Teri's Travels: White Bluffs Quilt Museum

If you follow our blog, you know that I (Teri) have been sharing some of our quilty stops during our cross-country road trip in July. Often, when I travel with my husband, we make a deal: I go to a quilt shop and he gets to pick a BBQ restaurant. (It's a win-win for me!) One day, I scored a visit to a quilt museum as we drove through Washington state. What a fun stop that was! When I arrived at the White Bluffs Quilt Museum in Richland, Washington, I was greeted by Marlene Martin, who began showing me around. Before long, Jenny Treadway, the director, arrived to prepare to teach a class of children to make a quilt. I wandered while they worked, chatting with them and learning about their organization.

Marlene and Jenny

Jenny took the time to explain that the museum is a repository for the National Quilt Index; it is a location for documenting and photographing quilts and recording their history. This is a vital way to preserve and promote the art of quilting. White Bluffs Quilt Museum was founded in 2007—"Preserving and Teaching the Textile Arts." Indeed, Jenny told me that her focus is on teaching. She said that some of the kids that take classes there have been with them for years. It was clear as I was talking with these ladies that they could easily garner a following as they shared their passion for the needle crafts. 

The class they were preparing was to introduce children to machine sewing. Each child would get a packet with everything they would need, and at the end of the class, they each would receive a bag of fabric, so they could start a stash. Most of the kids who were coming had parents who didn't sew, so this way they would have some fabric to use to keep them sewing. What a brilliant idea!

Jenny said that the children must be at least eight years old to take the classes; they found that six is a bit too young. They have enough adults volunteering during the classes to have a ratio of 2 children to 1 adult, and all the kids use the same machine. Jenny stated that they enjoy teaching the kids. I'm sure that the kids enjoyed her class as well!

 

Exhibits of quilts and textile arts rotate on a regular basis. I saw a wide variety of needle artifacts, as well as many tools on display during my visit. Both of the above coverlets were made in 1846 by an itinerant weaver, who had a loom on the back of a wagon.

The handmade, silk, hooked rugs on the left date to the early 19th century.

 

Weaving skills are among the classes taught here.

 A display of spindles and other spinning tools 

Crazy quilt

Racks of quilts are available for purchase.

The library has over 1000 books about textile arts.

The large loom on the left is on the national registry. Jenny teaches weaving, and members are invited to use the on-site equipment, including the looms, spinning wheels, and sewing machines. 

Marlene explained that they get ends from the Pendleton looms to make rugs.

If I didn't live 3000 miles away, I might be tempted to add weaving to my skill set!

Items made by members were available for sale.

If you live near Richland, Washington, you might want to check out their Fiber Fest on October 18-19, with demonstrations, classes, and exhibits.

I so appreciated the time Marlene and Jenny spent chatting with me about this wonderful organization, especially as they were busy preparing for their class of kids. If those children feel their passion and caring as much as I did, we can be assured that we will have a whole new generation of quilters coming out of Washington!

Thank you, Jenny and Marlene, for sharing your love of needle arts with those in your community! I am honored to have had the opportunity to visit you and learn about all that you are doing to promote the textile and fiber arts.

What about you, Friends? Do you have a needle artists' resource near you? Please share in the comments below, so that we can all benefit from those places we may not know exist!