Frame Work

The main galleries of Quilt House are receiving a fresh coat of paint this winter in preparation for the grand opening of our new addition (slated for June 2015). In the meantime, we are inviting guests to visit the museum to view other displays free of admission now until the galleries reopen on February 6, 2015.

There is plenty to see and do--including trying your hand at quilting on a frame in our Reception Hall. Using a frame donated by a friend of the museum and a quilt top from the personal collection of one of our curators, a few of our staff members and volunteers went to work assembling the new hands-on display last week.

Mary Ann and Mary assembled the frame in the eye of the needle (our Reception Hall). Then removed the old denim on the stand.

Which they replaced with fresh muslin.

Then they pinned the quilt top to the muslin.

And rolled the quilt--with the help of Carolyn and Stacey--to stretch the top. Stretching the material over the frame (which can be re-rolled to accommodate the whole top) gives greater ease for quilting.

With that the quilt is ready for visitors to quilt.

We'll be sure to share updates on the quilt's progress on our social media pages.

Have any of you quilted by hand on a frame? What advice would you offer up to anyone trying it for the first time?

Inaugural Community Quilt Drive Kicks Off

Quilts come with a lot of connotations. They are works of art, examples of expert craftsmanship, snapshots of lives and invaluable pieces of history.

They also offer warmth. As the weather turns colder here in Nebraska, our team wanted to do something to share the warmth we have at Quilt House with those in need. That is why we are collaborating with Phi Delta Theta to collect quilts for People's City Mission this holiday season. On December 19, we will deliver the quilts to the shelter for distribution. 

The mission offers shelter to people from all kinds of backgrounds ranging in age from infants to adults. We are accepting quilts of all sizes to meet the needs of their guests. The quilts will be distributed to the guests, who will get to keep them once they move on to their new homes. The quilts are something that will truly become theirs. 

Since beginning the drive last week, we have already received a number of quilt donations from visitors and volunteers here in Lincoln as well as deliveries from places like New Hampshire and New Mexico. They have come in all shapes and sizes and colors.

Today we are looking forward to a visit from our partners at Phi Delta Theta, who have been equally busy gathering quilts to donate to People's City Mission. Be sure to check our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for more photos as the quilts arrive.

If you are interested in donating a quilt to the People's City Mission, please deliver or ship it to:

Quilt House Attn: Quilt Drive  

1523 N. 33rd St.Lincoln, NE 68503

We appreciate the generosity so many of you have already displayed.