Current Exhibits

April 5 to July 9, 2013
The complex quilts of Emiko Toda Loeb are composed of Log Cabin blocks and are often two-sided. Regina Alexandra quilts reflect the spare sensibilities of the modern quilt movement. Each artist's quilts will open your eyes to new possibilities.

For the curator's statement about the exhibit, click here. Click on their names for more about Alexandra and Loeb.

The National Quilt Museum's main gallery is made up of quilts from the Museum's own collection. Currently, the Museum has over 320 quilts from over 350 different quilt makers in our collection. At any given time, 50-60 of these quilts are on display in the gallery for the public to view. The rest of the collection is housed in our temperature and humidity controlled vault.

Our collection is made up of some of the most extraordinary quilts ever produced. The majority of the quilts in our collection are award winners from regional and national contests. Others have been chosen for a number of different reasons including their uniqueness or their historic relevance. The collection is quite diverse, including quilts of many different styles from quilters throughout the world. If you would like to get information on the collection, the Museum produces a collection book with information on each of the quilts. The book is available through our online shop.

How do we choose the quilts for our collection? The Museum received thousands of submittals for collection consideration each year. A collection committee made up of well respected quilters and appraisers makes the final decision on which quilts will ultimately become part of the collection. Only one exception to this process exists. Each year the winning quilts at the AQS Paducah Quilt Show are added to the Museum's collection without having to go through the typical process for selection.

We take great pride in quality and diversity of the Museum collection and we will continue to expand it as time goes forward.

Click here to purchase our collection book.

The museum's collection became available online in partnership with the Alliance for the American Quilt through the Quilt Index. To see all of the museum's quilts, visit www.quiltindex.org.

The miniature quilt form has grown in popularity and sophistication over the past several years. These quilts are made to scale as any quilt would be; they are simply smaller in scale. As a general rule, to be considered a "miniature quilt" a quilt must be no more than 24 inches in diameter.

The Museum's miniature quilts are part of our collection. While we do rotate them from time to time, 40-50 miniatures will be on display in their own special section of the main gallery any time you visit.

The first reaction people have when they see these tiny wonders is, "Oh, Wow!" says National Quilt Museum founder Bill Schroeder. "No better words could describe this remarkable collection of miniature quilts. The more carefully you look at them, the more you will agree."

Displaying miniature quilts in a Museum atmosphere requires special lighting so visitors can fully experience the art form. The lighting that aluminates our miniature quilt collection was made possible in part by the Paul D. Pilgrim Memorial Fund.
If you would like to learn more about miniature quilts, a companion book entitled "Oh, Wow! The Miniature Quilts and Their Makers" is available in our online store.