On Saturday, June 10 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., the Wilton Historical Society will be presenting a Cross-Stitch workshop for children. Museum educator Lola Chen will guide participants as they make a cross-stitch book mark and discuss the importance of needlecraft in Colonial life.
Cross-stitch is one of the oldest forms of hand embroidery, dating back to the Middle Ages, and is found all over the world. Well-known from its appearance in Colonial samplers, cross-stitch is a double stitch diagonally crossing intersections of the horizontal and vertical threads of the fabrics.
Cross stitch was widely used to mark household linens in the 18th and 19th centuries, and girls’ skills in this essential task were demonstrated with elaborate samplers embroidered with cross-stitched alphabets, numbers, birds and other animals, and the crowns and coronets sewn onto the linens of the nobility. Much of contemporary cross-stitch embroidery derives from this tradition.
The workshop includes a snack of Hot Cross Buns, which the children will help prepare.
The workshop is suggested for ages 6-12. The cost for Wilton Historical Society members is $10 per child, with a maximum $25 per family; non-members are $15 per child, with a maximum of $35 per family. Register via email or by calling 203.762.7257.
The Wilton Historical Society is located at 224 Danbury Rd..