November 19, 1942

Detroit News Quilt History Project; Michigan State University Museum; Susan Salser

Detroit, Michigan, United States

An article about volunteers sewing insignia of soldiers uniforms.

Women Stitch Army Insignia​

From Falmouth, Mass., comes an interesting story of the enthusiasm of women in meeting a war emergency. They held one of the largest sewing bees recorded, putting brand new insignia on many thousands of Army garments.

Women's clubs, high school girls and Army women, including two generals' wives, participated under the direction of Mrs. Jane Hope Whitney. They went to their rendezvous in Army jeeps, trucks and weapon carriers. Here, six miles in the woods at an Army camp, they sewed on the new insignia of the Engineers Amphibian Command.

Every soldier had five garments - heavy topcoat, blouse, field jacket and two shirts. Chevron, braid on hats and officers' bars for shoulders were also sewn on, as the women gayly tackled the great piles of clothes heaped on the tables. They finished in two days.

Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.