We visit “Printed Fashions: Textiles for Clothing and the Home”
By Kaitlyn Munro
Lauren and I recently returned from a fabulous trip to Colonial Williamsburg (Virginia) to attend the symposium, Printed Fashions: Textiles for Clothing and the Home. We were honored to present a paper “Burn Out”, about a range of conservation techniques for stabilizing damaged 18th century printed textiles. There were many wonderful papers and so much important research presented on the history of these vibrant textiles. In conjunction with the symposium, a new exhibit celebrates Colonial Williamsburg’s impressive printed textile collection, including some never before displayed pieces.
So many garments to study and admire!
-
- A beautiful quilt with a John Hewson printed centerpiece
-
- A sweet little doll wearing her printed wrapping gown
-
- Many printed scraps of fabric compose this pocket
-
- I was especially excited to see this amazing jacket in person, because it is so famous amongst reenactors and historical costumers!
You, dear reader, have plenty of time to check out the exhibit yourself since it will be up for two years!
We also had the chance to explore Duke of Gloucester Street where we popped in the weaver shop.
-
- Warps are ready to go!
-
- Vials of natural dyes
Beautifully dyed skeins of yarn hung above the fireplace.
Finally, you can’t visit Colonial Williamsburg without taking silly pictures in the stocks!
If you would like to learn more about weavers in colonial America, visit this site.
Read more about “Printed Fashions: Textiles for Clothing and the Home.”
