ous ▁pe op les ▁of ▁the ▁American ▁Pla ins ▁and ▁Canadian ▁Pra i ries ▁used ▁s oph istic ated ▁se wing ▁methods ▁to ▁assemble ▁tip i ▁sh el ters . ▁S ew ing ▁was ▁combined ▁with ▁the ▁we aving ▁of ▁plant ▁leaves ▁in ▁Africa ▁to ▁create ▁b ask ets , ▁such ▁as ▁those ▁made ▁by ▁Z ulu ▁we a vers , ▁who ▁used ▁thin ▁stri ps ▁of ▁pal m ▁leaf ▁as ▁" thread " ▁to ▁st itch ▁wider ▁stri ps ▁of ▁pal m ▁leaf ▁that ▁had ▁been ▁w oven ▁into ▁a ▁co il . ▁The ▁we aving ▁of ▁cloth ▁from ▁natural ▁fib res ▁origin ated ▁in ▁the ▁Middle ▁East ▁around ▁ 4 0 0 0 ▁BC , ▁and ▁perhaps ▁earlier ▁during ▁the ▁Ne ol ith ic ▁Age , ▁and ▁the ▁se wing ▁of ▁cloth ▁accompanied ▁this ▁development . ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges , ▁Europe ans ▁who ▁could ▁afford ▁it ▁employed ▁se am str esses ▁and ▁tail ors . ▁The ▁vital ▁importance ▁of ▁se wing ▁was ▁indicated ▁by ▁the ▁honor ific ▁position ▁of ▁" L ord ▁Se wer " ▁at ▁many ▁European ▁coron ations ▁from ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges . ▁An ▁example ▁was ▁Robert ▁Rad cl iffe , ▁ 1 st ▁Earl ▁of ▁Sus sex ▁who ▁was ▁appointed ▁Lord ▁Se wer ▁at ▁the ▁coron ation ▁of ▁Henry ▁VIII ▁of ▁England ▁in ▁ 1 5 0 9 . ▁S ew ing ▁for ▁the ▁most ▁part ▁was ▁a ▁woman ' s ▁occupation , ▁and ▁most ▁se wing ▁before ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century