Quilts presented here are contributed by organizations that hold quilt collections or quilt documentation surveys. The Quilt Index aims to be inclusive of formalized quilt documentation projects. Each contributor's records reflect the information gathered and maintained by their organization. Researchers using the Quilt Index should factor in these differences. Please read about each project to learn about the unique collection parameters and the particular quilts included here in the Index.
The Alliance for American Quilts, MATRIX: Center for Humane Arts, Letters and Social Sciences Online and Michigan State University Museum present the Quilt Index. MSU staff members lead project work, in consultation with the Quilt Index Task Force, the Quilt Index Editorial Board, and representatives from each contributor. Collectively these partners have developed the comprehensive fields, database, search mechanisms and web interfaces.
Contributors use the Quilt Index's online entry forms to enter and manage their quilt information and images. View sample web entry forms.
Contributors
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Alliance for American Quilts
The Alliance for American Quilts (AAQ) is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1993 to document, preserve and share the rich art and history of quilts and quiltmakers. Since 2006 the AAQ has held a small quilt contest and auction aimed at documenting the work of today's quiltmakers while providing an important annual revenue stream to support the Alliance for American Quilts.
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Connecticut Quilt Search
Beginning in 1991, The Connecticut Quilt Search Project documented over 3,000 quilts over a six year period. The Project culminated in 2002 with the publication of Quilts and Quiltmakers Covering Connecticut. The original archives are held in the library of The Connecticut Historical Society.
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DAR Museum
The Daughters of the American Revolution Museum (DAR Museum), founded in 1890, owns nearly 350 quilts and counterpanes dating from the 18th century to the early 20th century. The records relating to these quilts, including those prepared for the Quilt Index, are housed at the DAR Museum in Washington, D.C.
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Gasperik Collection
The Mary Gasperik Quilts consist of 80+ quilts made in Chicago at the height of the quilt revival of the 1930s and 40s. Nearly all quilts are still owned by her descendants who generously supported this online project spearheaded by grand-daughter Susan Salser.
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Hawaiian Quilt Research Project
The Hawaiian Quilt Research Project, begun in 1990, documented over 1,200 quilts and 1,500 patterns made or designed before 1959, the year Hawaii became the fiftieth state. More than 600 are publicly available on the Quilt Index. The remaining records are currently closed as work begins in preparation for writing and publishing a comprehensive history of Hawaii's unique quilting heritage.
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Illinois State Museum
The Illinois State Museum's collection of 388 quilts are entered into the Quilt Index. These quilts were documented by the Illinois Quilt Research Project - IQRP.
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Kansas State Historical Society
The Kansas Quilt Project (archived at the Kansas State Historical Society) recorded more than 12,000 quilts in 1986 and 1987. At 72 Quilt Discovery Days the project saw quilts dating from the early 19th century to those just out of the frame. The KQP invited Kansans to bring quilts made all over the country. The Kansas Historical Society serves as the public repository for the archives and photos. (Note: Images are being digitized.)
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Louisiana Regional Folklife Program
Begun in 2001, the Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project features over 2500 quilts made in Louisiana from early 1800s to the present, including quilts documented in 1987-1990 and 1997, thanks to the Louisiana State Archives. Records are housed at Louisiana Tech University.
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Minnesota Quilters Inc
The Minnesota Quilt Project, a permanent subcommittee of the state-wide guild Minnesota Quilters, Inc., has documented more than 4,000 quilts made before 1976 and continues ongoing documentation in Minnesota.
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Mountain Heritage Center
The Mountain Heritage Center, a regional museum located on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC, has been collecting quilts and related textile tools of the Southern Appalachian region since 1975. Forty quilts included in the Quilt Index, dating from 1830 to 1975, are representative of the museum's regional collection of over 500 textile-related artifacts.
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New England Quilt Museum
The New England Quilt Museum, founded in 1987 and located in the historic district of Lowell, Massachusetts, owns over 300 antique and contemporary quilts, quilt tops, and quilt-related objects.
