The Bones and Bobbins Podcast

Hello, creepy crafters! There won't be a new episode this week, because Natali came down with the covid. We decided that excitedly telling each other stories until midnight was probably not the most reasonable road to recovery, so we'll be back as soon as she's feeling up to it! (Probably next week!)   Do I need to remind you not to run with scissors? And wear a mask, too. -Haley

S03E04: The Not Terribly Good Club of Great Britain and a fascinating look into the history of fraternities and sororities in the United States.   Private clubs can be fraught with countless problematic behaviors, but our favorite find turned out to be charming, weird, and so successful that it ceased to exist. Meanwhile, back in the US, we learned that the story of the rise of fraternities is as...

S03E03: Entomology (insect collecting) and the taxidermy of Walter Potter.   Some people like academic displays with carefully labeled insects, some like kitten weddings. Who are we to judge? Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/02/18/season-3-episode-03

S03E02: The history of the valentine and the hypnotic love spell murderer, Dr. Carl Coppolino.   From penning sweet nothings to vinegar valentines, Natali explains why the history of these cards is far more creative–and more grown up–than today’s grade school-geared counterparts. Then, like a rain cloud over your lovenest, Haley ruins everything with a story of hypnosis, heartbreak (in the literal...

S03E01: “Princess” Alice Roosevelt, the irrepressible eldest daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, who was pretty much always up to no good, and Princess Alexandra of Bavaria, who was pretty much never up to no good, because she was quite sure that she’d swallowed an entire glass piano.   Choose your anxiety adventure: Attend an unchaperoned ball with Emily Spinach (the snake who is either a b...

S02E24: The mind-blowing plot twists of WWII bomber pilot Si Spiegel (and his artificial Christmas trees), and the glittering nostalgia that is a box of Shiny Brite Ornaments   In short, Mr. Spiegel basically WAS his own action movie. And I’m pretty sure Shiny Brite ornaments don’t need an introduction. Just picture a Christmas tree–they’re what’s on it. Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.co...

S02E23: Mary Sachs, the Merchant Princess of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Coco Chanel, who was very good at both designing clothes and being a horrifyingly terrible person.   Meet Mary Sachs, a single, immigrant woman who bought herself flowers and then built a department store empire that survived two world wars, and Coco Chanel (yes, that one), who is about two thousand percent more problematic...

S02E22: Historical ways to confirm death and the art and science of modern embalming practices.   It was really hard for people throughout history to tell exactly how dead the bodies of other people were, so some questionable decisions were made in the pursuit of confirmation. (Including one involving invisible ink and a very dramatic reveal!) But, now that we’re a bit better at making sure we’re...

A Halloween bonus episode featuring Natali and the girls. ("The girls" being Natali's delightful and witchy teen daughters, who came to Haley's rescue!)   Once upon a Halloween week weary, a book deadline and a black cat shook things up dearly. So a witch grabbed her kids, all two, and lo chaos did ensue. Consider it a trick though meant as a treat, this episode comes with love and a bit un-neat. ...

S02E21: Kate Warne, the heroic first woman Pinkerton detective, and Pearl Tytell, handwriting detective and trailblazing forensic document examiner.   When you need a tricky job done, you have to hire the best! As the first lady detective, Kate Warne’s work with the Pinkertons opened new investigative doors for the agency, helped foil a presidential assasination plot, and paved the way for the cre...

S02E20: Slender Man and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.   Whether written at the dawn of a nation or crowd-sourced on the internet, all urban legends hold within them at least a tiny kernel of truth. Here’s what happens when those distorted stories stop being fiction and become real living nightmares.   (Heads up: The first story involves violence against children. Listen at your own discretion.) Sho...

S02E19: Mrs. Margaret Smith-Wilkinson, nicknamed the Countess of Monte Cristo, and Lady Jane Lewson, the possible real life inspiration for Miss Havisham.   Come meet a hotel mogul turned high society con artist (who probably wasn’t a black widow), and the enigmatic walking fire hazard that might have inspired Dickens’ fictional jilted bride; two women whose actual lives are truly the stuff of fic...

S02E18: Woven spells, sewing magic, and the history of spinsters. Is there someone in your life who knits with glass needles, spins their own yarn, sews their own patterns, or dyes their own thread? Yes? Well, we strongly discourage getting on their bad side. You know, just in case they decide to throw that project into the fire. Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/09/03/season-2-epi...

S02E17: Personal Ghost Stories and Haley’s Haunted Mom.   I mean, who doesn’t want to hear stories about a spooky local legend, a whispering apparition, a 1970s UFO, and Haley’s mom talking about the little girl ghost in her hall who looks just a bit too familiar? Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/08/20/season-2-episode-17

S02E16: Sewing spacesuits and the science lab at the Eiffel Tower. Did you know that the Eiffel Tower doubles as art and science? It’s true! Also true: sewing a space suit is hard, and then your work gets shredded. Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/08/06/season-2-episode-16

S02E15: Catacomb saints and the Sedlec Ossuary. Here for all of your bejeweled skeleton and fancy skull garland needs! Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/07/23/season-2-episode-15

S02E14: The doctor-prescribed history of condoms and vibrators. From “American tips” to hysteria treatments (and, somehow, maybe also bees), the history of getting off is exactly as awkward as you think it is.  Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/07/09/season-2-episode-14

S02E13: The history of Summer Solstice celebrations, rituals, and crafts. You like fire, right? Because, honestly, you’re going to need to like fire for this one. Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/06/25/season-2-episode-13

S02E12: Historical queer love letters and lavender languages past and present.   It’s Pride month! Come along with your queer cohosts and meet Rose Cleveland, a gay First Lady, and Evangeline, the love of her life. Then take a moment to soak in the many languages that helped--and still help--queer people connect with and protect each other. Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/06/11/s...

S02E11: Dr. Cyr, the father of  School Bus Yellow, and the concerningly yellow canary girls of WWI. Step right up and learn why school buses are bright yellow, and one of the many reasons that babies probably shouldn’t be. Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/05/28/season-2-episode -11 

S02E10: Dentures and false teeth throughout history and street dentist Painless Parker. Chipped porcelain, cocaine, and an actual dental circus with a side of rehab? Obviously, we’re in. Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/05/14/season-2-episode-10

S02E09: Recycled silk parachutes and garments made from escape and evade maps. Honestly, what’s hotter than lingerie made from the very map that helped your hot RAF pilot boyfriend escape the Nazis? Nothing! The romance novel practically writes itself.   Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/04/30/season-2-episode-09

S02E08: Interesting epitaphs and headstone symbology. Thanks to chisels, stone, and, for some reason, zebras, the dead don’t need to be ghosts to communicate with the living!   (If you can explain the zebras, please get in touch. We’re so confused.) Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/04/16/season-2-episode -08 

S02E07: Green burials, body farms, and the inner workings of tombs, vaults, and mausoleums: We jump into the world of burial and interment, and somehow come out on Team Mausoleum. (We’ll also take Team Grad Student Road Trip, pending availability.) Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/04/02/season-2-episode-07

S02E06: The Night Witches (the Nazi-bombing war heroes), and Lilith, the original Night Witch (possibly a demon, a goddess, or Adam’s first wife): These badass babes have at least one thing in common: if they’re around, you definitely won’t be getting any sleep. Show notes:  https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/03/19/season-2-episode-06/