Home Sweet Log Cabin

Domestic Life in Victorian Canada

Domestic chores for the pioneer woman in Canada were very difficult, and a normal work day would go from dawn to dusk, and sometimes even into the night.  Not only did you make your family's clothes, but also wove the fabric, made the soap that washed them and the dye that coloured them.  You were expected to keep them in repair, and when they were beyond fixin', they were given a new use.  Nothing was wasted. "Eat it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."  That was the motto of a good housewife. In the mid to late nineteenth century, manufactured soap, candles and dyes made life a bit easier, but for those still living in remote areas, or trying to keep within a budget; a woman had to rely on her own resources and become a master at many trades.

Dipping, Forming and Moulding - Making Candles

Messing, Slopping and Soaping - Wash Day Blues

A Sharp Pen-Knife and a Steady Hand - Caring for Victoria's Canadian Children

A Little Bit of ironing Goes a Long Way - But Only for the Ladies of the Backwoods

On A Wing and a Prayer - Housework and Cleaning

Keeping up the Store - The Linen Closet

The Culinary Arts - Cooking Canadian Style

Hump of Buffalo and Nose of Elk - Meat Processing

A Stitch in Time - A Lady and Her Needlework

Have Sewing Machine Will Travel - Dress Making Made Easy

Varmints and Crawly Things - Controlling the Little Pests

Economies of the Household - Financial Management

Keeping the Home Fires Burning - Literally Speaking

The Write Stuff - Making Ink

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