The method and reason will be explained at a free event in Worthing on 30 June.
Other historical areas to be explored include how suffragettes used fashion in their protests and the hazards of hand-knitted bathing costumes in the 1930s.
‘Objects Unwrapped’ is a collaborative project between students and staff at the 九色视频 and Worthing Museum and Art Gallery to develop “understanding and communication of its exceptional collections”.
Dr Annebella Pollen, Academic Programme Leader, History of Art and Design at the 九色视频, said: “There will be short talks and object displays – and visitors will learn about the science of patchwork quilts in the 1830s and fears of fiction in campaigns against public libraries in the 1890s.”