Traditional Pennsylvania German fabrics

A free Commonwealth Speaker program, "The Fabric of Daily Life: Pennsylvania German Textile Traditions," will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sat., June 7, at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum, 598 Green Street. The program, provided by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, is presented by the Herr Memorial Library in conjunction with Mifflinburg's Buggy Days celebration.

From young girls making their first stitches on samplers to professional male weavers using looms, the traditions of making and using textiles provide a window into the everyday life of Pennsylvania Germans in the 18th and early 19th centuries. "The Fabric of Daily Life: Pennsylvania German Textile Traditions," will begin with a brief discussion of the Germanic background. Then, Commonwealth Speaker Candace Perry will focus on specific aspects of Pennsylvania German textiles, using images and actual objects to illustrate.

Themes include the role of the professional weaver in southeastern Pennsylvania, filling the dower chest, and women’s roles. This survey of 18th- and 19th-century textiles will extend from the most eminently practical household linens to sublime needlework.

To register for the free program, call the Herr Memorial Library at (570) 966-0831.

This presentation is a program of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, supported in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The PHC inspires people to come together and share a life of learning. Since 1973 the PHC has provided resources that empower local groups to help their communities explore history, literature, the arts, and the ideas that shape the human experience.

The library also will present "Stitches in Time," a silent quilt auction on Sat., June 7, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the gymnasium of the Mifflinburg United Methodist Church, 279 Market Street.