Whether you love to sew or you just want a peek into the lives led by colonial women, “With Needle and Thread:Hand Sewing Before Machines” is the exhibit for you.
The Historic Odessa Foundation’s new case exhibit, which includes approximately 85 pieces that range from dresses and quilts to scissors and pin cushions, is meant to reflect the integral role hand sewing played in colonial communities.
Debbie Buckson, director of the Historic Odessa Foundation, said the art of hand sewing and needlework was a necessary part of a girl’s education and preparation for family life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
“Being a beautiful seamstress was indicative of your education,” she said. “Women were trained at a very early age, and the needlework they produced was just extraordinary.”
Buckson said most of the pieces in the exhibit belonged to women from the Corbit, Jefferis, Wilson and Janvier families of Odessa.
“The idea is to bring things to the public that aren’t normally seen on tour,” she said. “This is an opportunity to bring things out of our storage collection.”
Betty Fiske, the exhibit’s curator, said she has an immense appreciation for the textiles and accessories in the exhibit, as they represent an anomaly in our society today.
“In this day and age, not many people do things by hand,” she said. “Not many people make their own clothes, and there are fewer fabric shops around. Up until 1950, sewing was central to women’s lives. It was a skill they were expected to have, and it was something they took pride in.”
Fiske said one of the great things about this exhibit is it includes the actual tools these women used on a daily basis.
“It’s like seeing an artist’s palate or paint box,” she said. “The tools really connect you to the women.”
Buckson said visitors will be pleasantly surprised by the beauty of each piece of cloth in the exhibit, and she hopes viewers take the time to observe the intricacy that went into making them.
“The staff here has been raving about it,” she said. “It’s great fun and a
Odessa, Del. —
