If you were a Girl Scout (like we were) or went to summer camp, chances are you made a tie-dye t-shirt! In the US, tie dye is a fun, casual method of decorating clothes, but it has origins in thousands-year-old traditions all over the world. We talk about the elevated, ongoing art of tie dye in places like Japan (shibori), India (bhandani), West Africa (adire), and Chile (amarras). Listen in to learn the surprising orgin of the bandanna and how Aztec illustrators and modern-day Nahuatl speakers preserved the history of their unique tie-dye cloaks. Thorough show notes with all of our sources here: https://tinyurl.com/4vt9wczw

Do you have a question or a topic we should cover? Email us at handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com! You can also find us on Instagram and Tumblr.

Happy Halloween! Let's talk about brooms (the vehicle of witches). We do a deep dive into broom making in New England, where broom making shifted from a locally made handcraft, especially by Native Americans, to a white commercial venture. Listen in to learn why broom making underwent this shift and how New England indigenous makers and farmers made brooms in late 1700s and early 1800s. Bonus: the Shakers make a cameo.

Find extensive shownotes with sources at https://tinyurl.com/ycyya2a9. Email us at handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram @handmadehistorypodcast.

Have you heard of nalbinding, the "ancestor to knitting?" Surprise--it's not! Listen in to learn about this ancient AND ongoing craft, how it was forgotten and relearned in the US (and other countries), and how it is related to knitting. Find extensive shownotes with sources at https://tinyurl.com/kbdanvd8 . Email us at handmadehistoryhosts@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram @handmadehistorypodcast