Bib Overalls, designed out of a real need by wife Abigail!

[Lynn K.]

You already know I love trivia....so here's another I found interesting.

The original bib overall sewn in 1851 by Abigail Carter, wife of railroad engineer Homer Carter in Sacramento, Calif.


It seems Abigail grew weary of constantly mending Homer`s clothes. Thus, with a bolt of canvas and a pair of dungarees, she stitched up a legend: the bib overall. It was an instant hit with other railroad men and gold miners. By the time the first transcontinental railroad opened in 1869 (originating in Sacramento), the H.W. Carter line had been born. Now, 130 years later, they still make a mean bib overall.

http://hwcarterandsons.com/category/uncategorized

[Betty J.]

Delightful bit of history! I love such items too. Thanks for sharing.

[Rita C.]

Thanks Lynn. Love these little tidbits.

[karen f.]

Well isn't that interesting! Thanks.

[Lotti D.]

And One Day, defying all fashion rules, I will get a pair. And wear them proudly!
:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Rita C.]

Yeah, and if they just had loose fitting sleeves they would be good for quilting in - that way I wouldn't end up with loose threads attached to all my clothes. :lol:

[Lotti D.]

I know. I seem to take thread wherever I go... And I do get ribbed about it all the time

[Betty J.]

You could make a pair with a quilted bib, and attach some sort of thread catcher. :lol:

[Rita C.]

You could make a pair with a quilted bib, and attach some sort of thread catcher. :lol:

No BJ, you could do that, I wouldn't be able to - :lol: Do you remember those plastic bibs for babies with the curled up lip at the bottom to catch the food that didn't make it into the babies mouth? We need something like that. :lol: But my biggest problem is the sleeves of my jumpers (sweaters) and cardigans. When am I ever going to learn not to wear cashmere when I am sewing :roll:

[Nancy R.]

I guess I have the sewing wardrobe figured out. My normal attire of pajamas, with possibly a sweatshirt if its cold, don't pick up a lot of threads. For those of you who are worried about what my pajamas might consist of, they are simply flannel pajama pants with a T-shirt. Nothing risque! :roll:

Nancy
"Style is NOT my middle name"

[Susan B.]

When I retire, I'm going back to bib overalls like we wore in the 60's. And denim granny jumpers!
This is a great piece of trivia, Thanks Lynn!

[Hannelore N.]

Rita, wear your loose threads with pride! My colleagues in school 'de-thread' me almost every morning.

[Betty J.]

You could make a pair with a quilted bib, and attach some sort of thread catcher. :lol:

No BJ, you could do that, I wouldn't be able to - :lol: Do you remember those plastic bibs for babies with the curled up lip at the bottom to catch the food that didn't make it into the babies mouth? We need something like that. :lol: But my biggest problem is the sleeves of my jumpers (sweaters) and cardigans. When am I ever going to learn not to wear cashmere when I am sewing :roll:

I wouldn't want to give up the cashmere either if I were you. Just know that the threads mark you as a fiber artist and just add to your mystique. :lol: :lol: :lol:

[brenda h.]

This brought up many unexpected memories of my grandfather who always wore the striped bib overalls. He came to live with my DH and I for the last 5 years of his life (probably 25 years ago now). He had dementia and didn't remember much of anything, but he was able to interact with us. He had the habit of walking around the house and picking up pencils and/or pens and putting them in his front bib pocket so that at the end of the day he might have 8 or 10 of them in that pocket! Our friends would actually leave a pencil out for him and see how long it was before he put it in that pocket. When he died, my sisters and I decided the only thing he was ever comfortable in was those overalls, so that's what we dressed him in. At the beginning of the funeral the pockets were empty (except for a note I saw DH slip into one). By the end of the viewing there must have been 10 or 12 pencils in that top pocket. I knew then that my friends were never bothered by grandad when we took him to the beach or out to eat with the gang. Thanks for the memory.

[Rita C.]

Brenda that is so sweet. How lovely to have that memory and thank you for sharing it with us.