In the Venn diagram of crafting, true crime, and morbid curiosity, you’ll find Bones & Bobbins digging through dusty old boxes in a curiosity shop parked right at the center.
Haley Pierson-Cox and Natali Heuss
The Bones and Bobbins Podcast is a delightful podcast hosted by crafty witches who delve into historical topics. It is a perfect podcast for anyone interested in learning about important, groundbreaking, or fascinating people, places, things, and events throughout history. The range of topics covered is diverse, ensuring that there is always something intriguing to discover. Listening to this podcast feels like sitting in a circle with these ladies while working on a craft project, creating a comforting and enjoyable experience. Additionally, the podcast manages to be both informative and entertaining, keeping listeners engaged while expanding their knowledge.
One of the best aspects of The Bones and Bobbins Podcast is the level of research put into each episode. Every story shared is well-researched, providing listeners with accurate and detailed information. This dedication to research ensures that the content presented is reliable and trustworthy. Moreover, it adds depth to the storytelling, making each episode engaging and captivating.
Another highlight of this podcast is the combination of creepy and crafty elements. The hosts skillfully integrate morbid topics into their discussions about crafting, resulting in an unexpected but incredibly interesting combination. It's refreshing to see how they explore these seemingly unrelated subjects and find connections between them.
However, as with any podcast, The Bones and Bobbins might have some areas that could be improved upon. One potential downside is that some episodes may not appeal to everyone due to their morbid nature. While this aspect can be intriguing for those interested in such topics or those looking for something different from their usual podcast choices, it may not be everyone's cup of tea.
In conclusion, The Bones and Bobbins Podcast offers a unique blend of historical knowledge and crafting discussions that make it a standout show worth listening to. With thorough research backing up each episode and an engaging presentation style from the hosts, there is much enjoyment to be found in exploring the stories they share. Whether you are already a fan of creepy subjects or simply looking to expand your horizons, this podcast is definitely worth checking out.
S05E01: The Oneida Cult. Ever wonder if your silverware was once in a questionable cult? No? Just us? The Oneida Cult had some truly ahead-of-its-time views on sex and sexuality. And, if their community hadn't also included a dark shadow of appalling abuse towards its teenage members, this could have been a very different podcast episode. (Alas, no.) But, it may surprise you to know that, even today, this strange cult's legacy continues to live on in a very unexpected place: our cutlery drawers. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2024/01/22/season-5-episode-01
S04E08: The secret drawers, hidden compartments, and locked cabinets nestled into pieces of antique furniture. Because, who doesn't want an excuse to look for indoor treasures on a crisp, cloudy fall day? Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2023/10/13/season-4-episode-08
S04E07: American islands that never lost their British accents (from the 16 and 1700s) and the unnatural origins of the Transatlantic Accent. Learn some new (old) phrases from Hoi Toiders, Outer Banks Brogue speakers, and the folks who live on Tangier Island, Smith Island, and other isolated seafaring outposts in the Chesapeake Bay who never quite lost their British accents. Then, brace yourself, because the engineered linguistic weirdness that is the Transatlantic Accent is coming for you from a past that never was! Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2023/07/28/season-4-episode-07
S04E06: The USS Recruit (1917), the dreadnought in Union Square, and the Unsinkable Molly Brown Like real historical stories that are way, way better than their legendary counterparts? Join us on a trip back through time and experience the United States' plan to increase wartime recruitment by commissioning a fully crewed warship that was stationed in the middle of Union Square in Manhattan, then meet the absolute powerhouse that was Titanic survivor, philanthropist, socialite, and political move-maker Margaret Brown, aka the Unsinkable Molly Brown. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2023/06/14/season-4-episode-06
S04E05: Metal detecting, geocaching, and digging up stuff in your own backyard! It's digging in the dirt and tromping through the woods season! Come along with us while Haley contemplates metal detecting, breaking the law, and digging up her basement, and Natali goes on a fantastic geocaching and letterboxing adventure (and also partakes in some light botanical thievery). Note: We had a slight Mercury-in-retrograde-related sound kerfuffle. Some of Haley's audio might sound a bit echoey. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2023/05/15/season-4-episode-05
