the misses stewart

I recently heard about an exhibition that is on at The Hawkesbury Regional Museum at Windsor in NSW. Its called The Misses Stewart: seamstresses of the Hawkesbury, and is a display of the work of two sisters’ textile work. Myra and Ivy Stewart lived in the Hawkesbury region from the late 1800s until the 1970s.

To earn an income, the two sisters made garments for sale through David Jones and Farmers’ department stores in Sydney. Their work was of a very high quality, and the exhibition includes day wear, night wear, underwear, mourning clothes and accessories.

The website says that “it showcases fabrics that were once common but rarely heard of these day – like guipure, gabardine and organdie, and sewing techniques like pin-tucking, smocking, tatting, beading and mending.”

The exhibtion is on in 2011 and into 2012 (no specific dates are given on the website), at Hawkesbury Regional Museum at 8 Baker Street, Windsor NSW. I believe that entry is free, but don’t quote me on that!