What do you look for when you’re on a road trip? Local shops, restaurants, and quirky attractions are fun, but my favorite travel stops are museums—and quilt museums are the best of all.
There are quilt museums scattered throughout the US, and this Summer, I visited five of them. I started traveling south and west from Ohio, teaching along the way and gathering desert inspiration for some upcoming designs as I traveled through Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, back into Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana.
This route allowed me to visit the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky; the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, Colorado; the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska; the Missouri Quilt Museum in Hamilton, Missouri; and the Iowa Quilt Museum in Winterset, Iowa.
Today, I’m sharing an overview of each Museum. Over the next couple of months, I’ll periodically post more detailed posts about exhibits. The museums are listed in the order I visited them.
The National Quilt Museum
Location: 215 Jefferson Street, Paducah, Kentucky 42001
Website: https://quiltmuseum.org
The National Quilt Museum has a permanent collection and temporary exhibits, and you will likely see a mix of both when you visit. After walking through the lobby, you enter an ample gallery space with areas sectioned off for smaller special exhibits. There are galleries to the right and left of the main gallery that typically hold 1-2 exhibits each.
Take advantage of the Oh, Wow! exhibit featuring miniature quilts from their collection in front of the main gallery. The quilts in this space and throughout the museum are changed out frequently, so every visit is a new experience.
Located in Paducah, Kentucky, the National Quilt Museum is a must-see location during the annual American Quilters’ Society shows, so I visit at least once a year. Quilts receiving purchase awards during the AQS Paducah show are added to the museum’s permanent collection, and you often see several on exhibit during QuiltWeek.
I was excited to see my quilt, Infused Plaid, in the main gallery this spring. This quilt was the first Modern Quilt added to the museum’s permanent collection, and I love visiting it!
If you are planning a trip to Paducah, you may want to check out my previous posts:
- Shopping In Person at Hancock’s of Paducah!
- Make the most of Quilt Week in Paducah with 5+ Fun Things to Do Around Town (2024)
- 1 Show, 3+ Spaces: How to manage your time and accomplish it all at AQS Paducah (2024; If you are planning to travel during a quilt show)
- 5 Engaging Quilty Activities in Paducah When You Aren’t at the Big Show (2023)
The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum
Location: 200 Violet Street, Unit 140, Golden, Colorado 80401
Website: https://www.rmqm.org
The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum includes two gallery spaces and a small but intriguing gift shop filled with fabrics, books, and notions.
Exhibits During My Visit:
During my visit, the larger of the two galleries held a juried show with the theme of evolution, giving participants room for interpretation. It was delightful to see the different topics and techniques the artists used to tell their stories through the theme.
The smaller gallery held Thorns & Spikes, which included work from quilt artists located in the four corners states representing their location.
(Photographs from inside this museum are not permitted online)
The International Quilt Museum
Location: 1523 N. 33rd Street, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583
Website: https://www.internationalquiltmuseum.org
The International Quilt Museum, housed on the University of Nebraska campus, was the most extensive museum I visited this Summer. Quilts are displayed over three floors, with most galleries on the second floor.
Exhibits During My Visit:
Sue Spargo: A Journey in Quilting
This exhibit, located in an intimate first-floor gallery, included numerous quilts by Sue Spargo featuring her intricate combinations of appliqué and embroidery stitches.
Rebound, Renew, Reimagine: The Manhattan Quilters Guild
The artists in this exhibition created quilts to celebrate returning to the world following the epidemic. Each quilt was the same size and displayed on low, angled pedestals rather than the wall. This positioning created a pleasant viewing angle and helped create a more intimate environment with the quilts.
Best of Show: Nebraska State Fair Quilts
I love watching quilting trends evolve, and this exhibit beautifully showcases how our quilting aesthetics have changed over the years by sharing many of the quilts that won the coveted Best of Show Prize at the Nebraska State Fair over the past few decades.
Option Expedition by Victoria Findlay Wolfe
You need to experience this exhibit in person! If you’re traveling close to Lincoln this year, plan your side trip now. Victoria Findlay Wolf developed this unique group to work together while maintaining their individuality. It is a fantastic feeling to be encompassed by this collection of quilts.
Feed Sacks: An American Fairy Tale
I’ve always thought the history of using feed sacks in quilting and other sewing was interesting, but I wasn’t expecting this exhibit to be this stellar. The way the exhibit moves through the history and different uses of feed sacks is engaging and inspiring, even if you don’t do much upcycling in your work.
Second Chances: Upcycled Modern Quilts
Inspired by the impulse to reinvent the materials you have on hand, like the items created from feed sacks in the previous exhibit, the Lincoln Modern Quilt Guild members created Modern Mini Quilts using upcycled materials.
The Missouri Quilt Museum
Location: 300 East Bird Street, Hamilton, Missouri 64644
Website: https://www.missouriquiltmuseum.com
Situated in a repurposed school, this museum houses three stories of quilts tucked into former classrooms. This new museum uses the space’s preexisting structure, including information handwritten on the chalkboards, to tell the story of the quilts and other items in the collection.
The Missouri Quilt Museum is just a short walk or even shorter drive from Missouri Star Quilt Company, making this a perfect quilt-focused trip!
The exhibits are extensive and include:
- Quilts from Jenny Doan of the Missouri Star Quilt Company
- Stellar Crazy Quilts
- Vintage sewing machines
- Miniature doll quilts
- Hundreds of toy sewing machines
Also, check out the world’s largest spool of thread in front of the building!
Can’t make it to Hamilton to visit the Missouri Quilt Museum and Missouri Star? Click the link below for 20% off almost everything in your Missouri Star order of $50 or more!
Iowa Quilt Museum
Location: 68 E Court Avenue, Winterset, Iowa 50273
Website: https://www.iowaquiltmuseum.org
The Iowa Quilt Museum is tucked into a historic building in downtown Winterset. The primary gallery features different shows throughout the year.
The Exhibit During My Visit:
Twisted: Modern Quilts with a Vintage Twist
Curated by Mary Kerr
The quilts in this exhibit started with blocks and other incomplete quilt components that Mary Kerr reimagined into finished quilts with a Modern twist.
Iowa Quilt Festival
I was lucky enough to time my visit during the annual Airing of the Quilts during the Iowa Quilt Festival. So, I met up with friends and saw tons more quilts all over town, including quilts hanging on a couple of the famous bridges of Madison County!
More to Go!
It was my first time visiting four of these museums, and I still have many more on my wishlist. Let me know your favorite quilt museum so I can add it to my aspirational travel list!
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