Press release from the Matheson History Museum
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In 1976, students in Karen (Gutman) Paige’s sewing class at the then-named Sidney Lanier Training Center created a wall hanging to celebrate the country’s bicentennial. Aide Sharon Ream designed the color scheme and cut out the squares. Teacher Jean Schwartz drew the simple pictures depicting American history. The students learned how to sew from Paige, and for five months, the students embroidered 49 squares. Intern Fay Anderson sewed the squares together, and the hanging was put on display in the lobby of the Gainesville Sun.
Karen Paige said, “The students were excited about creating their pieces; they became even more excited as pieces were finished and they began to understand what the hanging would look like. They tried very hard to make neat stitches and were thrilled to see the finished project. I explained the history of each scene as the project developed.”…