Mittens of Memory: Beauty and Resilience in Wartime America

Often in the pages of PieceWork, we reflect on how needlework carries stories of life journeys and the resilience sometimes required. An example of that resilience came vividly to life when Susan Strawn, captivated by a pair of hand-embroidered mittens on display at the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience in Seattle, set out to learn their story. She uncovered a remarkable history of their maker, her family, and their quiet bravery in the face of adversity.

Susan’s article, "Gaman Embroidered Mittens from the Minidoka Relocation Center" tells the story of Seiichi and Shizuko Hara, first-generation Japanese nationals (Issei), and their four children, second generation American-born citizens (Nisei,) whose lives were irrevocably altered after December 7, 1941, when the bombing of Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World War II.—Karen Elting Brock

"Embroidered Mittens from the Minidoka Relocation Center"—an excerpt

In August 1942, the Hara family was transported to the Minidoka Relocation Center on a vast and arid volcanic plain near Hunt, Idaho. They brought only what they could carry. The Minidoka Relocation Center housed 9,700 Issei and Nisei in a complex of forty-four blocks consisting of hastily constructed barracks furnished only with cots and surrounded by barbed wire, armed guards, and searchlights. The internees were concerned about demoralization; they fostered the development of such “normal” activities as gardens, schools, libraries, sports, and handcrafts.

Children at a hand drawing class at the Minidoka Relacation Center, 1942. Photo courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration

Three exhibitions of art and handcrafts within Minidoka were followed by an exhibition in 1943 of 304 handcrafted pieces at the Twin Falls Public Library in Idaho. In addition to furnishings and décor fashioned from scrap, discards, and found materials such as local bitterbrush, the exhibition showcased “all types of crocheting, knitting and embroidery as well as crepe paper flowers.” Internees could purchase supplies through mail order, when their income allowed. Other textiles may have included tailored clothing, quilts, and woven baskets, all taught in classes.

Embroidery in particular claims a deep history and cultural influence on aesthetic and social expression within Japanese traditions. Centuries old decorative stitches imitate painting, especially in silk, and depict stylized yet realistic floral subjects. Internees at different relocation centers followed individual interests in crafts. Amy’s mother embroidered the mittens from Minidoka using traditional floral designs, perhaps even the pink cherry blossoms reminiscent of her childhood home in Japan. However, she worked with stitches and materials distinctly characteristic of mid-twentieth-century American embroidery applied to clothing and household linens. Pastel cotton floss delineates leaves, stems, and blossoms embroidered onto the mittens, although right and left mittens feature different patterns. Still, the floral patterns embroidered with lazy daisy, outline, running, and herringbone stitches create a harmonious pair of mittens. There is no evidence of a transferred embroidery pattern. Perhaps Amy’s mother embroidered the mittens freehand.

Detail of the floral patterns on Susan's Strawns handknitted and embroidered mittens. Photo by George Boe

Embroidering plain mittens with pretty floral designs, making dolls from scraps, crafting beautiful objects from discarded wood—all served practical and emotional needs among internees. Handcrafts pay fitting tribute to the art of gaman, a concept that refers to enduring the unbearable with dignity and patience. Gaman also meant staying silent about loss, until the 1970s when the Civil Rights Movement inspired Nisei to demand redress for their unlawful incarceration during World War II.

You can read Susan’s full, in-depth article about the Hara family’s experience, see family photos, and the original mittens all in the September/October 2017 issue of *PieceWork*.

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Subscribers can visit the PieceWork pattern library to download Susan's inspiration Gaman Mittens to Knit and Embroider. Through her research—and by re-creating the mittens’ pattern—Susan reflects on the enduring human impulse to make beauty in the face of hardship: “Knitting and embroidering these mittens turned my thoughts to the deeply human need to make art and live with beautiful creations, despite the tragedies of life.”

Originally published September 2018; updated January 2026