S04E04: Poisonous Plants and Drury Lane Gardens. Take a stroll around a garden so dangerous that just walking through it can cause you to faint, then scamper off to the world of London's pocket parks for a wholesome reinvention of a place with a deadly past. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2023/04/13/season-4-episode-04
S04E03: The lore of black cats, crows, and ravens. Us, to literally every black cat or corvid we see: Who're our good little witches' familiars? Sweet baby omens of doom? The bestest spooky speakers of truth ever? Corvids and black cats: Us: YES YOU ARE!! Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2023/03/18/season-4-episode-03
S04E02: Beauty entrepreneur and philanthropist Madam C. J. Walker and Boston bicycling trailblazer Kittie Knox. Fan of a multi-step beauty routine? (Same.) So, as it happens, was Madam C. J. Walker, who built a national beauty empire while providing a path for other Black women to build businesses of their own. Meanwhile, over in Boston, Kittie Knox was riding and racing her bicycle, charming reporters, and challenging the idea that the sport was solely the domain of white men. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2023/02/12/season-4-episode-02
S04E01: Weird pope facts and the bizarro world that is Vatican City/the Vatican/the Holy See. First: If you're unfamiliar with the Prince song “Pope,” we highly recommend going down that weird rabbit hole. It's where we got the title for this episode. We'll wait… Okay! Now that you have that cheery bit of mood music under your belt, let us take you on a somewhat questionable trip through the land of papal frippery, where we'll discover the truth about the pope hammer, stop for a look at the holy tiara, marvel at the the Swiss Guard's jaunty outfits, and then meet a robot pharmacist that honestly sounds pretty great. We'll also talk about the antipopes. Because antipopes are, apparently, a thing. Fair warning: If you don't want to hear us yelling about religion, this probably isn't the episode for you. For obvious reasons. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2023/01/19/season-4-episode-01
S03E17: It's National Native American Heritage Month, so we're talking about stone cold badass Madame Marie Dorion, and the many ways in which Native and Indigenous Americans have contributed to medicine and public health, from baby bottles, to pain killers, to early syringes! Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/11/30/season-3-episode-17
S03E16: Victorian dress reform, the Rational Dress Society, and the history of bicycles. For Victorian women, bicycles usher in both a newfound freedom and a new wave in practical, flexible fashion: Pants! Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/10/23/season-3-episode-16
S03E15: Madame Tussaud and her famed museum of lifelike wax figures, and Grand Guignol, a pioneering theater at the forefront of shockingly realistic body horror. Marie Tussaud's exceptional talent brought a spark of (kind of creepy) life to the art and craft of creating wax portraiture, inviting the public to mingle with likenesses of the famous. The masterful craftspeople at Grand Guignol, by contrast, brought a truly dramatic spark of death–and an in-house doctor–to audiences looking for a different kind of thrill. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/10/11/season-3-episode-15
S03E14: Celebration, Florida and Arcosanti, Arizona: Two very different approaches to building a (mostly failed) utopia. Learning how to almost successfully thrive in the desert, and why we wouldn't want Disney in charge of our HOAs. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/09/26/season-3-episode-14
S03E12: The spy gadgets of WWII and a married couple–Jonna and Antonio Mendez–who were very real masters of disguise. Spy craft meets spy crafts with lipstick compasses, pencil daggers, and a truly ingenious use of foot powder. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/08/27/season-3-episode-12
S03E11: The history of women in pants and boobs in fashion. Ah, yes. The perennial drama of possessing cleavage and/or legs. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/08/12/season-3-episode-11
S03E10: The Brattleboro Retreat Tower, a Victorian structure tucked away amongst the trees and boulders on a hiking trail in Vermont. Haley goes solo this week with a tour of one of her new hometown's most notorious haunts, the Brattleboro Retreat tower. Note: The Brattleboro Retreat was formerly known as the Vermont Asylum for the Insane, and some historical references use that name. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/07/31/season-3-episode-10
S03E09: Perfume making techniques, enfleurage, and musk. It's all flowers and frippery...until it's not. Show notes available Friday: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com
S03E08: Boobs and bling: the history of sports bras and custom grills. Two jock straps walk into a marathon with some pretty mind-blowing mouth jewelry. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/05/21/season-3-episode-08
S03E07: Abandoned structures and Architectural Salvage. We don't want to tell you how to live your lives, but maybe avoid that underground toilet bunker, okay? Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/04/25/season-3-episode-07
