Tobacco Fabrics

First, I want to thank everyone's well wishes on the car incident, it really did make me feel better. My husband is still laughing about it (I am so glad that I have such an easy going husband). I was feeling under the weather this morning due to dinner out last night (I can't seem to eat rich foods anymore, damn all that healthy food that I've been eating, I really love a good burger) and was completely bored mostly watching tv. I manage to catch up on my newpaper reading though and came across an interesting article in one of the small local areas. It was about a museum exhibit that is in town, called "Better Choose Me: Collecting and Creating with Tobacco Fabric Novelties, 1880-1920."

From 1880 - 1920 there was a popular style of needlework called "crazy quilts." These were made up of small, brightly coloured pieces of fabric with embroidered edges. The style was used on garments and household accessories, such as blankets and pillows, and considered very stylist. When tobacco companies started tying cigars with silk ribbons, they became popular collectors items among women, who would then sew them into quilts. The companies decided to cash in on the craze and began to issue fabric inserts with their products (these had their company logo and name on them for advertizing of course). The cigarette companies figured that not only would this work for advertising but it would make women less critical of their husbands smoking since there was something in it for them.

Pretty fascinating really, I'm going to have to make it down to the museum.

Pictures from:
Kauffman Museum: Travelling Exhibits, accessed March 5, 2011, http://www.bethelks.edu/kauffman/Traveling%20Exhibits/BCM/Index.html