Sewing and Sampler Event

On Saturday, May 08, 2010, the Historic Indian Agency House kicks off its season in high style. The site is pleased to announce that it will host a lecture by nationally-renowned sampler expert and patternmaker Eileen Bennett.  Bennett is the author of seven books, including 2001’s “The Evolution of Samplers: Embroidery and Sampler Time Line.”

 

Bennett, of Jenison, Michigan, will speak on the social significance of samplers over the centuries, as well as her pet project, the Michigan Sampler Survey. With this survey, Bennett hopes to record information related to all historic samplers in the state of Michigan, including their current location and provenance. The results of this project will be invaluable to both serious researchers and casual enthusiasts for generations to come—and Bennett hopes a similar survey might take root in Wisconsin.

 

In addition to Bennett’s lecture, the Agency House will unveil its 2010 temporary exhibit, “A Stitch in Time: Women’s Fine and Fancy Work of the 19^th and 20^th Centuries.” The exhibit will feature a variety of hand-worked artifacts and textiles on loan from the permanent collection of the Sauk County Historical Society of Baraboo, Wisconsin, and will run from May 08 to November 01, 2010.

 

Furthermore, in celebration of its 2010 focus on the sewing arts, the Historic Indian Agency House will introduce its latest gift shop addition: a sewing kit based on the circa-1828 Priscilla Griffiths sampler that hangs in the Kinzie bedroom of the historic house. This kit, painstakingly reproduced by Ms. Bennett and including all materials, makes it possible to recreate this historic and beautiful sampler for your own home.

 

The doors of the site will open at 12PM, with plenty of time to take in the exhibit and even a guided tour of the historic Agency House before the 2PM featured speaker takes the stage. Light seasonal refreshments will be available to all guests. This event is free to the public (although the guided tour fee still applies) and made possible by a generous grant from the Great Circle Foundation, Inc. of East Northport, New York.

 

The Historic Indian Agency House has a variety of events for all ages planned for the 2010 season. Call Executive Director Destinee Udelhoven at 608-742-6362, or refer to the Portage Area Chamber of Commerce website for further information.