S03E06: The stories behind the names for full moons and how the moon does (or doesn't) impact the human body. Did you know that a blue moon is actually a thing, and that blood moons really do exist? Connect with your inner (North American) moon witch and prepare to be both baffled and delighted by the names we've decided to call each month's full moon. Then, switch to your front-facing camera and examine the science and the spooky behind the effects that the moon might have on your–and everyone else's–body. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/04/08/season-3-episode-06
S03E05: Abandoned Waterparks and Neverland Ranch. The heyday of bad-idea waterparks, when the kids were probably drunk and their 1980s parents decided to just roll the dice on safety, and the dark and over-the-top remnants of Neverland Ranch. (Content warning: We primarily focus on the actual structures and items inside, but do acknowledge the abuse. If that's something you'd prefer to avoid, skip ahead to Haley's story.) Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/03/26/season-3-episode-05
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 old as the country itself. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/03/04/season-3-episode-04
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 and figurative sense), two states, two mistresses, and probably two murders. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/02/07/season-3-episode-02
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 boa constrictor or a garter snake; unclear), or believe, with absolute certainty, that something inside you–or maybe even your whole body–is made of glass, and that it could shatter at any moment. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2022/01/24/season-3-episode-01
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.com/2021/12/24/season-2-episode-24
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 and disappointing than we had imagined. Like, seriously, yikes. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/12/10/season-2-episode-23
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 not burying folks alive, that scientific enthusiasm and creative ingenuity is being applied to methods to make bodies look LESS dead. So we've come full circle, it would seem. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/11/12/season-2-episode-22
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. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/10/29/halloween-bonus-season-2-episode-21-5
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 creation of the CIA. (We're also told that she did a fabulous southern belle cosplay.) Pearl Tytell's groundbreaking document investigation techniques exposed fraud in the highest levels of the government and the lowest reaches of backroom business deals and career-ending gossip mills. (She once even uncovered a fake claim to Russian royalty!) At times, her analysis carried more weight in the courts than the opinion of the FBI. From typewriter quirks to ink colors and paper stock, when Pearl was the expert witness, everybody listened! Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/10/15/season-2-episode-21
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.) Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/10/01/season-2-episode-20
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 fiction. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/09/17/season-2-episode-19
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-episode-18
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/season-2-episode-12
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/
S02E05: The Ring of Senicianus (The Real ‘One Ring to Rule Them All' that inspired Tolkein?) and the Prague Orloj: Meet a cursed Roman artifact that just might lead to Hobbits and an astronomical clock with a rumored penchant for murder. (This is why we can't have nice historic things.) Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/03/05/season-2-episode-05/
S02E04: Mourning attire and practices and black widow murderers: You know, when you think about it, it's actually kind of unclear which one of these categories is more deadly. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/02/19/season-2-episode-04/
S02E03: Post-mortem photography and mourning jewelry: It's not all sunshine and hair locks, my friends. Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/02/05/season-2-episode-03/
S02E02: Anatomical Venuses, waxwork models, Gunther von Hagens' innovations in full body plastination, and the marriage of art and science: Let's take a moment, shall we, to drop in on a dissectable, completely inexplicably orgasmic wax woman or two? Or maybe you'd prefer a mid-kick soccer player who's just casually stepped out of his skin? Good news! You can totally see both, because, turns out, science and art play together quite nicely! Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/01/22/season-2-episode-02/
S02E01: Magic candles, dueling flower encyclopedias, and the creepiest gifts of all time: No human skin lampshades or tooth-bejeweled underthings were waiting under the tree for these podcast hosts! We both received delightfully witchy, but still relatively normal gifts this holiday season. (But, there's always next year!) Show notes: https://www.bonesandbobbins.com/2021/01/08/season-2-episode-01/
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