Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire - the birth of modern workplace safety

3D cotton blouse (shirtwaist), fused applique logo, hand applique and embroidered flames, machine quilted.  Completed Jan 28, 2018. Size: 9"x9"

This quilt was made for the week 2 challenge in Project Quilting season 9 - Triangulation. 

This quilt refers to the Triangle Waist Company Factory Fire, in Manhattan on March 25, 1911.  When fire broke out in the building, 145 women and girls died due to improperly maintained safety features, such as doors locked from the outside, and insufficient stairwells and fire escapes.  The doors were locked to prevent stealing and unauthorized breaks by the sweatshop laborers - working 12 hour days, 7 days a week.  Although fire safety laws existed, regulators were bribed to look the other way. After this tragedy (the worst workplace death toll until 9/11) stricter fire standards were enacted by strong unions working with Reform party politicians in New York State.   

For this little quilt, I started with the logo of the Triangle Waist Factory Company, seen here in this historical photo. 

A "Waist" is the term for a women's blouse of the era, also called a shirtwaist. 

Since I used to make costumes for theater in California, with my friend Lynn McQuown, I had a lot of experience with clothing construction, and thought that I could actually make a miniature blouse. 

  I found an image of a mutton sleeve pattern, and set about to draft one in the size I needed. 

Yes, those are miniature, gathered, set in sleeves! 

I drafted the company logo to a size that worked with the finished blouse, then auditioned flames drawn on paper, to see if that would be a good element in the design. 

Next, in keeping with the theme of the challenge, I cut triangle shaped flame blocks and arranged them at the base of the logo and then hand embroidered the curved flame shapes over the triangles. 

The little blouse was also embellished with pink pearl beads, to represent the way these would have closed with a row of buttons.  The shirtwaist represents a more modern woman, one who dresses herself, able to button the blouse on her own, rather than requiring help to dress.  The blouse is fashioned like a man's shirt, a big move for the modern woman of the 1900's. 

Although not previously a big union supporter, my jobs in state universities in both California and now New York, are union jobs.  I now understand the value of union representation and the efforts made on our behalf in the workplace.  I know that were it not for unions, workplaces for our most vulnerable workers (women, immigrants, minorities) would be more dangerous and exploitative. This fire led directly to the formation of the ILGWU (International Ladies Garment Workers Union) and enactment of stricter fire and other workplace safety laws in New York. 

The current federal administration is rolling back as many safety and environmental regulations as possible to make the US 'attractive' to domestic and international manufacturing concerns.  If we can't manufacture items while keeping our workers safe, who benefits?

Unite!  Resist!

Peace.

Paula