
For the first day of Women’s History Month for #historyinherhands “sharp” I offer straw splitters. Straw splitters were a small yet powerful tool in the hands of women both in the New England to Mid-Atlantic region of the US and in England as well as Italy. This tool split tubes of straw into narrower pieces which were plaited, or braided, into straw plait for hats and bonnets. Plaiting and sewing straw was a cottage industry in which women could earn money for themselves and their family.
Leave a Reply