Sewing and Learning 2023 Workshop

The History and Contemporary Craftivist Use of SENTIMENT Sewing

January 14, 2023

Sampler by Harriet Porter [Beecher], c. 1800-1810 (63.815), Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford, CT. Embroidery with pink, white, and red roses and gold lettering: "I want great climate."

The Stowe Center’s 2023 Sewing & Learning Workshop, The History and Contemporary Craftivist Use of Sentiment Sewing, includes lively talks, a dynamic“sewing circle” with discussion and hands-on crafting, and the materials needed to try your skills as a craftivist, or craft activist. Tickets provide Zoom access to the talks and a hands-on sewing circle activity, as well as a supply kit, which will be mailed in advance of the workshop.

The project-based, hands-on/minds-on workshop explores how and why sentimental sewing—also described as adding a moral message—was used by Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionists, and activists historically.

“We think about sentimental sewing as ‘craftivism,’ a combination of craft and activism,” said Hufnagel. “We are especially excited to explore how we can channel contemporary impact through this historical practice.”

Participants will receive a makers’ kit, hear and discuss compelling talks about sentimental sewing, and share their own ideas and art. Presenters for this event include:

Dr. Mariah Kupfner, Assistant Professor of American Studies and Public Heritage at Penn State Harrisburg, will discuss “how women stitch themselves into new selves” and what histories are embedded in the abolitionist political stitch. Kupfner will also explore how sentimental sewing is still practiced today.

Beth Burgess, Director of Collections & Research at the Stowe Center, will discuss Harriet Beecher Stowe as a writer, and share abolitionist quotes that endure.

Rebecca Bayreuther Donohue, living history consultant and stitcher, will outline the sewing project directions and how-to steps.

Jordana Munk Martin, founder of the non-profit TATTER will address the politics of cloth and thread and the complexities of the industry and materials used in craftivist work. Created by TATTER, the maker’s kit for Sewing and Learning includes quotes, and all the supplies needed, including cloth, embroidery thread, needles, pattern, and more.

Roxana Alger Geffen, who is a Beecher descendant and multi-disciplinary artist, will present her work, the TinyPricks project, and other examples of text-based craftivist contemporary art.

The final hour of the program will be in sewing circle format where participants will discuss ideas, ask questions of our speakers, and make plans for their craftivist actions to follow.

This dynamic learning and sewing experience requires no experience with sewing, and is appropriate for ages 12 and up. The cost is $55 per person.

Registration for this event is now closed, but registration for Sewing and Learning on Saturday, February 11, is open.

Images, top left: Sampler by Harriet Porter [Beecher], c. 1800-1810 (63.815), Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Hartford, CT. Top right: art by Diana Weymar. Source: the TinyPricks project.

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Isabella Beecher Hooker

Isabella Holmes Beecher Hooker (1822-1907)
An ardent member of the woman’s suffrage movement, Isabella Holmes Beecher Hooker joined in the cause along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

Isabella was the first child of Lyman Beecher and his second wife, Harriet Porter Beecher.

Isabella began her education at Catharine Beecher’s Hartford Female Seminary and lived with her sister Mary Perkins. In 1841 she married John Hooker, a descendant of Thomas Hooker, the founder of Hartford. John Hooker was a lawyer and an abolitionist.

In the early 1860s Isabella got involved in the woman’s suffrage movement. Isabella joined Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony as a member of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association in 1869. She was a founding member of the Connecticut Woman’s Suffrage Association. Isabella’s ideas of equality were influenced by John Stuart Mills’ On Liberty and the Subjection of Women.

In 1871, Isabella organized the annual convention of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association in Washington D.C. and presented her argument before the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate. Her husband, John Hooker, believed in his wife and supported her activities. He helped Isabella draft a bill to the Connecticut Legislature giving married women the same property rights as their husbands. The bill passed in 1877. Isabella annually submitted a bill granting women the right to vote, but it did not pass in her lifetime.