Needlecraft Magazine, November 1924
A widely distributed magazine about various needlework crafts aimed at housewives of the early 20th century. It contains instructions and patterns for decorative and practical needle crafts, as well as many advertisements aimed at homemakers and anecdotal letters from readers to the editor.
Needlecraft Magazine ran from 1909-1941 and was one of many popular women's periodicals that were published in Augusta, Maine at the time. It promoted a more independent woman by advertising opportunities for women to sell the crafts they made from the magazine and make a modest income. It was also an instrumental vehicle in mobilizing housewives to help in the war effort during World War I, urging them to help create garments that were in short supply for soldiers fighting in Europe.
While other popular magazines at the time ushered urban volunteers toward Red Cross workstations, Needlecraft Magazine's letter-to-the-editor format helped rural women share resources and participate by sharing knowledge and support with each other.
Sources:
- Carter, April. Needlecraft Magazine. PatternsAlaCarte (blog). August 4, 2008.
http://patternsalacarte.blogspot.com/2008/08/needlecraft-magazine.html - Golden, Micheline. “Letters to the Editor: American Rural Women and Needlecraft Magazine,
1909-1919.” MA Thesis. California State University, Fresno. 2018. - Zuckerman, Mary Ellen. A History of Popular Women's Magazines in the United States,
1792-1995. Vol. 165. Contributions in Women's Studies. London: Greenwood
Press. 1998.
