To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, members
of the Niagara Handweavers and Spinners Guild
(Canada) have created a traveling display entitled Household Weavings from the
War of 1812. The Niagara area was greatly impacted by conflict between British
and American forces from 1812-1815, so guild members decided to learn more
about the textiles created and used during the war period. They visited the Fort Erie
Museum and the Niagara
Falls Museum to view the textile collections. The large collection at the Niagara Falls
Museum can be viewed through its online
database.
Guild member
Vera Van Brussel shared more about the guild's 1812 era projects:
 |
| Photos
courtesy of Eva Broughton. |
"Our
three mannequins are dressed with garments made by our members. The first one
is dressed in a Regency Dress with an apron, knitted shawl, haversack, and a
cotton bonnet. The second one has a chemise with a multicolored knit shawl, a
pair of woven pockets, and the bonnet is embroidered on the brim. The third
mannequin has a chemise with an overskirt, an apron, and a bonnet with a turned
back brim."
 |
| Photos
courtesy of Eva Broughton. |
"Our
cradle is on a wool rug woven with a snowball pattern. It contains two handmade
dolls. One doll has a woven dress, undergarments, and a cotton bonnet. The
second doll has woven garments, knitted shawl, pantaloons, and a lace hat. The
log cabin blanket in blue and white was adapted from an 1812 blanket from Keep
Me Warm One Night: Early Weaving in Eastern Canada."
 |
| Photos
courtesy of Eva Broughton. |
"There
is also a handkerchief bag woven of white linen and a handkerchief with lace
trim. Two linen bath towels in M's and O's are a copy of towels woven by Polly Baker, born in 1793,
that are in the Smithsonian Institute. There
are three samples of linsey-woolsey, knitted child's socks, a pink purse, a
linen runner, a man's wool scarf, two additional handmade dolls and their
clothes, and a fourth bonnet of a different style. A stuffed sheep fleece quilt
with knotted ties, a linen and wool sheet for cold winter nights, and a small
wooden stool with a woven top completes our display."
The display
will be at the Old Fort
Erie Visitors Centre through the end of July and will then be moved to the Welland Museum, in Welland, Ontario.