Beginning in 1987, Quilt Discovery Days were held all over the state of Wisconsin, revealing a wealth of quilts both made in Wisconsin and brought here by their owners. In 1999, ninety-eight of these quilts were featured in the book Wisconsin Quilts: Stories in the Stitches, by Ellen Kort. The book received the Wisconsin Library Award. In 2001 the WQHP purchased an 1850s farmstead near Cedarburg, Wisconsin, to facilitate their mission to educate the public about quilts and fiber arts, to preserve the data gathered in the quilt searches as well as their growing collection of textiles, and to preserve the farm buildings themselves. This has become the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts.

Partnering with the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Art in Cedarburg, the Historic Indian Agency House will have a Wisconsin quilt documentation day, The purpose of this project to to document and tell the stories of quilts in Wisconsin, both new and old, to add to the project. Did you know that this project now has over 80,000 freely-accessible and searchable records of quilts (from public and private collections, including over 250 museums) and hundreds of related stories, photos, publications, and ephemera?

We hope that you, as a contributor to/and or user of this project Index, or perhaps as someone who champions women artists, textile history, regional quilt documentation projects, or other facets of the Index, will take a moment and consider how you might support the Index in adding your quilt story to the project.  

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED by emailing materialgirl@wi.rr.com. Maribeth Schmit, of the WMQFA will set up ½ hr. appointments with no more than 4 appointments per person. The charge is $15 per quilt. Maribeth will send out paperwork to those with appointments via email before the event. Clients complete the paperwork prior to their appointment and bring along to the appointment.

We hope you will be a part of this program!