Third Thursdays Wine & Cheese with the First Ladies: Threads of Legacy—How Needlework Connected First Ladies Across Time, War, and Change
🗓️ Thursday, October 16, 2025
🕡 6:30 PM ET
📍In-Person Event | National First Ladies Library & Museum
🎟️ $25.00 (includes wine and cheese reception)
About the Event:Needlework may seem like a quiet pastime – but in the hands of America’s First Ladies, it became a powerful form of self-expression, comfort during wartime, and even subtle political influence.
Join author and needlework researcher Denise Layman for a rich, hands-on presentation exploring the little-known needlework stories of our nation’s First Ladies. From the Revolutionary War to the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ll see how stitching traditions offer intimate insights into the lives and legacies of these First Ladies.
🪡 Stories include:
- Martha Washington requesting handmade contributions for the troops
- Lucy Hayes and her heartfelt mending during the Civil War
- Ida McKinley’s symbolic slippers representing unity after war
- Eleanor Roosevelt’s tireless knitting – even caught on film at the UN
- Pat Nixon’s creative needlework kits to fund White House art
- And more, including Michelle Obama, Angelica Van Buren, Edith Roosevelt, and Frances Cleveland
About the Speaker:Denise Layman is an educator, needlework researcher, and author. A former NFLLM docent and White House holiday decorator, she brings decades of experience and storytelling to her study of First Lady needlework. Denise is currently writing a book on the topic alongside her mother.
This event includes a wine & cheese reception and Q&A with the presenter.
🎟️ Tickets are limited – reserve your spot today!
NOTE: Doors open at 6:00 pm; program begins at 6:30 pm. Free parking is available – learn more at firstladies.org/parking.
Third Thursdays is Generously Sponsored by Employers Health
