Skyllkill Chapter Millbrook Exhibit
Embroidery: A Living Tradition
Presented by the Millbrook Historical Society in Conjunction with the Millbrook Library
April2026
From Millbrook, to New York City, to Louisville, KY… From a few needleworkers to thousands… From the 1950s to the present… What became the Embroiderer’s Guild of America was born in the quiet Dutchess County countryside of NY State.
Skyllkill Chapter was honored to be invited to partner with the Millbrook Historical Society, in association with the Millbrook Library, as a part of the “Embroidery, A Living Tradition” exhibit that ran for the month of April, 2026, at the library. The exhibit indeed showcased the living tradition of embroidery – the history of, and the continued love of, this enduring art that we all practice and enjoy today. And, it traced the birth of our modern EGA.
Margaret Parshall, a local resident and concerned that embroidery was a dying art, started The Millbrook Needlework Guild in 1954 and introduced embroidery classes in Millbrook, New York. Over time, activities were moved to New York City where it became the American Branch of the Embroiderers’ Guild (UK), growing to just under 2500 members in 37 states by 1967. At this time the group broke off from the UK association and eventually became the Embroiderer’s Guild of America, now located in Louisville, Kentucky. The full exhibit traced this history in both word and stitching examples.
Skyllkill Chapter was invited to showcase its members’ skills and it provided examples of the art of embroidery as it stands today, carrying on from the earlier works of Margaret Parshall, done for both pleasure and for the ecclesiastical needs of two local churches. As the representative EGA chapter in Dutchess County, Skyllkill’s participation included presenting the Chapter’s history, and was highlighted by 9 members loaning a total of 18 of their pieces to the exhibit. The Historical Society curated and displayed works by Cheryl Christensen, Nancy Compton, Marie Hasenpflug, Linda Hogan, Lynn Schamberger, Arlene Seligman, Susan Sherburne, Jane Rausch and Ginny Thompson.
Skylkill Chapter was honored to be invited to participate in this beautiful exhibit. It was a very popular event with many visitors, giving the chapter an opportunity to showcase members’ work and also introduce itself to potential new members.
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And We’re Done!
By Jenni Paperman
We have completed the New York panel of America’s Tapestry. As you can see from the photo, we did a
fantastic job of recreating the poster. The panel on the left is clearly inspired (but not necessarily bound) by the
poster on the right.
Thanks to everyone who worked on it. We stitched from April 26, 2025, through April 25, 2026, exactly one
year. During that time, 57 different people spent a total of 1,147 hours (definitely undercounted there!). The per
person time spent ranged from 15 minutes to 230 hours, with the average being 20 hours.
As the State Director, I was so pleased that we were done nearly a week ahead of schedule (April 30th was the
drop-dead date). And – more importantly – as a member of the Chapter, I am proud of all the techniques on
display. In fact, all five of the Chapter’s special interest groups are represented: Blackwork, Counted Thread,
Crewel & Surface Embroidery, Needlepoint, and Whitework. We also have additional techniques like fabric
painting and appliques.
Visit www.americastapestry.com for information about where the panels will be exhibited. They will be at the
NYS Museum in Winter 2027.