Textile Weekend 2020

Have you ever wondered what was involved in making and maintaining all the clothing for a family in the 1830s?  If you have, please join us at Old Sturbridge Village on August 15 & 16, 2020 for our annual Textile Weekend, Clothing a Family.   Visit the Asa Knight store to discover what kind of fabrics, trims, and sewing supplies were available at a country store. See how many pieces of clothing for family members were sewn at home.  Learn about the tailors, dressmakers, and bonnet makers whose expertise helped to make specialized pieces of clothing. Find out how much work it took to properly mend and launder the clothing for a family each week.  Explore how wool was processed, dyed, and knitted into warm winter clothing.  Learn about the extensive home-based industries that produced shoes and straw hats & bonnets for New England and beyond. See original advice books of the 1830s, from the Old Sturbridge Village Collection, which instruct about clothing construction, knitting, netting, and crochet.

All visitors and members will be required to purchase and/or reserve their tickets online to manage capacity in accordance with Massachusetts reopening guidelines. Available tickets will be released weekly on each Wednesday prior and arrival time blocks must be chosen. Purchase or reserve your tickets and see our current policies here.

Please also note:

• Buildings are currently closed, but as the season progresses, we will open buildings in phases with occupancy limits. In the meantime, guests can watch a variety of demonstrations and talk with costumed historians outside!
• In accordance with MA state guidelines, all guests are asked to wear a face mask when interacting with our staff or other visitors and when physical distancing is not possible.