Vermont Humanities
A needlwork sampler that is in a wooden frame. The sampler has two sets of alphabets in needlework with floral designs throughout

Vermont Sampler Stories

Needlework samplers are a visual record of the values that guided early female education in Vermont, including its focus on needlework as an essential skill for all girls and women. Textile conservator Michele Pagán shares her research into the Revolutionary War ancestors of the girls who made 19th century schoolgirl samplers.

Headshot of Michele Pagan, an older white woman standing in front of some windows wearing a black floral blouse

Michele Pagán

Michele Pagán is a recently-returned native Vermonter, who spent her childhood in Bennington. She is a graduate of the University of VT and the University of Connecticut, where she studied clothing & textiles.