote the book the TV series A Midwife’s Tale is based on.  Maybe that’s my next book!