In this first video from The Quilt District, Sewn In America exhibit curator Alden O'Brien takes us through her latest exhibition at the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Washington DC. This is the first of a two-part video tour of the exhibition, filmed April 25 and April 26, 2024. Stay tuned for Part 2.
From the Daughters of the American Revolution National Headquarters: "This groundbreaking exhibit combines sewn items from all textile sections of the DAR Museum’s collection, including garments, quilts, and embroideries. Textiles from the 18th century to today are juxtaposed to show how women of diverse backgrounds have used their needles to express emotions and identity and as a force for benevolence and justice. Trust us, you won’t want to miss it!"
Take a sneak peek at the DAR Museum's upcoming exhibit, Sewn in America: Making - Meaning - Memory, which "will examine dressmaking innovations from 1770 to the 1920s."
From the DAR Museum: "Our costume curator and some of her colleagues are going to try some 19th century dressmaking methods in preparation for next year’s exhibition, “Sewn in America: Making, Meaning, Memory,” which will look (among other things) at the evolution of home dressmaking."
The curator of costumes at the DAR Museum, and her summer intern Bella, have been dressing mannequins in storage to prepare for a photo shoot for an upcoming exhibition and catalog. In this post, they share some of the tips for getting the shape of the dresses just right. Between you and me, I don't know how they managed to wear this much clothing and tolerate the heat and humidity. It's an interesting look at the fashion of the past.
This wallet from the DAR museum looks brand new. The colors are amazing, as is the handwork, but embroidered on the wallet is the date 1776. Do you think your work will survive for over 200 years?
From the DAR Museum, "Quilting, and sewing and crafts more generally, are known to have therapeutic effects. Many invalids take up knitting or sewing projects not just to pass the time, but because the meditative repetitiveness is soothing. Surely too, a sense of accomplishment while physically limited, has a beneficial effect. Occupational therapists use sewing and other needlework in their toolkit." See how Nellie Everhart of Jennings, Indiana in 1879 took the repetitive quilting therapy process to new heights to create a quilt that is 60" by 79", but all of the pieces are just 2/3 of an inch square!
Join the DAR Museum, February 14, 2023 at 12pm (Eastern) for their Virtual Tuesday Talk, Sheets Don't Sew Themselves: Calculating the Sewing in Pre-Industrial Women's Lives.
The great thing about history, especially quilting history, is that new information can be gleamed and learned from it all the time. Take this quilt for example held in the collection of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Museum. It is over 200 years old and was thought to be made by one quilter, but new information has brought to light the fact that it might not have been made by her, but HER HUSBAND instead. Click through to get the whole story.
This fabulous quilt made between 1870 and 1890 in Paris, MO., which can be found in the DAR Museum. Take a look at the quilt, which looks just as modern today.