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North Carolina Museum of History
The North Carolina Museum of History houses the archives of the North Carolina Quilt Project (NCQP). Concentrating on quilts made before 1976, the NCQP documented more than 10,000 quilts in 76 documentation days in 1985 and 1986. Featured on the cover of North Carolina Quilts, published by UNC Press (1988) featured this North Carolina Lily quilt.
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Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, Colorado, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the art and history of American quilts and quiltmaking, by providing outstanding exhibits and educational resources to the public. The quilts in our permanent collection and all related documentation are housed at the Museum.
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Signature Quilt Pilot Project
The Signature Quilt Project began in 2003 and documented a series of signature quilts. In 2009, with the support of the Salser Foundation, the SQP became the pilot project to test new IMLS-funded tools for individual quilt submissions to the Quilt Index.
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South Africa
The South Africa Quilt History Project (SAQHP) is a trans-national research project to facilitate a network of individuals and institutions committed to creating access to digital texts and images related to South Africa's rich heritage of quiltmaking. The project endeavors to join forces with and augment the work of the South African Quilters'; Guild that has focused on documenting historical quilts. The SAQHP aims to provide, through the Quilt Index, a centralized, freely- accessible repository for South African quilt history and a means for museums, guilds, individual researchers, quilt owners and quilt artists to contribute information to that repository.
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State Historical Society of Iowa
The State Historical Society of Iowa houses the Mary A. Barton Collection, documenting the creation of quilts from 1840-1920. SHSI also holds documentation for over 2500 quilts registered with the Iowa Quilt Research Project.
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Tennessee State Library
The Quilts of Tennessee survey began in late 1983, focused on documenting quilts made in Tennessee prior to 1930, and recorded 1,425 quilts. Continuing documentation has increased the collection. Tennessee State Library and Archives serves as the public repository for the physical collection.
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln
The Nebraska Quilt Project (NQP) began in 1987 and resulted in registration of over 3,000 quiltmakers and almost 5,000 quilts made in Nebraska or brought to the state by homesteaders or pioneers before the 1920s. Records now reside in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections.
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University of Rhode Island
RIQDP documented more than 800 quilts in sixteen documentation days between 1992 and 1997. Led by faculty and staff in the Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design Department, the project surveyed quilts in public and private collections made and/or used in Rhode Island before 1949.
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University of Texas at Austin
Images and information for the Texas Quilt Search and the Winedale Quilt Collection will be included in the Quilt Index. The Texas Quilt Search project documentation will be preserved at the Center through its Winedale Regional Center for the Quilt.
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West Virginia Department of Archives and History
The West Virginia Heritage Quilt Search, Inc. was established in 1990 to document quilts made prior to 1940. In 1992, 42 documentation days were held throughout the state, resulting in 4204 documented items. Records are housed at the Archives Library located in the Culture Center at the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, WV.
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Western Pennsylvania Quilt Documentation Project
Recording quilts as tangible evidence of women's creativity and history, this project is operating under the auspices of the Beaver County Historical Research & Landmarks Foundation. The five year project began in 2009 and encompasses the 10 counties of southwestern Pennsylvania (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland).
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Wilene Smith Private Collection
My goal has been, and continues to be, to find and collect, preferably in original form, everything that has ever been published about quilts and quiltmaking, with an emphasis on the identities, sources, and evolution of published quilt designs throughout the 19th century and the first three quarters of the 20th century. (Left: ca. 1880 quilt block, unidentified pattern, Somerset County, PA)
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Wisconsin Quilt History Project
The Wisconsin Quilt History Project was created in 1988 to document the stories of quilts and their makers. More than 20 years and 7500 quilts later, a dedicated group of volunteers is still recording the stories in the stitches. The Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts has grown out of this effort, and houses the documents plus many donated quilts and textiles.
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Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc.
The Wyoming Quilt Project (WQP) was established in 1994 and recorded 2800 quilts by December 2009. There was one team of 8-10 people each time who documented quilts in the summers, mostly in the south, east and middle of the state, until 2002. From 2002 forward quilts were documented only in Laramie, WY.
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We are now accepting applications from new contributors. Download application materials as PDF files here:
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