Search the Collections  Collections Management Section  Curation Section  Conservation Section Home / Artifacts / Curation Section / Costume and Textiles Clothing and household textiles provide an intimate glimpse into history. From ball gowns to overalls, from showpiece quilts to hand towels, textiles link the everyday lives of North Carolinians. The museum's collection of civilian clothing and accessories numbers approximately 18,000 artifacts. The largest segment of this collection—about 60 percent—comprises women's clothing and accessories dating from the late 1700s to the present. Men's garments make up about 25 percent of the costume collection, and children's garments, the remaining 15 percent. Highlights of the costume collection include Daytime and evening wear of middle- and upper-class North Carolinians Everyday, work, sports, and maternity clothing Apparel created by North Carolina designers and milliners Fancy dress and performance costumes Clothing and accessories, including inaugural dress, worn and owned by North Carolina governors and their families Military uniforms flags, and other items, many of them from the Civil War Highlights of the textile collection include Full-size, crib, and doll quilts as well as quilt tops, backs, and squares from the early 1800s to the present Coverlets Samplers and needlework pictures Other household textiles, such as bedding table linens doilies wall hangings curtains Carriage robes Tobacco-twine needlework Pieces made from feed, flour, sugar, and salt sacks Decorative textiles from the state's Hmong, Hispanic, and Armenian communities Dress forms, commercial and homemade patterns, sewing machines, needlework tools, and sewing notions Contact a specialist in costumes and textiles at ncmoh@ncmail.net or 807-7956. FAQs How to Care for Your Textiles How Can I Donate an Artifact to the Museum? Artifact Wish List: What Is the Museum Looking For? Can the Museum Appraise Objects for Me?