Hippie Homesteaders: Arts, Crafts, Music and Living on the Land in West Virginia

Traditional Handcrafts in Appalachia

1 1 Traditional Handcrafts in Appalachia W hen the back-to-the-landers came to West Virginia in the 1960s and 1970s, their arrival couldn’t have been more serendipitous, but that is only obvious in hindsight. They came seeking a place to live simply, to be free from the trappings of urban materialism, and to be allowed to mind their own business. No doubt, when they learned basketry, blacksmithing , wood turning or broommaking from their neighbors, most of them were unaware of West Virginia’s long held handcraft tradition. They simply wanted to master a skill they hoped would be of practical use, provide an income, or both. Little did they know they would have a role in saving the state’s craft heritage and ensuring its future. Since the Appalachian region was settled in the late seventeen hundreds and early eighteen hundreds, handcrafts have been woven as tightly into the fabric of daily life as the rivers that wind through its mountains. The English, Scots-Irish, and German settlers who migrated to the hills looking for land, freedom, and a chance for a new life brought many practical skills with them. Their ingenuity allowed them to develop the handcrafts now considered central to the Appalachian tradition. Unlike the gentry who had settled near the coast, the mountain folks created handcrafted objects that were, for the most part, practical in nature. Aristocratic ladies who practiced any of the more delicate arts—tatting, bobbin lacemaking, embroidery, painting, and drawing—did so primarily as a time-passing hobby, to perfect their skills, and to adorn their homes, not because they had to for survival. In the mountains, women sewed out of necessity, making clothing for their families and linens for their homes. Men took up 2 Chapter One woodworking and metalworking to build and furnish their homes, and to fashion necessary farm tools. This is not to say the products weren’t also beautiful—often, they were highly decorated—but functionality was usually uppermost in the maker’s mind. In fact, this combination of functionality and beauty often made the objects a pleasure to look at as well as to use. While the tools and implements of everyday life were critical,theAppalachian transplants found time to satisfy their aesthetic sensibilities as well. Blacksmiths forged essential items like wagon tongues and door hinges, but they also formed decorative fireplace tools and wrought iron candlesticks. Tinsmiths fashioned kitchen utensils like plates, ladles, and cups, as well as delicately pierced lanterns. These hardscrabble pioneers who chose to tame the Appalachian Mountains turned to the plentiful natural resources they found to supply their everyday needs, and excellent craftsmanship was a hallmark of their work. Leathersmiths tanned hides and made carrying sacks, harnesses, saddlebags , belts, and even the blacksmiths’ bellows, but they also used their talents to fashion beautiful vests and jackets. Craftsmen felled the magnificent hardwoods to build furniture, fences, and log cabins, or whittled them into bowls and cooking utensils, musical instruments, gunstocks, and even toys for their children. They split oak into thin strips, soaked them, and wove them into baskets. Coopers bent wood into barrels for storage of grains and whiskey. Farming provided more than just sustenance. Straw and cornhusks became brooms and often dolls. Vegetables and nuts provided the dyes to color wool and cotton fibers. Carding sheep’s wool, spinning yarn, and weaving it into cloth were at the heart of the pioneer woman’s day. Precious little went to waste. Quilts were often made of scraps from outgrown clothes or leftover cloth, padded with worn-out blankets or cotton batting , then closely stitched together in layers. They evolved into works of art, as decorative as they were practical. Indeed, some of today’s most precious antiques are the woven coverlets and patchwork or appliquéd quilts of that era. No doubt in some places, traditional handcrafts have been practiced without interruption since the immigrants’ arrival on our shores; however, 3 Traditional Handcrafts in Appalachia by 1890 many of the old ways in this country had been abandoned as the Industrial Revolution mechanized processes formerly done by hand. However , in West Virginia, as in much of Appalachia, these skills persisted as part of daily life longer than in other parts of the United States because of the relative isolation of the region. Over the years, though, both the need for these practical skills and the public’s appreciation...