What were Lauras clothes like?
Virtually everything the Ingalls family wore, as well as all their sheets, blankets, and other household linens, were made by hand! Although the sewing machine had been available since the 1840’s, (powered by treadle, not electricity), there were not many in the log cabins and dugouts on the prairie. While mothers sewed, their daughters, like Laura and Mary, practiced their stitching on scraps of cloth. These were called “samplers” because the girls stitched samples of various embroidery stitches on them. Making the family clothes was a very tedious job! Most children were very lucky to have two sets of clothes. Most clothes were handed down and handed down until it was completely worn out and then rags were made of them. Nothing went to waste as rags could be used for rugs!
