Past Exhibitions
Threading the Needle: From Field to Fabric
A #HandsOnHistory Exhibition
October 6 – 31, 2018
Cass Gilbert Carriage Barn
October is #HandsOnHistory Month at Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center’s Historic Carriage Barn!
From sheep to wool. From flax to linen. From mulberry to silk.
Until the mid-19th century and the rise of the industrialized textile factory, many Americans were creating textiles at home and in their communities; from cultivating raw materials to weaving fabric. The exhibition highlights the production of the three types of textile fibers commonly produced in Ridgefield and the region—linen, wool, and silk—from the field to finished fabric to its use in clothing and decorations.
Community Weaving Project
Visitors are invited to participate in a community weaving project by adding to a weaving loom to create a unique #HandsOnHistory tapestry. All weaving materials are sourced from the Ridgefield Thrift Shop
Exhibition Hours: Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, 1 - 4 PM
Special tours upon request. Please email cprescott@keelertavernmuseum.org or call 203-438-5485 x14.
FREE Admission
Join us for Sunday Family Talks!
Featuring special guest experts and demonstrations on textile manufacture and history. No registration needed for talks.
October 7
Presentation: 1:30 PM
Informal drop-in: 2:30-4:00 PM
Cheyney McKnight of Not Your Momma's History will preesnt on headwraps found among both free and enslaved African women in America in the 18th and 19thCenturies, the different fabrics that were available to them, and how headwraps changed from region to region.
October 14, 1 - 4 PM
Kate Gluckin and Arlene Parkhurst have been explaining 18th Century textile production for nearly two decades and will demonstrate how Ridgefield farms would convert flax they grew into linen thread and cloth.
October 21, 1 - 4 PM
Weaver Kathy Wright demonstrates how spun fibers are woven into cloth and explains different shapes that could be used to create woven patterns in fabric.
» View the full exhibition schedule