Wrappers were the casual dresses the women wore for everyday activities. Made to suit the season in either cotton or wool, this comfortable dress was high necked with long sleeves and a free-flowing body. Less fitted than more formal dresses, the wrapper didn’t require hoops, corsets, or bustles, was easy to make, and could easily be adjusted for maternity wear. The style was practical and enduring in popularity and suited women of all ages, including young girls.

As with any dress goods, after the garment was completed, the leftover pieces went into a scrap basket, eventually joining other scraps to make quilts for the family.

Victorian Christmas II by Sara Morgan   1890-1900

Following the Puritan ban on celebrations, it took nearly 200 years for Christmas to once again become an important event. Many of the things we most love at Christmas, such as sending cards and pictures of a fat, jolly Father Christmas or Santa Claus, date back to the Victorian age. The Christmas tree became popular, as did gift shopping in big stores.

Children in Victorian England had the task of writing greetings to their parents in their very best handwriting. Occasionally, adults took on the time-consuming task ofwriting Christmas letters to each other. The printed Christmas card solved this problem.

Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used with a nib of some sort to be dipped in the ink. The writing instrument that dominated for the longest period in history (over a thousand years) was the quill pen, introduced around 700 A.D.

The quill was a pen made from a bird feather. The strongest quills were those taken from living birds in the spring from the five outer left wing feathers. The left wing was favored because the feathers curved outward and away when used by a right-handed writer. Goose feathers were most common; swan feathers were of a premium grade being scarcer and more expensive. For making fine lines, crow feathers were the best, and then came the feathers of the eagle, owl, hawk and turkey.