Profit

Women often used their skill with a needle to generate extra income or to support themselves and their families. Mantua makers, milliners, and tailoresses created fine dresses and various types of clothing. Others taught embroidery or embellished clothing and furnishings. Poorer women often took in plain sewing—mending, hemming bed and table linens, or making shirts and shifts for their more prosperous neighbors. Unfortunately, the majority of these women remain anonymous, but their work survives as evidence of their skill.