Linen fabrics, towels and nightgowns, as well as needlepoint, samplers, glass bottles, apothecary tins, carved wood rolling pins and butter paddles were just a few of the things offered at the booth of Vicki’s Antiques, Auburn, Penn.
Review & Photos by Kiersten Busch
PENNSBURG, PENN. — Celebrating its 11th year as a go-to destination for textile enthusiasts, collectors and scholars is the Penn Dry Goods Market, which took place on May 31 and June 1 at the historic Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center.
The two-day event blends together a textile-focused antiques show with its signature Textile History lecture series to create a unique and informative weekend for experts and newcomers alike. The show originated in 2013 as a fundraiser for the Library and Heritage Center, and annually it continues to be its chief fundraiser.
“Everything has been going well,” said Candace Perry, co-founder of the Penn Dry Goods Market, when Antiques and The Arts Weekly caught up with her a few hours before the end of the second day. “Yesterday seemed very good. Overall, the dealers seem to be happy.”
One of the standout features of Penn Dry Goods is its Textile History lecture series, which brings nationally recognized authorities in textiles, decorative and folk art to the show. Lectures are given hourly each day, starting at 8:45 am. “The lecture series has been excellent, it’s a very strong suit of ours,” said Perry. “Having the accompanying antiques show was a novel idea.” Tickets could be purchased online prior to the event, and most lectures were sold out or almost at capacity even before the weekend kicked off. Not only were there more traditional talks given on samplers and needlework, there were also unique topics presented, like Perry’s own lecture on wax fruits. “We wanted to introduce things not directly related to textiles, but related to women’s work,” she explained.
It was a successful first show for Unity Quilts, Gaithersburg, Md.
There were a total of 11 presentations over the course of two days, with “Gingham Embroidery 1890-1990” by Ann Hermes, a collector of antique quilts and textiles and a student of textile history, leading Friday’s series. Other lecture topics that day included, “The ‘Valley’ Quilts of the Berks County, Pennsylvania Area,” a quilt turning by Pat and Arlan Christ, “McDonald Sisters from West Virginia Make-do Crafts/Rugs” by writer, historian and artist Susan Feller; “Oh Darn! Reevaluating Mended Early American Textiles” by Emily Whitted, PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; “Mermaids & Sea Dragons, Slavers & Privateers: Quilted Petticoats and Rhode Island’s Maritime Economy in the Eighteenth Century” by Lynne Bassett and “The Means of Learning: Exploring the Embroidery Samplers of the Vassar College Collection” by author Joanne Lukacher. Perry noted that attendees were particularly anxious to hear Whitted’s lecture, as she is a young, up-and-coming scholar in the field.
Saturday’s lecture series was led by Alden O’Brien, the curator of costume and textiles at the DAR Museum in Washington, DC, who presented “The Duty of ‘Plying the Polished Shaft.’” Other topics of the day included another quilt turning by the Christs, “Patterns and Pieces: Whitework Samplers of the Seventeenth Century” by Dr Tricia Wilson Nguyen, “Delaware Valley Chintz Quilts” by Lori Lee Triplett and the emerging scholar presentation, “‘A Place to cultivate her Mind in by Musing’: New Exploration of Anne Emlen’s 1757 Shellwork Grotto” from Kaila Temple, the Colonial Dames of America Chapter II curatorial assistant at the Stenton Museum in Philadelphia. This lecture also had a bonus presentation by Perry, titled “Waxing Rhapsodic: Nineteenth Century Wax Art and Craft.”
VanTassel-Baumann American Antiques, Malvern, Penn.
The antiques show portion of the market brought together 23 juried dealers from Pennsylvania and other locations on the East Coast for an intimate and informative buying experience. Dealers offered a range of different materials, including textiles, quilts, boutis, folk art, samplers and other needlework, sewing smalls, sewing tools and equipment and Americana, among other items. The knowledgeable dealers made for a smooth show experience for consumers of any level of interest, from amateur to expert.
Joan Bowman, Wicked Whimsy, Milford, Del., had a booth full of embroidered quilts, handkerchiefs, advertisement, tramp art boxes, antique smalls and vintage toys. She reported an “interesting show” as of the afternoon on the second day and said she had sold a lot of her items to friends who had stopped by. Bowman, whose specialty is folk art, professed, “I like things made by hand.” She proudly displayed a set of three hand-carved tramp art boxes, which were made from old wooden cigar boxes, meaning every one was unique. “A lot of what I sell is one of a kind,” she explained, also showing off a manual hand carved nutcracker in the shape of a woman’s head, which hailed from Austria. Another highlight from Bowman’s booth was a 1911 original Cracker Jack poster advertisement, which she had just recently had framed.
