*NEW* Once Upon a Summer

I have long wanted to try my hand at making a basic huswife to better transport my thread and scissors when taking my stitching away from home.

From there, it was just a matter of calculating stitch area and then filling the alotted area with happy growing things, a tiny house, an alphabet, and some little creatures. Once Upon a Summer just seemed like the right name for it. I don’t know about you, but I plan on putting this huswife to good use.

I don’t know exactly how they came to be called huswifes, but there are documents labeling them such that date back as early as the middle of the 18th century. During the American Civil War, they were often sent off with soldiers containing essential sewing implements so that they could maintain their wardrobe.

"I suppose you all know what a housewife is? It is a long piece of cloth with a number of small pockets sewed along one side, and made to fold up like a pocket-book, having separate places for buttons, thread, needles, pins, &c., such as some of you may have seen your mothers or grandmothers use." - The Reformed Presbyterian magazine. September. 1, 1864.

This design was originally released exclusively through the Dyeing to Stitch Ladies' Prim Society club, but is now available for everyone.


Stitch Count: 247 x 71

Model stitched with one thread over two
on R&R Reproductions’ 35ct. Heartstring Blend

Classic Colorworks:
Hazelnut, Poblano Pepper, Tennessee Red Clay

The Gentle Art:
Piney Woods, Pecan Pie, Ruby Slipper

Weeks Dye Works:
Dirt Road, Oscar, Whiskey

Recommended Additional Materials:
3 fat quarters of different co-ordinating cotton fabrics
2 feet of ½” Hug Snug Seam Binding “Havana”



This design is now available in my etsy shop, and will soon be in the hands of my distributors and the shops on my auto ship list. If you prefer to bypass etsy and order directly through me, you can send me an email: beth@heartstringsamplery.com