Millions of stitches over thousands of hours by hundreds of people have produced in Shaler a colorful representation of Pennsylvania’s history as one of the original 13 colonies.
Work on the state’s embroidered panel for America’s Tapestry, part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, finished on April 30. On Sunday, many of the project’s volunteers and supporters gathered at the Glenshaw Public Library, where much of the work was done, to celebrate the conclusion of their efforts.
The message on the cake said it all: “It happened.”
“I think it looks fantastic,” said Raven Fagelson, of Brighton Heights, a state co-director of the project with Mary Van Tyne, of Irwin. “Mary and I had an excellent team. All of them were dedicated to getting every little thing right and beautiful. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
“The whole thing pulled together as anticipated, which is great. It is wonderful when a creative project comes together as planned,” Van Tyne said. “I’m just so pleased and so privileged to have the support of so many fiber arts communities here in Pittsburgh.”
Organized by Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts graduate Stefan Romero, America’s Tapestry features 13 hand-embroidered panels, one for each of the original colonies.
Work on the 35-inch-by-45-inch Pennsylvania panel began in May 2025. It took 269 stitchers 4,410 hours to create. Participants ranged in age from 3 to over 90. Three generations of multiple families contributed.
Katlynn White, of Ross, was seeing it for the first time Sunday. She had been hearing about it from her mother, Kathy White, who was among the volunteers.
“She wouldn’t give us any sneak peeks,” Katlynn said. “I think it’s lovely. I can’t believe it’s going to travel across the country.”
Most of the work was done at the Glenshaw Public Library, where some came from Ohio on a regular basis to participate. When it traveled to points throughout the state, including locations in Hershey, Valley Forge and Gettysburg, people from New York, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey also took part.
“We encountered a great many Americans who did this out of patriotism, not for a party but out of belief in what America can be and with love for the values enshrined in our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence,” Fagelson said.
Linda Hartman, a member of the Three Rivers chapter of the Embroiderers Guild of America, lives near the library and helped secure it as the project’s base. It had the space and the lighting they were looking for.
“I think it’s extraordinary. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That’s why I got involved,” Hartman said. “It will be interesting to see the others.”
The 13 tapestries will first be displayed at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., from June 19 to Sept. 6.
The second stop of their tour will see them in the Pittsburgh region at the Seton Hill University Arts Center in Greensburg, Sept. 12-27. An opening reception will be held on Sept. 13, with a stitcher’s celebration on Sept. 19.
While dates for America’s Tapestry are scheduled through December 2028, with two locations yet to have dates determined, it’s not known what will happen to the panels in the long run.
Fagelson had a few ideas — a tour of state capitols, displays at the Capitol Rotunda, and on view at the Smithsonian.
“I would want this to be seen by as many Americans as possible,” she said.