Nancy Hahn shows off a cast iron frog sewing clamp. Country Things, Bowie, Md.
From Bowie, Md., Nancy Hahn of Country Things, was happy to be back at Penn Dry Goods, reporting that the antique textiles scene in the Northeast is much more prolific than in South Carolina, where she lives with her husband for part of the year. “The show treats us wonderfully,” she said, “it’s the best show I do all year. The camaraderie of the people is the best part, and the dealers are all great.” Hahn specializes in friendship quilts, antique fabrics that are quilt-related, English antique needlework and tools and French boutis, all of which she had at her booth. She happily explained how to properly use the cast iron frog sewing clamp she kept displayed behind glass, noting that to help make the fabric tauter, you would clamp it between the frog’s jaws. “I like to have a little bit of stuff you don’t usually see,” she said, emphasizing that most commonly, sewing clamps were in the shape of birds; a frog was unusual. Other notable pieces in Hahn’s booth were a dog sewing clamp, a French thimble holder, a linen and cloth stretcher and friendship quilt name stamps. “The stories behind these things are so interesting,” she admitted.
Kathy Staples and Joe Ashley, Curious Works Antiques, Greenville, S.C., brought sewing materials and specimens, doll dresses, samplers and women’s clothing and shoes, all from the 1840s or earlier. “Everything I have is from then or before then,” said Staples. “I want collectors and other dealers to take a look at earlier textile collectors, and to hopefully expand their collections to include earlier things.” While she only deals in textiles like needlework and clothing, Staples’ favorite piece at her booth was a watercolor, done by a schoolgirl named Ann Phipps, from Berks County, Penn. There were a few interesting things about this watercolor, according to Staples. One was that it has all the components and motifs of an embroidery piece — the appearance of the peaceable kingdom, birds, trees and Adam and Eve — meaning that it may have been a practice for an actual embroidery piece. The other notable trait of the watercolor is that it included a red devil near the Tree of Knowledge, something that was not usually depicted in embroideries. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s charming, and it sums up a lot about American needlework,” Staples confessed.
Curious Works Antiques, Greenville, S.C.
Back for their fifth or sixth year was Diane Farr Antiques, Boalsburg, Penn., run by husband-and-wife duo Jim and Diane Farr. They utilized the show’s new wall-hanging system, using hanging cords instead of nailing pieces to the wall, to display a felt appliqué rug from circa 1900, which was identified as a piece done by the McDonald sisters by Susan Feller, one of the lecturers for the weekend, who spoke about the Gilmer County, W.Va., duo. “We wouldn’t have known that if she didn’t come to our booth,” Farr said excitedly. “We can’t wait to go home and do further research. That’s the fun part; we love doing that.” The couple also offered cross-stitchings, antique smalls, Amish animals, sewing boxes, brass smalls, glass bottles and brass candlesticks, among other things.
“This is the easiest show to do, it makes us feel so comfortable. It’s always well handled,” said Patricia Nailor from Nailor Antiques, Camp Hill, Penn., who has been attending Penn Dry Goods as a dealer since its inception. Her specialty is early textiles, early Amish, country store items and accessories, wallpaper boxes and Quaker and Shaker items, all of which she offered at her booth. Greeting you as you walk into the upstairs dealer’s hall was Nailor’s glass display case containing a charming display of Mennonite animals that she brought for the first time. Nailor emphasized the sense of community that is fostered at the market: “There are very, very nice people [here]. We learn from them and they learn from us.”
A sampler from Sierra Leone, Neverbird Antiques, Surry, Va.
Bill Subjack, Neverbird Antiques, Surry, Va., another dealer since the show’s beginning, had an impressive collection of samplers from all around the world. “I’ve done way better than I deserve,” he said when asked about how the show had been treating him so far. He proudly listed some of the US states represented in his sampler collection, as well as showing off a few from Canada, Sierra Leone and even the Michigan territory before it was established as a state. “What you find is that they all have a story,” Subjack explained. He also offered an array of famous autographs, including young Reagan, Mother Theresa, Judy Garland and Shirley Temple.
“It’s been very good for me,” said Karen Redinger, Redinger’s, West Simsbury, Conn., of her show experience thus far. She had just made a few sales, all from the collection of various sewing materials she brought. Her booth was decorated with myriad pincushions and sewing tools, along with various buttons, hair clips and elastics, beaded wall pockets, quilt squares, embroidered and beaded bags, textiles and samplers. Redinger’s most unique item was a pincushion in the shape of a satchel, which had a handle made of sterling silver. More fashion-oriented pincushions came in the form of a large group of various shoes made by the JB Brothers, based in Bridgeport, Conn., that were consigned from one woman’s collection.
