Sewing Education at Iowa State University

Iowa State was the first land grant institution to give courses in domestic economy (home
economics) for college credit (1872). These first “ladies’ courses” were taught by the Iowa State
(then) Agricultural College’s President’s wife, Mrs. Mary B. Welch. They were dedicated to
preparing women for homemaking and “discipline of the mind.” By 1875, the Department of
Domestic Economy was established and included courses in housekeeping, cooking, laundry
work, domestic chemistry, and care of the sick and of children. Sewing education, particularly
the art of cutting and fitting of dresses was accomplished on Wheeler, Wilson, and Singer sewing
machines. The revolutionary ideas of Mary Welch that science could and should be applied to
homemaking laid the foundation for home economics departments around the nation.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, courses in Domestic Economy specific to the
textiles and clothing discipline included plain sewing, dressmaking, drafting patterns, and
costume design. These courses involved making sample book of various stitches, plackets,
darning, lace, and embroidery. By 1916, courses in history of costume, handicraft, budget studies in clothing, planning the wardrobe, and designing garments were introduced.

The Department went through a number of name changes, the Domestic Art Department
in 1916-1917, the Household Art Department in 1919, and finally, the Textiles and Clothing
Department in 1924. An expanded offering of courses included clothing design, textiles, millinery, children’s clothing, and seminars and research in textiles and clothing. The objectives
of the Department became twofold; to prepare young women for the duties of the homemaker
and for the various occupations now open to scientifically trained women. Newfound occupations
for women that necessitated an education included designers, advertising, retail sales, and
education.

See: Ercel Sherman Eppright and Elizabeth Storm Ferguson, A Century of Home Economics at Iowa State University: A Proud Past, A Lively Present, a Future Promise. (Ames, IA: The Iowa State University Press, 1971).