Although most of the Neighborhood Groups in the Northern Virginia Chapter are devoted to garment sewing, there are techniques that can be used from other specialty sewing groups, such as quilters (hello, little French jacket). One exhibit in the DMV can employ simple clothing designs as a foundation for creativity, such as crazy quilt techniques.
The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) is featuring an exhibit "Material & Memories: Elizabeth Talford Scott and the Crazy Quilt Tradition" featuring the works of Elizabeth Talford Scott through December 2024. Talford Scott's work uses scraps of family members' clothing and decorative household fabrics embellished with topstitching, ribbons, buttons, and stones to create meditative works of art.
Another innovative designer featured in an exhibit this summer until October 11, 2024, is Mary McFadden. Drexel University's exhibit, "Modern Ritual: The Art of Mary McFadden - Robert and Penny Fox Historic Costume Collection (drexel.edu) highlights her signature techniques, "including Marii pleating, one-of-a-kind hand-painted textiles, and opulent beading and embellishment." In a New York Times article, McFadden said, "The effect I'm searching for is to have the fabric fall like liquid gold against the body." Approximately 40 mannequins will be on view, donning some of McFadden’s most intricately crafted gowns, coats and separates, alongside a rich array of ephemera, including design drawings and personal papers.
Looking for a link between song and style? Check out "Instrumental Fashions: Attire and Song," on view through November 14, 2024 at the Shippensburg Fashion Archives and Museum, Pennsylvania. Dr. Karin J. Bohleke, FA&M director, says, “Music and fashion have more in common than one might think. Like fashion, musical genres have their moment of prominence, only to have another style emerge to replace them as newcomers on the scene attempt to differentiate themselves from the current trends. In addition, musicians incorporate keen observations on contemporary society. Naturally, fashions—from the elegant to the absurd—find themselves immortalized in catchy lyrics.”
Visitors will enjoy seeing historical boots and whether they really were “Made for Walking,” as well as the “Lady in Red,” the “Devil with a Blue Dress On,” a selection of “Sharp Dressed Men", and many other examples of fashions explored in pop songs. But sadly, unless someone has one to donate, the permanent collection has no yellow polka dot bikinis from the 1950s.
