AN ODE to the New World and the birth of America from the Puritans’ landing in Plymouth to the civil war and beyond, the American Museum is nestled in the Bath countryside.

The museum at Claverton Manor is home to thousands of decorative items and furniture in a series of period rooms, which tell the story of the United States from the seventeenth to the 1800s, including one of the finest collection of American quilts in the world.

This spring the weft and warp passed down from generation to generation to commemorate family milestones on the new continent is being celebrated in the exhibition Hatched, Matched, Dispatched – & Patched! , which runs until November 1.

Bursting with textile treasures, the display brings together extraordinary objects that celebrate family milestones – births, marriages and deaths. Stitched memories on display include finely detailed quilts and trousseaux drawn from the American Museum’s own archive and received on loan from exhibition partners including the Beamish Museum, Jersey Museum and Art Gallery, the Quilters’ Guild, and the Jen Jones Collection.

Mourning garments, heavily beaded with jet contrast with the delicate bridal gowns originating from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as christening robes crafted from cascades of handmade broderie anglaise lace. The exhibition showcases the wedding dress worn in 1887 by Agnes Lucy Hughes, the first mother-in-law of Wallis Simpson – the American socialite who nearly brought down the British monarchy.

Throughout the season a series of talks and workshops will be held starting with a presentation on April 16 by Edwina Ehrman, Curator of Fashion & Textiles from the V&A.

A glimpse into Native American legacy, the museum’s second exhibit, Spirit Hawk Eye, features photographs by Bath photographer Heidi Laughton capturing the diverse cultures of its tribal communities. The exhibition is integrated into the main house which houses art and artefacts integral to Native American Indian culture and a collection of photographs by Rinehart & Mühr.

The American Museum is located at Claverton Manor, Bath, BA2 7BD. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday between noon and 5pm.

Admission to the museum, exhibition and gardens is £10 for adults and £5.50 for children between 5 and 16 years old. For more details, call 01225 460503 or visit http://americanmuseum.org.