A Stitch In Time new temporary exhibition - Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life

By: Tiverton Museum
Added: 21 February 2017

Tiverton Museum has just opened a new temporary exhibition ‘A Stitch in Time’ which features hand sewn items from the museum stores.

The items include quilts and samplers, and two unusual embroidered pictures on paper dating from the 1830s. There is even an embroidered Christmas card from a servant to her mistress. One of the quilts is believed to have been made by Sarah Stone who lived in Cullompton. The quilt is thought to be made between 1880 and 1910.

The seven samplers on display were made between 1768 and 1903. The earliest one depicts two figures, presumably Adam and Eve, by a tree. Samplers have a long history. By the time ours were made, samplers were usually designed for display (rather than being made as an aide memoir for recording various techniques which was rolled up and stored for future reference). In the 1700s and 1800s, samplers were often used as an educational tool for girls of all social backgrounds. For a girl in a charity school, her sampler would be used to demonstrate her sewing and mending skills to potential employers. The work of more affluent young girls may be displayed in her home to prove her domesticity and talent in needlework.

Pippa Griffith, Museum Director, says ‘We really enjoyed putting this exhibition together and seeing items that are usually packed away in the museum store. These items have to be stored away from light most of the time to prevent them fading, so this is a rare opportunity to see them.’

The exhibition runs until 11^th November 2017. Entry for the exhibition only is £1 for adults, or free with a full museum admission ticket.