Local Quilt Shop Day 2024 (US): Every year on the fourth Saturday of January, Local Quilt Shop Day, also known as Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day, is observed to honor the contribution of local quilt shops to the world. During this joyous occasion, quilters have the chance to repay the independent quilt stores that have been the source of their inspiration.
Local Quilt Shop Day illuminates the significance of quilt stores as unappreciated institutions that share a common purpose of connecting individuals and providing quilting materials. The thick quilts purchased from these stores are what keep us warm and cozy on chilly evenings. Celebrating the fact that quilt shops and quilters have been bringing communities closer together for centuries is the purpose of Local Quilt Shop Day.
The History of Local Quilt Shop Day
The Fabric Shop Network established Local Quilt Shop Day with the participation of 5,000 members across the globe, including proprietors of local quilt shops. The holiday was established to honor the tremendous contributions that regional quilt stores make to the communities they serve. More than 3,000 quilt stores are dispersed throughout the United States, supplying quilters in local communities with essential materials. Several states in the United States have formally recognized the holiday. Several U.S. states, including Idaho, Wisconsin, Colorado, Michigan, South Carolina, Alabama, and Illinois, had their governors formally proclaim January 23 as Local Quilt Shop Day in 2021. Quilting has a lengthy historical background in numerous regions of the United States.
In the state of Colorado, for instance, there are 71 quilt stores and the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Denver houses an extensive collection of over 500 quilts encompassing various styles. In a similar vein, the Great Lakes Quilt Center, housed in the Michigan State University Museum, is situated in Michigan. It contains more than 500 historical quilts that are aesthetically diverse and expressive. Quilting has played a significant role in the history of the United States.
Utilizing scrap materials, quilters produced inexpensive, much-needed blankets to provide warmth to numerous families during the Great Depression. The famous Quilts of Gee’s Bend, one of the most significant visual and cultural contributions to African-American history in the United States, were created during the civil rights movement. By stitching, the Freedom Quilting Bee Collaborative entered the annals of history. In the United States, the Bicentennial celebration of 1976 was also a turning moment for quilting. Quilts evolved into a means of demonstrating patriotism and accomplishment. Present-day museums throughout the United States house examples of these fabrics, which serve as poignant reminders of our nation’s history.
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FAQs for Local Quilt Shop Day
When is National Quilting Month observed?
The needlework community has designated March as National Needlework Month. The National Quilting Association has designated the third Saturday of March as National Quilting Day. However, the festivities were unofficially extended to encompass the entire month of March.
Inventors of textiles in America?
In the American colonies during the early Dutch and English colonial periods, quilting was introduced to the masses.
What is the nation’s earliest quilt?
The oldest American-made whole-cloth quilt is the Martha Howard Quilt, which was donated to the Canton Historical Society around 1910. A year after its rediscovery in 2008, accompanied by letters detailing its history, it was restored. Martha Howard concluded the quilt at some point during the years 1761–1787.
Local Quilt Shop Day 2024 (US) Activities
Compose a letter
Writing a heartfelt letter to your preferred textile shop, enumerating all how they have improved your life, is a way to express your gratitude. You may even have the opportunity to acquire valuable merchandise during the course. Annually, Fabric Shoppers Unite hosts a Local Quilt Shop Day Love Letter Contest, wherein participants have the opportunity to potentially win an item with their heartfelt letters.
Purchase it at a nearby textile shop.
Collect your wallet and prepare to embark on a delightful purchasing excursion at a nearby quilt shop. Accompany your beloved quilter and brighten their day by presenting them with some stash—and perhaps even by inspiring them to create your quilt. That is a win-win situation.
Commence quilting
If you have never sewn a quilt before, Local Quilt Shop Day is the ideal occasion to begin. We’re certain that the friendly employees of your local quilt shop will provide guidance and answer any queries you may have, even if you have no idea where to begin. If you are already an accomplished quilter, continue working on the quilt!
Five intriguing facts about quitting that you probably didn’t know
Historically, it was a rite of matrimony.
In specific regions of the United States during the 19th century, there existed a custom whereby unmarried females would sew quilts before their engagement to adorn their future spouses’ beds.
It has a contemporary appearance.
During the Victorian era, affluent women would embellish quilts with extravagant, vividly-hued fabrics as a display of their affluence.
Soldiers also do it.
Even though quilting is commonly associated with women, several male members of the United States military occupy the time by making “convalescent quilts.”
Alice Walker described it in her writing.
Walker authored the quilting-themed short story “Everyday Use.”
The sector generates billions of dollars.
Experts estimated that the quilting industry in the United States alone spent $3.7 billion in 2017.
LOCAL QUILT SHOP DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | January 27 | Saturday |
| 2025 | January 25 | Saturday |
| 2026 | January 24 | Saturday |
