Quilt History, Museum Secrets, and Why Your Quilt Label Matters with Carolyn Ducey of the International Quilt Museum
Megan FowlerOriginally recorded as an episode of The Quilt Scouts Podcast
Some quilt conversations make you want to sew.
Some make you want to immediately book a road trip.
And some make you want to go label every quilt in your house before future quilt historians silently judge you.
This episode is absolutely all three.
In this conversation, I sat down with Carolyn Ducey, retired curator of collections at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska, to talk about quilt history, museum preservation, what it takes to care for thousands of quilts, and why the stories behind quilts matter just as much as the stitches.
This episode was originally recorded as part of The Quilt Scouts Podcast, before Quilt Scouts became Quiltbound. You’ll hear the old name in the recording and transcript, but this conversation fits perfectly in the Quiltbound world: curiosity, history, preservation, storytelling, and honoring the quilts that came before us.
Also, consider this your official nudge to label your quilts.
Lovingly.
But seriously.
Listen to the Episode
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Episode Overview
In this episode, Carolyn shares what it was like to spend 27 years working with the International Quilt Museum’s collection, first as curator of collections and later as the Ardis B. James Curator of Collections.
We talk about how the museum acquires quilts, how exhibits are researched and rotated, why quilts need special care, and what visitors can expect when they walk through the doors.
Carolyn also shares practical quilt preservation tips for anyone storing heirloom quilts at home, plus a mini masterclass on quilt labels, provenance, and why the “why” behind a quilt is often the hardest part to recover.
This episode is a dream for anyone earning the Quilt Historian Badge, planning a visit to the museum, researching family quilts, or simply wanting to better understand why quilts deserve to be preserved as historical objects.
Meet Carolyn Ducey
Carolyn Ducey spent 27 years at the International Quilt Museum, where she worked with new acquisitions, exhibition research, collection care, and the museum team responsible for preserving and documenting quilts.
Her role involved everything from reviewing donation offers to helping decide which quilts entered the collection, researching exhibition labels, and working with volunteers who help care for the museum’s quilts.
And when we’re talking about care, we’re not talking about a small linen closet situation.
The museum holds around 9,000 quilts, plus thousands of related objects like patterns, tools, materials, and quilting-adjacent treasures. Its collection represents more than 64 countries, which makes it a true international quilt resource.
That is a lot of quilts.
That is also a lot of folding.
What Makes the International Quilt Museum So Special
The International Quilt Museum is not just a place where quilts are hung on walls.
It’s a research-based museum that treats quilts as art, history, cultural objects, personal records, and global expressions of textile work.
Carolyn explained that one of the museum’s core missions is to build a global audience that appreciates quilts in all their forms. That includes American quilts, yes, but also quilts, patchwork, and related textile traditions from around the world.
One thing I found especially interesting is that the word “quilt” does not always translate neatly across cultures. In some places, people may not respond to the word quilt, but they immediately understand patchwork.
That little distinction says so much.
Because once you start looking globally, quilt history becomes much bigger than one style, one country, or one narrow definition.
Why Quilts Belong in Museums
One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is that quilts hold history in a way few objects do.
Carolyn talked about how quilts preserve women’s work, family stories, economic history, artistic trends, textile production, and the everyday lives of people who may not appear in traditional historical records.
Quilts can tell us about cotton, trade, fashion, labor, family milestones, social movements, and personal grief or celebration.
They are practical.
They are artistic.
They are deeply human.
And unlike a lot of historical objects, quilts are intimate. They were made to be touched, used, wrapped around people, gifted, displayed, washed, repaired, and passed down.
That’s part of what makes them so powerful.
A quilt can be a document.
A quilt can be a protest.
A quilt can be a love letter.
A quilt can also be the thing your kid drags into the living room to build a fort.
And honestly? All of that matters.
What Visitors Can Expect at the Museum
If you’re planning a visit to the International Quilt Museum, Carolyn says to give yourself at least a couple of hours.
Some people stay all day.
Some come back for multiple days.
Relatable, honestly.
The museum usually has several exhibitions up at once, and visitors may see around 100 quilts during a visit. The exhibits rotate often, so you will not see the exact same museum twice.
Carolyn also shared that the building itself is part of the experience. The museum, built with major support from Robert and Ardis James, has a beautiful glass front, gallery spaces filled with quilts, a gift shop, outdoor artwork, quilt gardens depending on the season, and even windows where visitors can sometimes see collection work happening behind the scenes.
Volunteers may be refolding quilts, preparing pieces for display, reviewing objects, or doing the kind of quiet preservation work that keeps a collection alive.
That detail made me so happy.
