Marking milestones, occasions, and events have always been an important part of quilting. From weddings and births to wars and politics, quilters have long used our sewing skills to mark memorable times. But commemorative quilts hold more power than simply remembering a date on a calendar.

Warm Remembrances: Quiltmaking and Memory Making is not just about the quilts we make to mark the meaningful moments in our lives. It’s also about the way we remember those events and how we can make memories more permanent through quilts. Is memory always crystal clear? Is history always remembered today? And how does the physical nature and artistic design of a quilt shape the ways we experience memory?

Warm Remembrances explores these ideas in four narrative sections that grow as you navigate through the exhibition. The first section, Personal, focuses on individual memories. Next, in the Family section, we expand our focus to learn about quilts commemorating events in the home. Our focus expands again in the Community section, which has quilts about memories that shaped communities of people or specific locations. Finally, we’ll look at our remembrances of global events, leading all the way up to the present day.

These themes are crucial to the work of the Quilt Alliance, which works to preserve the stories behind quilts, primarily through oral histories. Without the work of the Quilt Alliance to capture the memories of these quilts, their stories could be lost to time.

Curated by: Laura Hopper

Website by: Emma Parker

Sponsored by: Moda Fabrics & Supplies

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