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About Our Organization

Simply put, our Mission Statement: To preserve quilts and educate people about this heritage art form.

Since 2009, Quilt Heritage Museum, Inc. has been collecting, preserving quilts and sharing information about them. We believe handmade items which take significant hours to create deserve to be preserved for current and future generations. Quiltmakers are influenced by so many issues of our time: social issues, economic issues, and political issues, to name a few.

  • Our quilt collections are divided into two basic categories: Antique and Contemporary. The oldest quilt in our Antique Collection is dated circa 1857.
  • Our Steering Committee meets monthly (except in December) and is pivotal to all goals and activities of the Museum Effort. Committee Members represent a broad knowledge base of both antique and contemporary quilting aspects. Together they have more than 150 years of quilting experience. In addition, several members frequently loan the Museum quilts from their private collections for educational and exhibit purposes. We welcome anyone who shares our interest in quilting--no matter the style or method.

Currently, the most important issue facing our organization is finding a brick-and-mortor location. It's great to share our collections with the public, but it will be even greater when we have a dedicated space in which to do so. Check the "How To Help" section below to learn more.

 

Thank you for visiting our website.

See more quilts and quilted items in these categories:

  • Contemporary Quilts & Related Items
  • Red, Green & White Quilt

    • This is an example of a red, green, and white quilt which was popular from 1830 through 1900. The early examples in this period were made of cut-out chintz motifs from the 1830's. Block-style album quilts became popular in the 1940's and the red, green, and white trend lent itself well to album quilts.

      SEE MORE
  • Compass Quilts
    • Embroidery on quilts have appeared in many eras in America. Like many other popular techniques or styles, they were more popular in some periods than in others.
      For example, in the mid-1840’s Baltimore Album quilts often included elements of fine hand-embroidery. Historians think many signature quilts were created specifically for
      family members who joined the Gold Rush or traveled the Oregon Trail. Some of the kit quilts of the 1920’s also included embroidery accents. Today, with high-tech sewing machines, 
      entire blocks within quilts are being machine embroidered. So what is old is new again.
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  • Grandmother’s Flower Garden Quilts

    • Grandmother's Flower Garden is the pattern of this quilt. This quilt pattern first became popular in the 1920's and is still popular today. Because of the labor-intensive nature of the block construction we also find many unfinshed quilts in this pattern.

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  • Signature Quilts

    • Signature block quilts are related to a number of other historically popular quilt styles: friendship quilts, fundraiser quilts, commemorative quilts and album quilts. Early signatures were penned in inks, which sometimes ate through the fabric due to the ink content. Signatures were sometimes hand-embroidered. On large fundraiser blocks, sometimes one person with nice handwriting was designated to affix all the signatures of those contributing. Other signature quilts bear many types of signatures leading us to believe each person made their own signature on a block. 

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  • Log Cabin Quilts

    • Log cabin block quilts have been made since the 1840's, although many associate it with Abraham Lincoln's presidency. There are many ways to set this rather simplistic block to get a different result. However old, it is still used by quilters today--it's a classic!

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  • Applique Quilts
    • Picture of Quilt 20

      Applique quilts have been part of American quilting from our beginning. Early applique typically involved fussy-cutting motifs from a theme fabric and hand applying it to a background fabric. Often embroidery, as seen in this example, were added for interest and detail.

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  • Sunburst Quilts

    • This landscape quilt features a winter scene of aspens, deer and a snow-shrouded barn.

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America's quilting history is rich with cultural, political and economic influences. When you take the time to learn about the methods, materials and thoughts behind some of our historical quilts, you will be amazed at the creativity the makers used. 

 

We love our fellow quilters of today! They have incorporated modern tools, materials and ideas to create one-of-a-kind quilts which cover everthing from traditional designs to art quilts. There's room for everybody in this art form.

 

If we could pick one thing to improve the quilting world for future generations it would be to encourage all quilters to label their quilts. It's so important. Sadly, we know nothing of the makers of most of the quilts in our Antique Collection simply because they were never labeled. If you're a quiltmaker, please label your quilts. Future generations will thank you!