A recent visit from a researcher prompted a trip to retrieve some of the Warren book collection at CHS. She was looking for definitions relating to wool processes, and immediately I thought of the “Warren books” as a point of reference. Continue reading
Last week I had the kind of day that I simply adore! They come around rarely, but when they do, I enjoy them so immensely. It was last Thursday and Lynne Bassett came to research in our collection for a very special presentation / program she is involved with here at CHS. And that meant we spent an entire day pulling out quilts, costumes, fabric fragments, incomplete quilt blocks, textile sample books, and everything else we could think of that might help in her program…
Wholecloth Quilt. 1750-1775. Gift of Mrs. Sophia Burdick. 1963.11.17.
On textiles that is. Yesterday CHS hosted a teacher development workshop for art teachers. For my part, I brought out some examples of printed textiles from the 18th and 19th centuries and we discussed the processes involved in printing textiles with brilliant colors and patterns. Well, since I already spent time brushing up on the processes of old, I thought I would share that knowledge with all of you as well…
Pocket. 1800-1810. Gift of Mrs. John A. Davison. 1999.41.1.
It all started when one of our many amazing CHS volunteers (Samantha Ozzone) offered a great idea for a new store product: cell phone covers featuring fabrics from the Textile Collection. Initially we planned individually packaged hard covers, each featuring a piece from the CHS needlework or fabric collection. Some of you might have purchased the first in the series that shows a detail of a pocketbook (1771) originally owned by Ebenezer Punderson and attributed to Prudence Geer. Continue reading
For over 230 years, Americans have been celebrating the birth of America. Although our celebrations of America generally culminate on the fourth of July, have you ever stopped to think of the ways we might celebrate America every day of the year? Let me give you a few historical examples of how people in the past did just that…
Sampler. 1821. Gift of Jane Tuttle. 1923.9.0
inside the CHS 