This event celebrates the intricate artwork of early 19th-century New England needlework.

Join an OSV historian for a gallery tour of The Labour of My Youthful Hands, a new exhibit featuring OSV's collection of young ladies' needlework and ornamental arts.  Learn more.


See demonstrations of popular 19th-century needlework techniques such as whitework embroidery, stitching a sampler and creating a yarn-sewn hearth rug.

Help a costumed historian to begin a stuffed-work bureau cover or make your own thread winder.

In the Hands-On Crafts Center, offerings include making a penny rug ornament or a yarn-sewn mat ($).

We will be joined on Saturday (8/14) by Rabbit Goody, a nationally recognized textile historian who has worked with a number of historic houses, museums, and movies. She owns Thistle Hill Weavers, a custom mill producing reproduction fabrics in Cherry Valley, NY.  Rabbit will offer two special presentations:

• To Be Trod Upon - The use and forms of 18th- and 19th-century floor coverings
• Finishing Fabrics - Historic fabric finishing techniques such as moirés, glazing, and embossing

On Sunday, Rabbit will offer a Textile "Road Show." Bring in your own antique textile for identification and a verbal appraisal. There will be a small fee per item for this appraisal.

See a detailed listing of events on  Saturday and Sunday.

This special event is sponsored by