A quilt museum with actual quilt work happening inside feels exactly right.
Don’t Miss the West Gallery
Carolyn gave one very practical museum tip:
Do not miss the West Gallery.
Apparently, because the museum is so careful about light exposure, the galleries can look dark when no one has walked through recently. The lights are motion-sensitive, so a hallway may look like it leads nowhere when it actually leads to one of the biggest exhibition spaces.
Tiny museum adventure.
Follow the bridge.
Find the quilts.
The West Gallery is where the museum’s largest exhibitions often live, so make sure you keep going.
The 250th Anniversary Exhibition
Carolyn also shared a preview of the museum’s large 250th anniversary exhibition, which will explore 250 years of quilt history through 250 objects.
The show will include patriotic quilts, red, white, and blue quilts, flag quilts, and pieces that explore how quilts have functioned in people’s lives as documents of history, protest, identity, and expression.
One especially exciting piece Carolyn mentioned is a huge quilt by Luke Haynes made from recycled materials found at Goodwill. It is so large that the museum had not been able to show it before, so they planned to use the reception hall as part of the exhibition space.
That feels like one of those “worth planning a trip around” moments.
And with so many museums exploring American history around the 250th anniversary, it will be really interesting to see whether quilting experiences another wave of renewed interest, much like Carolyn remembers happening around the Bicentennial.
How to Preserve Quilts at Home
This section of the conversation had me mentally scanning every quilt in my house.
Carolyn shared several practical tips for preserving quilts, especially heirlooms or pieces you hope will last for future generations.
Watch the Light
Light is one of the biggest threats to textiles.
Natural light is especially damaging, but Carolyn made it clear that any light can affect quilts over time. Even a small sliver of sunlight through a curtain can create fading.
If you display quilts, rotate them.
Let them have time out in the world, then give them time away from light.
This is also true for your fabric stash. Those gorgeous shelves organized by color may be cute, but if light is hitting your fabric, you could end up with fading before the fabric ever becomes a quilt.
A tragedy, honestly.
Refold Quilts Regularly
One of the most common issues Carolyn sees in historic quilts is permanent creasing from being folded the same way for too long.
Those fold lines can eventually become hard creases that are almost impossible to remove.
If you store quilts folded, refold them occasionally along different lines.
Museum volunteers do this constantly with the collection, and while none of us have 9,000 quilts to manage, the same principle applies at home.
Store Special Quilts in Archival Boxes
For heirloom quilts, Carolyn recommends archival storage boxes and tissue designed for textiles.
The goal is to protect the quilt from weight, light, dust, and environmental shifts.
Avoid storing important quilts in attics or basements, where temperature and humidity can swing wildly.
Store them in the part of the house where you actually live.
Basically, if you would not want to hang out there for several decades, your quilt probably does not either.
Decide What the Quilt Is For
This part felt so important.
Not every quilt needs museum-level preservation.
Some quilts are meant to be used. Some are meant to be loved hard. Some are meant to go on picnics, build forts, or survive couch life.
And some quilts are heirlooms.
Carolyn’s advice is not “hide everything forever.”
It’s to decide what the quilt is for.
If it is an heirloom, protect it.
If it is an everyday quilt, let it be an everyday quilt.
Both choices are valid.
Why Quilt Labels Matter So Much
This might be my favorite part of the whole episode.
Carolyn got on her soapbox, and I am so glad she did.
Her message was simple:
Label your quilts.
Future historians, family members, museum curators, and curious descendants need more than “I think Great-Aunt Whoever made this sometime around maybe the 1930s.”
They need names.
Dates.
Places.
Stories.
Carolyn recommends including:
- Who made the quilt
- Where it was made
- When it was made
- Who it was made for
- Why it was made
- Any special details about the fabric, pattern, colors, or design choices
The “why” is especially important because it is often the hardest thing to recover later.
Why did you make it?
Why did you choose those fabrics?
Why did you change the pattern?
Why does one block look different?
Why did this quilt matter?
Those are the details that bring a quilt to life.
Sign the Front, Label the Back
Carolyn also made a point that I absolutely loved:
Sign the front of your quilt like an artist signs a painting.
Then add the full label to the back.
That one hit me right in the “quilters need to claim their work” feelings.
We put so much time, skill, taste, and decision-making into quilts. Why hide the maker completely?
A quilt label on the back can hold the full story, but a small signature on the front says, “I made this.”
And that matters.
Quilt History Is Detective Work
Carolyn shared some incredible stories about researching historic quilts, including quilts linked through family relationships, shared fabrics, church sewing groups, and even letters written by the person who received a quilt.
