Ashby Textiles: From Necessity to Art

How have textiles been made and used in Ashby during the 18th through the 21st centuries? Join Ashby Historical Society staff and contemporary fiber artists from our town to explore how textiles evolved from a homemade necessity to a vibrant art form. Our earliest local textiles were crafted entirely at home out of pure survival and necessity. By 1830, the rise of the Lowell Mills completely shifted production by manufacturing textiles on a grand scale, enticing young women to leave home for the mills and gain economic independence. By 1900, fabric was readily available and being repurposed in entirely new, creative ways—including unique artifacts on display like a decorative pillow crafted entirely from silk cigar wrappers. Today, textiles have emerged as a powerful medium for fine art, and talented Ashby women are prominent among the contemporary artists leading this movement.

Come view two centuries of extraordinary textile artwork from Ashby at our upcoming special exhibit on Saturday, June 27th, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

This unique presentation beautifully bridges the historical and the modern, showcasing generations of local ingenuity, dedication, and creative vision. Featured prominently in the exhibit are spectacular visual contrasts of our town’s fiber heritage, as seen in the side-by-side comparison. This striking image captures the incredible journey of local craftsmanship, featuring contemporary textile artistry by Jean Lindquist (2019) paired beautifully alongside an intricate historic sampler wrought by Hannah Eliza Adams of Ashby in 1834.