Virginia Quilt Museum

The Virginia Quilt Museum promotes a unique blend of art and cultural heritage. With three floors of gallery space the museum celebrates the beauty of quilts through exhibitions, programs, and classes. Historical, modern, art, and traditional quilts are featured simultaneously, allowing visitors the opportunity to explore the variety of styles, techniques, themes, and artistry found in quilts.

Exhibits

Beyond the Blue: Contemporary Cyanotype Quilts by Sue Reno.
Sue Reno has spent decades practicing the art of botanical cyanotype printing on fabric. These quilts are the results of long and repeated study of specific plants and trees and their life cycles. They reflect the transient seasonal nature of the plants, the effects of weather and insects on their forms, and how they are integrated into their environment. They are a strong call for conservation of the natural world and its resources, as she believes we are more moved to action when we take the time to observe and appreciate.

My Journey Through Quilting by Josephine Millett.

Handsomely Hand Done: Hand Quilted Treasures from the Virginia Quilt Museum.
Marvel at the artistry that can be accomplished with quilting in this exhibition featuring 14 pieces from the Virginia Quilt Museum’s collection. With pieces as old as the 1820s and as new as 2000, this exhibition explores how hand quilting has evolved over time. From straight lines, feathers, double wreaths, cross-hatching, and stippling the quilting on these pieces is amazing. Grab a provided magnifying glass and take a close look to see how tiny and even the stitches are!

Quilts in Reverse.
The front of a quilt gets all the glory, but often the backs have stories to tell as well. Quilt backs can show how the quilt was assembled,some backs include extra squares that weren’t needed for the front, or sometimes there is no back and it’s a double-sided quilt. This mini-exhibit highlights 6 quilts from the Virginia Quilt Museum’s permanent collection that have interesting backs. Come see the other side of quilting.

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