And it all started with fabric!

As we begin another year, we often think back to earlier years and in my case, really early
years! I was spinning some silk this week and was reminded of the greats: John Kay (flying
shuttle), James Hargreaves (spinning jenny), and Richard Arkwright (water frame), all English inventors who kicked off the Industrial Revolution with textiles ---yes, fabric!

We don’t often think of fabric (wool, cotton, silk, linen) as the thing that pulled people out of their homes into factories, but textiles were indeed what started the Industrial Revolution. We think of black soot, iron, trains, steel and coal as Industrial Revolution icons, and they were, but they weren’t first. Fabric was. 

Life shifted because of fabric. Where people lived shifted, as well as their schedules and family time. Fabric was important (still is if you ask any Sewing Basket staff or shopper) because everyone needed clothing, socks, sails and more. Mass production became a way of life. It’s the only way of life we know.

Today our textile work in our homes is a labor of love, a luxury if you will. In the mid to late
1700’s the labor was very different. It was an income and survival. We are indeed fortunate in 2026 to “play” with textiles.

Cindy Ellenbecker