Italian Cut-Work class at Ethnic Heritage Museum July 11

From press release

Join the Ethnic Heritage Museum every Sunday throughout November from 2 to 4 p.m. to view some of the most outstanding forms of Italian needlework in the “Summer Weddings: Italian Style” display. It features gorgeous laces, trapunto and handmade linens, chenille bedspreads (including rose petals for the bride), and wedding gowns from 1917 and the war years.

Stop by from 2 to 4 p.m., July 11, for a special event with Dorothy Ferraro Noble explaining and showing how the famous Italian Cut-Work style of needlework is done.

As a child, Dorothy’s grandmother Nona taught her the art. Her family hails from Varese, Italy, near Milan. Many pieces of “Cut Work” will be on display.

The “Summer Weddings: Italian Style” display showcases beautifully handmade wedding gowns from the 1900s, including “Castronovo Original Design” by the well-known Salvatore Catronovi who moved to California to design. You will see the hand-sewn linens created by Jennie Michelon’s mother, Amabile Faccin Michelon. And there are handmade wedding linens with matching night gowns cascading from an Old-World, humpback trunk.

Also on display are Bonbonieri, unique items of Italian tradition. Bonbonieri are fragile glass boxes filled with “confetti” disguised as wheat and others may appear as flowers. The colors many times indicate special events in the family’s life.

Ethnic Heritage Museum, 1129 S. Main St., is unique in its blend of ethnic groups: African-American, Italian, Lithuanian, Irish, Hispanic and Polish. A visit to each gallery will enlighten visitors of the cultural traditions of each of these groups.

Admission to visit the museum is free to the public, but donations are appreciated.

For more information, visit www.ethnicheritagemuseum.org or e-mail ehm1129@comcast.net. Group tours can be arranged by contacting the museum at (815) 962-7402 or e-mailing ehm1129@comcast.net.

The museum is handicap accessible.

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