My Quilts, Our History Contest to Celebrate 15th Anniversary

January 16, 2008

Asheville, North Carolina - The nonprofit Alliance for American Quilts announced a contest closely tied to its mission of preserving and sharing the stories of quilts and their makers.

The AAQ is turning 15 this year, so quilts entered into the My Quilts/Our History contest must measure 15 inches square. Quilters can choose whatever techniques and materials they like, as long as the contest quilt evokes some aspect of the maker's personal quilt history. "These quilts could showcase a quilter's trademark designs and techniques or serve as a tribute to a special teacher or other mentor," said Amy Milne, executive director of the Alliance for American Quilts. "We hope people will interpret the contest theme as creatively as possible."

Finished quilts must be postmarked no later than July 15, along with an entry fee ($10 for AAQ members, $25 for non-members). All the My Quilts/Our History quilts will be displayed at the organization's website,www.centerforthequilt.org , and are expected to travel to several national venues for exhibition, including the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Alliance members will vote to pick the contest winners, with top prizes including a Pfaff sewing machine, a year's supply of Mountain Mist batting, and a package of quilt-design software from The Electric Quilt Company. All quilts become the property of the AAQ, which will auction them off next fall to support the nonprofit's quilt history projects.

To obtain the complete contest rules and an entry form, go to the homepage of the Alliance, www.centerforthequilt.org. (If the rules haven't yet been posted, contact Meg below or e-mail information@quiltalliance.org. )

The contest is one piece of a year-long celebration that will include the announcement of new projects; a revamping of the Alliance website; a membership drive and other new initiatives to raise the AAQ's profile. In 2007, the Alliance ran a well-regarded contest and show called Put a Roof Over Our Heads to mark the transition from a founder's home to a freestanding office. The 74 house-shaped quilts made for the contest were auctioned off recently, and earned more than $10,000 for the organization.

This national nonprofit is notable for showcasing both vintage and modern quilts through its online projects. These include the Quilt Index, a vast and growing database displaying thousands of historic quilts, and Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories, an oral history project containing interviews with more than 650 distinctive quilters, from top prizewinners to dabblers with fascinating tales to share. Other Alliance projects include the multimedia Quilt Treasures, portraits of pioneers in the quilt renaissance, and Boxes Under the Bed, which helps people document quilt ephemera.

A great way to follow all the developments in this anniversary year is through the free e-mail newsletter now available by going to the AAQ's homepage, www.centerforthequilt.org.

(This press release is accompanied by a downloadable version of the contest rules and entry form. Feel free to publish the contest logo from this file.)

Any questions? call or e-mail Meg Cox. meg@megcox.com or 609-924-9135

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