One story involved a quilt made for Anne Reese by the First Baptist Church Sewing Society in the 1840s. Carolyn eventually found copied letters that included Anne writing about receiving the quilt and what it meant to her.
Can you even imagine?
A quilt, a name, a church group, a letter, and suddenly history opens up like a trapdoor.
That is why labels and documentation matter so much. Without a name, without a place, without the story, the trail can go cold fast.
With even a few clues, a quilt historian can start piecing things together.
Tiny pun intended.
Virtual Ways to Visit the Museum
Not everyone can hop in the car and head to Nebraska, although after this episode, I am personally feeling very road-trip vulnerable.
The good news is that the International Quilt Museum has several virtual resources.
Online Collection Database
The museum has thousands of quilts available online through its searchable collection database.
You can search by maker, date, pattern name, keyword, material, style, and more. Carolyn mentioned that when you hover over images, you can zoom in and really study the details.
That is dangerous information for anyone who enjoys a research rabbit hole.
Virtual Exhibitions
The museum also puts exhibitions online using virtual gallery tools, so you can move through an exhibit almost like a virtual house tour.
You can click on quilts, read labels, and zoom in.
This is such a gift if you cannot visit in person, or if you visited and want to revisit an exhibit from home.
YouTube and Textile Talks
The museum also has a YouTube channel where talks, lectures, and Textile Talks are archived.
Textile Talks began during 2020 and continued because people loved them so much. They are hosted in partnership with several textile organizations and offer a free way to keep learning about quilt and textile history from home.
World Quilts Resource
Carolyn also shared the museum’s World Quilts resource, which was created to help people learn quilt history at an approachable level while still offering deeper links and sources for anyone who wants to keep researching.
It includes sections on topics like American quilts, Amish quilts, the James collection, 1930s quilts, and more.
Basically, if you need a quilt history rabbit hole, the museum website is waiting with snacks.
Metaphorical snacks.
You’ll need to provide your own trail mix.
A Perfect Episode for the Quilt Historian Badge
Inside Quiltbound, the Quilt Historian Badge encourages members to explore quilt history, research a historic quilt block, learn more about a family quilt, or visit a quilt museum.
This episode is such a perfect companion to that badge.
You could use it as a starting point to:
Research a quilt in your family
Visit the International Quilt Museum in person
Explore the museum’s online collection
Watch a Textile Talk
Search the Quilt Index
Study a historic quilt pattern
Finally label the quilts you’ve already made
Honestly, that last one might be the most powerful first step.
Carolyn’s Best Advice for Quilt History Beginners
Start with the museum website.
Search by the topic that interests you: a pattern, an era, a material, a maker, or a style.
Then compare examples.
Look for quilts with known makers, dates, and places, because those become benchmarks. Once you study enough examples, you start noticing patterns in fabric, color, style, size, and construction.
Carolyn also recommends exploring the Quilt Index, which collects quilt documentation from museum collections, state quilt history projects, and other sources.
In other words, you do not have to know everything to begin.
Start with one quilt.
One block.
One question.
Follow the thread.
Resources Mentioned
International Quilt Museum:https://www.internationalquiltmuseum.org
International Quilt Museum Online Collections:
Searchable database available through the museum website.
International Quilt Museum Virtual Programs:
Available through the museum website.
International Quilt Museum YouTube Channel:
Recorded lectures, Textile Talks, and educational programming.
World Quilts Resource:
Available through the International Quilt Museum website.
Quilt of the Month Newsletter:
Search “Quilt of the Month” on the museum website to sign up.
The Quilt Index:https://quiltindex.org
Quiltbound Badge Club:https://quiltbound.com
Related Quiltbound badges:
Quilt Historian, International Quilt Museum, Quilt Photography, Quilts of Valor, Picnic on a Quilt
Note: This episode was originally recorded before Quilt Scouts became Quiltbound, so some older names, links, and references appear in the audio and transcript.
About The Quiltbound Podcast
The Quiltbound Podcast is a cozy, campfire-style quilting podcast for quilters who want more creativity, confidence, and connection in their quilting lives.
Episodes explore quilting skills, creative ruts, tools, design, community, quilt history, outdoor adventures, and the small moments that help us grow one stitch at a time.
You’ll find solo episodes, quilter interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and plenty of permission to follow a quilt history rabbit hole so far that you forget what you originally searched for.
Episode Transcript
Below is the full transcript from this episode of The Quilt Scouts Podcast for accessibility and reference.
Note: This episode was recorded before Quilt Scouts became Quiltbound, so the transcript uses the original Quilt Scouts language to match the audio. Since this was an unedited transcript, I recommend removing the early setup notes, repeated starts, and behind-the-scenes production comments before publishing.
