Friday, July 19, 2019

The Moon Landing for Sewists!


As everyone probably knows by now, it's the 50th Anniversary of the moon landing! What an event to commemorate -- though the question "where were you when..." doesn't quite apply to those of us who weren't yet born.

In all the excitement of the space program, many of the women involved are overlooked. NASA has been sharing links and stories about many of these women over the past few weeks, which has been wonderful. We're all now aware of the black women who did so much for the space program, including some of the essential math and computing, thanks to the book and movie Hidden Figures (which also has a wardrobe to envy!)

But one of the stories that was shared has another connection of interest for all sewists -- it's the story of the making of the Space Suit. Did you know it was created and hand sewn by previous bra-makers and seamstresses from Playtex? It's true!

There's a book on the making of the spacesuit -- Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo by Nicholas de Monchaux.  And apparently, there is a movie in the works based on this books about the thrilling story of sewing the spacesuit!



And there's also a brief clip from a NASA documentary about the women responsible for creating the spacesuit. Enjoy! 



7 comments:

  1. Very inspiring. Here's an article with a video that goes into a bit more depth. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apollo-11-the-seamstresses-who-helped-put-a-man-on-the-moon/?fbclid=IwAR3ZqI8eKW8BJ4FaTvpXvi66UCe0bsAfUsiwrKtItZEszLhFvlcps0Yr6bE
    You probably weren't born yet when the first men landed on the moon, but I remember it. I was 14, camping with my family, and someone brought a black and white television. We all hovered around it at the campground.

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    1. Wow, thanks Debbie! How exciting to have a longer article :)

      My husband also remembers huddling around a black & white tv in a campground with other families, watching it!

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    2. Debbie, you don't happen to have been camping in PEI when watching it, were you? Just curious!

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  2. That Playtex made the spacesuits was given some fairly significant attention in a special section of the Wall Street Journal earlier this week. I was almost 9 when the moon landing happened, and liftoff and landing were the only times I was allowed inside to watch TV during the day for the entire summer. It was mesmerizing.

    And it's nice to know that "lift and separate" was an integral part of designing airtight space suits.

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    1. I'll have to see if I can find that -- how wonderful that it is getting so much attention. I have to live vicariously through the stories of others viewing the real event; or just watch the NASA info they are sharing on it now!

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  3. I had a lovely compliment this week when I was talking to a forty something lady about watching the moon landing on a very small black and white T.V. "Were you allowed to stay up late to watch it then?" she asked and when I told her I had been married for two years at the time she didn't believe me. Made my week!

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