The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com.  In this recording, Andrea Rosales interviews her grandmother, Eugenia Abenante, about life in Umbriatico, Italy; immigrating to the United States; and traditional textiles such as hand spinning and weaving. Abenante begins by describing her hometown and her daily childhood chores of washing clothes, collecting firewood, and making bread. She also shares that she learned how to hand spin using wool combs and hand cards as a child; hand spinning terms in her native dialect; and her crafting of clothing such as woolen shawls worn by Italian sheep farmers. At 7:14, she explains how to make black dye out of walnut and pomegranate skins and recalls that her town had two stores: a grocery and a licensed salt and tobacco store. She then describes how to make yarn by boiling, drying, combing, and winding the strands. At 11:10, Abenante recalls immigrating to the United States with few possessions. Shortly after arriving approximately 58 years prior, she stopped hand spinning. She explains that her family arrived in New York in 1916, then moved to West Virginia before settling in Chicago, Illinois, in 1924. Then, at 13:39, Abenante demonstrates how to hand spin. At 17:35, Abenante describes planting flaxseeds in November, then harvesting them with a sickle in Spring once they turned gold. She made linen thread from the harvested flax stems by boiling, soaking, and beating them with a wooden mallet. She then explains how to whiten linen sheets by soaking them in a creek and drying them repeatedly over a few days. Next, at 21:32, Abenante remembers frequently arriving late to school because first she needed to fetch water for her mother. At 23:52, she recalls a merchant who exchanged thimbles and safety pins for loose hair for wigs. She also shares her difficulty adjusting to the faster pace of life in the United States compared to her hometown. Then, at 27:06, Abenante describes how to weave linen sheets on a loom. She closes the interview by explaining that designers could embroider more complicated patterns than they could weave, and that she sent her traditional textiles back to family in Italy.  Eugenia Jennie Abenante (1893-1974) was born in Umbriatico, Calabria, Italy to Carmino D'Ambrosio (?-1957). She married Frank Abenante (1889-1948) in 1916, with whom she had four children: Charles J. (1919-2013), Jennie Alice Abbatiello (1924-2023), Angelina Theresa Rosales (1927-2021), and Anthony J. (1917-1966). The same year she got married, her family immigrated to New York, then moved to West Virginia before settling in Chicago, Illinois. In 1943, she became a naturalized U.S. citizen. She worked as a textile spinner from an early age and later became a sewing machine operator in a dress factory in Chicago.  :Andrea: [Laughter] Till you finished the spinning. Grandma: To finish whatever, ah, we gotta do. (16 ) A. And then you would start making something. Ah. G. Opps. [thread breaks] Yeah. A. OK, it's been about 58 years since you've done this! G. OK. 58, yeah 58 years. And then ... A. OK when I asked you to start doing it you ... did1 you remembe1nhight away how to do it! G. Oh Yeah, I never forget, when I do someting I never forget. A. Have you enjoyed doing it again? G. Yeah. A. For fun ... G. Yeah. A. You wouldn't do it.,. G. What? A. Li}<.p_ if I 'heave some of this, the yarn ... G. Oh, I do. A. You wanna, you'd like to do it again. G. Yeah, I'd like to do, yeah. Yeah I enjoy myself. A. Do you like this yarn better? G. Yeah, this isa nice, yeah. It'sa nice, nica clean, you know, just pull ... A. You like it better than the stuff you can buy in the store.  A PDF transcript exists for this recording. Please contact an archivist for access.  Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions.  As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information, which places us in a position to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials accurately. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. We often re-use language used by the former owners and creators, which provides context but also includes bias and prejudices of the time it was created. Additionally, our work to use reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete is ongoing. Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or description please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.