Open House and Textiles

Take a guided tour of the Historic Winslow House and then try your hand at simple sewing. Beginners are welcomed and encouraged!  We will supply the materials and you can learn the cross stitch and the running stitch.  In days gone by, this craft was performed exclusively by women but not anymore!  All genders are welcomed.

For the more advanced - bring your own project and stitch alongside us or simply show off the handiwork in your collection! 

 Learn about the history of the sampler and examine the collection of Winslow House samplers as well as a sampler created in the Spanish language.

Privileged young women in the 18th and 19th-centuries would attend boarding school where they would learn not only academics but other skills that were important for girls of this time period:  dancing, music and sewing.  These young women would then create a sampler which would be displayed in the parlor of her parents' home.  The sampler was intended to show guests how accomplished their daughter was and that she would make a good wife.