The Mill Girls: Manufacturing Fabric From 1823 to the Mid 1800s

Imagine you are a young woman in the first half of the nineteenth century. A new opportunity has opened to you. You have been offered a job working in a textile mill. But more than that, you will be housed in a safe environment and your virtue will be protected. There will even be educational opportunities. And most of all you will be able to earn more than any woman has earned before. But the work would be hard and the hours long. Worse yet, your health may be endangered.

The story of the "Mill Girls" is a fascinating chapter in both textile history and women's history. I suggest you start by reading the article, The Mill Girls of "Spindle City". It is a great introduction to the topic and as a quilter the author, Pat Cummings, muses "When we look at the fabrics in nineteenth century New England quilts, we are compelled to wonder how many of them include fabrics made by mill girls." After reading this article you will look at those pictures of antique quilts or quilts in museums in a different way.