Classes meet on the driveway outside of the Dolores Haugh Education Center. (located behind the museum at 101 S. Maple Street)
Each program costs $25 and is open to kids ages 7 and up. Space is limited. Registration is non-refundable.
Registration is now closed.
Have you ever seen a beautiful, unique craft or piece of needlework and wondered how you could ever learn to make something like that?
For the past two years Mount Prospect Historical Society volunteers Martha Nelson and Nancy Corry have been teaching crafts from around the world once a month to enthusiastic adult students and have developed quite a following. In fact, they are now offering their classes both in the morning, from 10 a.m. to noon, and in the evening, from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second Wednesday of each month in Central School, 103 S. Maple St., Mount Prospect.
Participants have created fleece blankets for Project Linus, a non-profit organization that provides handmade blankets to children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need; woven rugs, trivets and small baskets for themselves from old t-shirts; made coasters using the Japanese sashiko stitchery technique; and much more.
All experience levels are welcome to attend and try each month’s spotlight project for $10. Advance registration is recommended.
For instance, on Feb. 14, 2024 they will be learning to “Knit Like a Viking.” Trichinopoly or Viking knitting makes a filigree cord out of metal! Early examples of this ancient technique were found in 8th-century Scandinavian burial sites, and the design is still fashionable today. They will make a bracelet using simple tools and wire.
In March 2024, the group will be making wool hook “mug rugs” (like coasters). In the 19th century, women used every bit of fabric to make something useful. They made quilts, rugs for the floor and hangings for the walls. Learn how to take recycled wool strips and make something useful!
Then, on April 10, 2024 they will be making a bookmark using a bargello pattern. Bargello is a type of needlepoint embroidery consisting of upright flat stitches laid in a mathematical pattern to create motifs. The name originates from a series of chairs found in the Bargello Palace in Florence that have a “flame stitch” pattern.
Traditionally, Bargello was stitched in wool on canvas. Embroidery done this way is remarkably durable. It is well suited for use on pillows, upholstery and even carpets, but not for clothing. In most traditional pieces, all stitches are vertical with stitches going over two or more threads. Traditional designs are very colorful, and use many hues of one color, which produces intricate shading effects. The patterns are naturally geometric.
Punch needle coasters, candlewicking, ribbon embroidery, quilling and Temari balls are also in the plans.
To peruse the craft offerings, please click here to register. Registration is limited.
When a terrifying new illness – COVID-19 – struck the United States in early 2020, the Directors of the Mount Prospect Historical Society responded by carefully documenting the local Mount Prospect “pandemic experience.”
Now this incredible treasure trove of information is being printed in a hardcover, 180-page book for researchers and history lovers of the future. Within the book you will find a wealth of photos and memories from fellow residents, neighbors and friends that illustrate this important moment in Mount Prospect’s history.
There are stories about how restaurateurs to nurses to ministers to funeral directors continued to do their jobs, as well as how politicians, teachers and schoolchildren coped in one Midwestern community. The Society also received permission from The Daily Herald newspaper to reprint articles which dealt with local people and events, as well as state and national news about how the pandemic was being handled.
“This book is dedicated to making sure memories of this traumatic time in Mount Prospect never fade and will serve as a record of our shared experience,” Frank Corry, President of the Society, added.
Individuals may order it for their personal collections. It will only be available to those who order by December 31, 2023 (with delivery in early 2024). The cost will be $25 plus shipping.
Ordering is now closed. If you purchased a book and chose local pickup, you will receive an email when your order is ready. We anticipate orders being ready sometime in January.
