61st Annual woodlawn Needlework Show
Needlework in Everyday Life
Friday, March 1ST - Sunday, March 31st 2024
(Closed on tuesdays)
Woodlawn Needlework Show Theme: Needlework in Everyday Life
Needlework has been an integral part of the creation of everyday items, both as a form of function and of beauty, for thousands of years. Throughout history, across cultures and social status, people have stitched for need, for enjoyment, and in remembrance. Woodlawn’s 61st Annual Needlework Show explores needlework stitched in everyday life – from mending to restore, renew, and reuse, to embellishing often mundane items that otherwise go unnoticed; fine details on clothing, a napkin resting on a lap, a bookmark to remember one’s place, or a blanket for keeping warm.
This hand-sewn petticoat with fine embroidered detail is attributed to an enslaved seamstress named Sarah, from Charleston, SC. Objects like this convey the level of skill and craftsmanship that enslaved workers produced for their enslavers. c. 1840, Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The women of Woodlawn understood the need to mend, but also appreciated the value of needle arts as a way of bringing beauty into their homes and their lives. Nelly Custis Lewis, granddaughter of George and Martha Washington, cross-stitched bookmarks in remembrance of her beloved grandparents. Women enslaved at Woodlawn, like Dolcey, her daughters Nelly and Sukey, and her niece Lucinda, passed down needlework traditions and techniques despite the demands made of them through bondage. Later, women of the Woodlawn Quaker Meeting stitched quilts as a way of maintaining community and family ties across generations.
Portrait of Nelly Custis Lewis, by Gilbert Stuart, 1804, National Gallery of Art.
Today, Woodlawn’s Needlework Show honors the needlework tradition and recognizes the importance it has had for countless men and women throughout time. By telling a fuller history at Woodlawn, we attempt to mend and make whole the fabric of a community in need of repair. We lift the lives and work of these women, and all who came before and after, so that their contributions may be recognized and celebrated.
Thank you to our 2024 Needlework Show Sponsors. This year’s Show wouldn’t be possible without your generous support!
