International Quilt Museum

10/09/2026

We were pleased to host Linda Kay Platt last week, who visited the IQM for the first time to see her mother’s award-winning quilt!

Made by Darlene Scow in Salt Lake City, Utah, this piece won Best in Show at a Mountain Mist Quilt Contest in 1983. She won a $10,000 prize and a free cruise vacation, while Mountain Mist took ownership of the quilt and used its likeness in advertisements. The family never saw the quilt again until this year, when they discovered it was here at the International Quilt Museum as part of the Mountain Mist Collection.

We are always happy to reconnect people with their family’s quilts, and we’re thrilled Linda made the trip to Lincoln.

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Martha’s Vineyard (Mountain Mist Pattern #28)

Darlene Scow

Made in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States; dated 1983

Cotton

IQM 2012.015.0017

10/03/2026

Thanks to everyone who joined us during First Friday to learn about Why Arts and take part in our “Pieces of Us” collaborative art project! And a special thank you to Why Arts for spending their time with all of us. It was so fun to see everyone’s creativity on display!

Remember, First Fridays happen monthly and are always free. Be sure to join us next month for a presentation about Quilts of Valor!

10/01/2026

Dr. Yoshiko Wada returns to Textile Talks on Oct. 7!

Carrying on from her Textile Talk in February, Wada will examine the pieces included in the International Quilt Museum’s past exhibition, "Boro: The Hidden and the Visible in Japanese Mended Textiles." Using each piece as a springboard for discussing the techniques and materials embedded in boro textiles, she will also highlight connections to larger concepts, such as notions of beauty vs. utility, the importance of kinship ties, and the dichotomy of ‘inside’ vs. ‘outside’ in Japanese culture.

Textile Talks are always free! These online panel discussions and presentations are held every Wednesday at 2 p.m. EST on Zoom. Textile Talks are brought to you by Studio Art Quilt Associates, Quilt Alliance, Surface Design Association, and the International Quilt Museum.

Register at go.unl.edu/wada

09/29/2026

On Oct. 2, join the IQM for a special First Friday with WhyArts!

WhyArts Executive Director Mary Kingslan Gibilisco will discuss why access to the arts matters, WhyArts' particular commitment to people with disabilities and other underserved populations, and how the organization's teaching artists adapt experiences for people of all ages and abilities.

Guests can then take part in a quilt-inspired collaborative art project. Each participant will receive a 5"x5" canvas and materials to create their own design. The canvases will then be combined to create a larger, quilt-like piece of art.

WhyArts is an Omaha-based arts organization that provides inclusive, accessible arts experiences to underserved communities.

First Fridays are always free! Enjoy free gallery access from 4-7 p.m. Presentations begin at 5:30 p.m.

09/28/2026

For our Quilt of the Month, we are sharing a piece that highlights a quilting style unique to Miami Valley, Ohio, around the turn of the 20th century. Appliquéd and inscribed, quilts like this were often given as gifts to commemorate life's milestones and to share folk-art designs.

Gertrude Olinger Arnett made this piece for her only son, Jesse Arnett, in celebration of his twentieth birthday. Jesse's date of birth is embroidered on the banner suspended from the eagle's beak near the center. Also notice the embroidered initials included throughout the quilt representing close family members.

This piece was on display at the IQM as part of "Common Threads: Album Quilts of Ohio's Miami Valley" in 2023. It entered the museum's permanent collection in 2016.

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Jesse Arnett Quilt

Made by Gertrude Olinger Arnett

Made in Ohio, United States; dated 1912

Cotton

IQM 2016.014.0016

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Each month, we showcase a special quilt from our collection in our Quilt of the Month newsletter. Sign up today to have the Quilt of the Month and the latest event information sent straight to your inbox!

To subscribe, visit internationalquiltmuseum.org/newsletter-subscription.

09/24/2026

On August 26, IQM Education Coordinator Lindy Clausen received the Arts for Everyone Award, recognizing her excellence and leadership in creating arts activities for youth in the Lincoln community.

Lindy joined the IQM in 2023 after spending several years teaching in public schools. Since then, she has joyfully brought textile arts and quiltmaking to local classrooms, afterschool clubs, and summer camps. In addition to her work outside the museum, she also helps coordinate a variety of cultural celebrations and art projects at the IQM that strengthen community and introduce new people to the world of quilts.

The Lincoln Arts Council presented this award as part of their annual Lincoln Arts Awards. Operating under the theme “Making a Splash,” this year’s awards championed “artistic excellence and community impact.” Read more about this year’s winners and the Lincoln Arts Council at artscene.org.

We are so grateful for Lindy’s contributions to the IQM! Congratulations on a much-deserved award!

09/19/2026

Tonight's textile show-and-tell was an absolute blast! We are so grateful to everyone who shared their textiles and stories with us, and to all who supported our contribution to Lincoln Welcoming Week.

And congratulations to our student guests from UNL and Saitama University who've spent the past couple of weeks working on "American Creativity Continued: 1870s to 1970s" as part of a textile-focused museum exhibition course. It's exciting to see your work finally on display!

09/18/2026

Some scenes from this week's exhibition installation with students from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Saitama University in Japan!

These students have been working on “American Creativity Continued: 1870s to 1970s" as part of an annual textile-focused museum exhibition course. This cross-cultural curation experience is part of an ongoing partnership between the International Quilt Museum, UNL’s School of Global Integrative Studies, and Saitama University.

It's always a highlight to work with these students! And don’t forget to join us on Friday (Sept. 18) from 5-7 p.m. for the opening of this exhibition and our annual Textile Show-and-Tell!

When: Sept. 18 from 5-7 p.m.

Where: The International Quilt Museum is located on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's East Campus at 1523 N. 33rd Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Cost: Free admission

Learn more at go.unl.edu/showandtell

09/15/2026

Join us Friday (Sept. 18) for our 3rd annual International Textiles Show-and-Tell!

As part of Lincoln Welcoming Week, this event celebrates the textiles and stories of Lincoln’s global community. Enjoy FREE admission, access to all IQM galleries and refreshments.

We’ll also unveil the exhibition “American Creativity Continued: 1870s to 1970s,” curated by students from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Saitama University in Japan as part of a textile-focused museum exhibition course.

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📆 Sept. 18 from 5-7 p.m.

📍The International Quilt Museum is located on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's East Campus at 1523 N. 33rd Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.

🎟 Free admission

09/11/2026

"In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, thousands of people around the world stitched their grief into fabric. Together, they created a memorial quilt honoring each of the 2,977 victims, a sprawling tribute now preserved at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's International Quilt Museum."

Read more about the "United in Memory 9/11 Victims Memorial Quilt" here:

The university's International Quilt Museum is home to the United in Memory 9/11 Quilt Project, a memorial consisting of 142 massive panels containing an individual block for each victim of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "It really does tell and illustrate the entire story and the scope of 9...