A table rug designed to look like a sampler displayed in a British museum was just one of many sampler-related items that drew collectors to the booth of Richard Gryziec, RSG Antiques, Hanover Township, Penn. While showing off the items he brought for the weekend he exclaimed, “I want to see everyone in this country have a sampler!” By early afternoon on the second day of the show, Gryziec reported he was doing well, admitting that knowledgeable customers were beneficial to sales. When asked what his favorite sampler was, he just couldn’t choose: “From the simplest to the most intricate, I like every sampler I’ve ever had.”
Rue du Trésor, New York City.
Collectors were transported to France at the booth of Carol Weiss, Rue du Trésor, New York City, who lives in Paris for five months of the year. Weiss’ booth included French boutis, sewing samplers, quilts and dish towels, among other regional items. “I love hunting for schoolgirl books,” she said as she flipped through the pages of a sewing sampler book, penned in the hand of a French schoolgirl. “They taught them the sewing or textile trade in school, and they were learning the industry. These were like their ‘homework books’ for the industry.”
It was a busy time for Amanda Mosko, Unity Quilts, Gaithersburg, Md., who was dealing at Penn Dry Goods for the first time. “It’s been a lot of information, ideas and beautiful pieces,” she confessed. Mosko mostly offered patchwork quilts and pincushions, but also had a selection of hand-stitched quilted fabric squares from the 1880s-1910s resting in a basket next to a handmade sign advertising her business. Her favorite piece was an unusual Chinese quilt with a patchwork of different colors, featuring appliqued leaves in a circular design stitched on top. “That’s a very unusual combination to put together,” Mosko shared. She says that her goal is to get modern quilters and young people all interested in antiques and our collective past.
“It’s really rare to have a show like this; the collectors are so knowledgeable. We gain knowledge and exchange knowledge,” said Ruth J. VanTassel of VanTassel-Baumann American Antiques, Malvern, Penn. Traditionally a needlework dealer, VanTassel offered a selection of samplers, doll furniture, silk embroidered memorials, copper plate textile images and general Americana. One of her favorite pieces was a regional sampler from Reading, Penn., from around the time of the American Revolution. The artist was a Philadelphia schoolteacher, who moved to Reading during the war, as many schoolteachers did, to put distance between themselves and the fighting. VanTassel, who has been in the business since the age of 26, was happy to chat about all of her favorite pieces, also including two different textile versions of an image of William Penn’s treaty with the Native Americans.
Xanthus Antiques, Villanova, Penn., owner Martin Platt offered this handwoven cashmere shawl from India, along with a Persian rug and a Japanese quilt made from a monk’s silk robe.
From Xanthus Antiques, Villanova, Penn., Martin Platt offered something to break up the focus on American textiles: shawls, carpets and other textiles from all over Asia. “I like the customers at this show because they are really knowledgeable. There are also a lot of well-informed collectors. Many of them are weavers themselves. You don’t get that at every show,” he professed. Platt was most proud of a handwoven cashmere shawl from India, hanging on the wall near the entrance to his booth. The interlocking tapestry had an embroidered border and was dated around 1870.
Shannon Dalton from Funky Fashions, Point Pleasant, N.J., has been attending Penn Dry Goods as a dealer for the past six of seven years. She reports that her specialty is “sewing-related items and odd or unusual fabrics and sewing items,” which is exactly what was offered at her booth. Dalton pointed out a crazy quilt from 1885 and a knitting roll sample from the early 1800s as her favorite items. The knitting roll had 26 different lace patterns on it, the techniques for which were most likely passed down through the family, according to Dalton.
“It’s been incredible,” confessed Marvin Wies of Marvin Wies Folk Art & Antiques, Baltimore, Md., who was dealing at Penn Dry Goods for the first time. Though he specializes in bride’s boxes, he was happy to report that mostly everything he offered was drawing in customers.
Serapi Antiques, Huntingdon Valley, Penn.
With an eclectic mix of items, from Americana to Irish and ethnic German crafts to sewing materials and wearable jewelry, Sarabeth Abir from Serapi Antiques, Huntingdon Valley, Penn., had it all. Abir, who has a degree in journalism from Penn State University, actually specializes in Persian rugs, but has expanded her interest beyond Middle Eastern textiles, as shown by her booth. “It’s been a good show, always a pleasure,” she reported happily, near the end of the day Saturday.
All proceeds from the weekend, which included the lecture series fees, show admissions, donations, sponsorships, gift shop and rummage sale purchases, as well as dealer fees, combined to benefit the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center and its collections, which is at 105 Seminary Street.
The next Penn Dry Goods Market will take place June 2025. For more information, 215-679-3103 or www.schwenkfelder.org/penn-dry-goods-market.
