National Coverlet Museum

Last weekend we went to the National Coverlet Museum in Bedford, PA to see antique spinning wheels and other fiber processing equipment from the collection of Kitty Bell and Ron Walter displayed against a backdrop of exquisite hand woven coverlets.

We were thrilled to see so many southeastern PA wheels with red/orange stripes on them - - all carefully documented like the three Andrew Kunkle pieces and this gorgeous yarn Johannes Kroh winder. There are over thirty antique wheels in the show including several Farnham wheels, a glorious Irish Castle wheel by Henry, several patent wheels, double flyer wheels, as well as flax processing tools.

One whole room was devoted to flax processing. The title of the flax processing exhibit is “Stay at Home and Use Me Well”, taken from an inscription on a flax hetchel.

The museum shop is filled with reproduction coverlets and other items hand woven of easy care fibers instead of the original wool and linen fibers. The patterns duplicate actual coverlet designs.
The town of Bedford is lovely and is home to Old Bedford Village open during the summer as well as Fort Bedford.