Wetaskiwin District Heritage Museum Centre & City of Wetaskiwin Archives

Bringing us back into the Heritage Moment ‘fold’ this year is a late 19th century Hand Fluter. A tool used to pleat clothing, the hand fluter functioned like a sad iron and often consisted of a ridged base and a corrugated rocker. An item of clothing would be moistened prior to being placed on the stove-top, grooved base followed by the heated hand iron rocking over the material. This labour-saving device created symmetrical stripe patterns with consistent folds making the illusion of fuller fabric on your linen cuffs, collars, or ruffled dresses. Although Hollywood’s Marilyn Monroe ‘drafted’ this trendy fashion in her plaited white dress shooting the 1955 film, The Seven Year Itch, clothing ruches had long been iconized by the Egyptian Pharaohs in 2000 BC, Kings’ Valley. Garments with pleats were not gender specific nor were they intended primarily for ceremonies; in fact, the most historically popular pleat styles were Scottish Kilts, and Balkan or Greek fustanellas worn by military combatants. This specific hand fluter was used by dressmakers, Amanda Johnson and Anna Johnson Blanch, who owned a shop above the John West Star Store circa 1910. At the height of their business they struggled to make each intricate fold and eventually invested in a fabric pleating machine with a crank roller saving them many strenuous hours of fastidious workmanship. If you would like to pull that formal wear out of the closet and avoid creasing your kitchen apron, grab tickets to our Culinary Cultures of Home for January 18 at The Glens Grill for a tasty blend of fares.