Museum (KW) Bundled Up
Bundled Up
In the early 1800s bedding and clothing in rural Upper Canada was mostly made of hand spun materials due to scarcity of cloth. The establishment of a home industry for cloth making was of prime importance to the early settlers. This meant acquiring a flock of sheep and/or clearing land to grow flax, as cotton could not be grown in our climate. Linen and wool were used to make the earliest clothing and bedding. Although not the most comfortable fabrics, they provided protection and warmth from the cold climate. Leather and fur were also essential materials that were used for early settler clothing. The leather was used for boots and shoes and the fur for winter clothing. These materials would have been acquired through trade with trappers and Indigenous peoples, as most settlers could not produce these on their own.
Early home with walking wheel and fireplace
The implements used by the early settlers for preparing, spinning and weaving cloth would have originally been homemade and crude. Some implements such as spinning wheels may have come over from Europe, but most had to start over with new tools. The widespread use of home-woven wool materials did not begin as early as flax weaving, as it took longer to establish a flock than it did to grow a crop. It was also not easy to maintain a flock of sheep in a small clearing in the bush. Wild animals, disease and inbreeding were all problems the settlers would have to contend with. Few were able to maintain enough sheep to produce wool to create clothing and bedding.
David Perry in fur coat and hat, 1889C and Boy on a sled, 1905C
The bedstead (bed frame) was one of the most important possessions for a rural family. In their one room shanty in the bush, the whole family would huddle together in a crude homemade bed. Enclosed in the snug curtained haven, the family was safe, warm and comfortable beneath the heavy blankets and quilts. The bedding would have consisted of pillows, bolsters, sheets and blankets. On top was the coverlet, counterpane, quilt or bedspread. Curtains around the bed were necessary to keep the body heat in during cold nights and a warming pan or hot water bottle might have been used to heat up the bedding. The family bedstead was made by the settlers and was not standard in size, thus early bed coverings were not standard and differ from the sizes we have today. As bed sizes and styles began to develop, so too did bed covers, although often keeping to traditional patterns.
