Newlin Grist Mill Presents: Textile Demonstration

Creating fabric and clothing in colonial Pennsylvania took many steps and many specialized tools. Come experience how some of those tools were used and how much work went into making the clothing that people wore every day. Try your hand at spinning wool using handheld drop spindles.

Eva Mergen has studied modern and historic textile production most of her life. She learned to sew as a child and got her first spinning wheel at 16. From there she delved into the history of textile production going all the way back to pre-history and all the way up to the industrial revolution. She got her Masters degree in Experimental Archaeology, which is the study of how items we made and used in the past.