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Timeline of The Quilters' Guild
2024 - The Quilters' Guild is 45
Members across the country celebrate our 45th Anniversary.
2019 - The Quilters' Guild Museum Collection is awarded Arts Council Accreditation
Accreditation is important to us because it shows that our collection is being properly managed and governed. It also lets people know that anything they donate to a collection will be accessible to the public and will be looked after ethically.
2019 - Staying Home, Staying Safe
Guild members joined together to make blocks that expressed their experiences during the Covid lockdowns of 2019.
2019 - 40th anniversary
We made party hats and celebrated with a birthday tea at St. Anthony's Hall in York and a special lecture from Heather Audin, The Guild's Curator. Her lecture, Exploring Four Decades of The Quilters' Guild Collection coincided with the launch of our new book, Forty: The Evolution of a Collection. Celebrations continued at Festival of Quilts.
2018 - The 1718 Silk Coverlet is 300 years old
The 1718 Silk Patchwork Coverlet is one of the earliest known dated patchworks, and is constructed in the mosaic patchwork tradition of piecing over papers. The Coverlet was in the possession of the Brown family of Aldbourne, Wiltshire prior to purchase by The Guild in 2000, but unfortunately no details about the maker, 'E.H' have been discovered. More Information
2017 - Talking Quilts HLF funded project completed
Talking Quilts is an oral history project that recorded, preserved and shared the stories of today's UK quiltmakers. The project ran from April 2014 to March 2017, recording over 180 interviews with quilters from across the UK. It was carried out by The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles and was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. www.talkingquilts.org.uk
2016- Online Guild Shop Launched
Knowing that our members and friends love The Collection, we decided to make our range of collection related items available online by launching The Quilters' Guild Shop
2015 - Increased access to the museum collection
We refocused The Collection following the closure of the Museum and Gallery in October 2015. We now provide exhibitions at events and appropriate venues, as well as offering curator talks where the public can see and learn about The Collection. These events give greater access and visitor numbers have increased.
2014 Modern Special Interest Group formed
Our Modern SI group was formed in response to all things Modern!
2009 - Our 30th anniversary
The Guild celebrated its Pearl anniversary, 30 years of patchwork and quilting, with an exhibition Pearls, Pearls, Pearls at the Quilt Museum and Gallery.
2009 - Awarded Museums Libraries and Archives Accredited Museum (MLA) status
In October 2009, the Museum achieved Museums Libraries and Archives Accredited Museum (MLA) status.
2008 - Our Quilt Museum and Gallery opened
Our Quilt Museum and Gallery opened in the wonderful surroundings of St. Anthony's Hall.
2005 - Traditional SI Group founded
Traditional group members love to quilt using methods ranging from hand quilted wholecloth to using precision machine cut fabric.
2004 - Silver Anniversary
To celebrate our Silver Anniversary The Guild commissioned a set of 25 works by contemporary makers was intended to act as a snapshot of patchwork and quilting at the time of The Guild's 25th Anniversary in 2004.
www.quiltmuseum.org.uk/collections/the-25-for-25-collection/
2003 - First FOQ held at the NEC
Following the success of our first Festival of Quilts, The Guild worked with a professional events company to hold the second Festival of Quilts, the first of many to be held at the NEC, Birmingham.
2003 - Miniature SI Group founded
We are a specialist group for all those who love making very small quilts. A true miniature should be 1/12th the size of a large quilt but a good description of a miniature is that when photographed it cannot be distinguished from a full-size quilt.
2002 Contemporary Special Interest Group founded
Contemporary Textiles (was Contemporary Quilt) are a diverse group of quilters and fabric artists at the cutting edge of quilt making. We like to work in textiles to create innovative and dynamic art.
2001 - Resource Centre Opened
The Resource Centre at Dean Clough was opened to house The Guild's growing heritage quilt collection and library. The Collection which focuses exclusively on quilts made in Britain was awarded full Museum status this year.
1999 - 20th anniversary
The Guild celebrated its 20th birthday with many events around the country. These events culminated in the first ever Festival of Quilts, held at the Indoor Cricket School at Lord's cricket round in London and organised by The Quilters' Guild.
1998 - British Quilt Study group founded
The British Quilt Study Group (BQSG) was our first Special Interest group founded in 1998. BQSG carries out and publishes research into all aspects of quilt making, historical and contemporary.
1998 - Name changed
WE became a limited company with the new title of The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles
1990 - First Guild office opened
1990 saw the opening of the Guild office at Dean Clough in Halifax, with paid staff. Prior to this, all work had been undertaken by volunteers from their own homes.
1990 - British Heritage Quilt Project
In 1990 we began the British Heritage Quilt Project. This UK-wide project documented domestic items of patchwork and quilting dated prior to 1960, and resulted in the publication of Quilt Treasures in 1995.
1983 - First registered as a charity
The Guild was registered as a charity in 1983 to assist in its fundamental work of education, and became a company limited by guarantee on 1 January 1998 with the new title of The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles.
1979 - First collection donation
The first donation to the Collection was the House Blocks Quilt, 1979; a block based piece made by members of The Quilt Circle, a group consisting of influential quilters and teachers such as Deidre and Jean Amsden. The blocks were made, raffled and won by Jean, who then made them into the quilt and donated it to The Quilters' Guild.
1979 - The Quilters' Guild was founded
The Quilters' Guild was founded in 1979 by a group of quilting enthusiasts and quickly grew to a founding membership of 300.
