2011 is almost over! How is it that the older we get, the faster the years seem to scroll by?

There are only four more days to see PATIENCE TO RAISE THE SUN: ART QUILTS FROM HAITI & THEIR POWER TO CHANGE WOMEN'S LIVES. These are wonderful pieces by women in Haiti helping their families by making one-of-a-kind art quilts for sale abroad. The PeaceQuilts project in Haiti, founded by Martha's Vineyard resident Jeanne Staples, is one of those rare examples of synergy, a great idea joining up with talent and hard work to create something wonderful in the world. If you haven't already been in to see the exhibit, drop by before it closes at 2 PM on New Year's Eve, December 31st. But even after the exhibit closes, the PeaceQuilts initiative will continue its good work in Haiti. Visit their website at www.haitipeacequilts.org to learn how you can help.

As noted above, the museum will close at 2PM on New Year's Eve. We are then closed for our winter break from January 1st through the 18th. On January 19th, we kick off our 25th Anniversary Year with CAMPAIGNS & COMMEMORATIVES, a fascinating retrospective on political quilts made from 1780 to 2008. How better to relieve the too-frequent stress of strife and silliness in a national campaign year than by enjoying some wonderful quilts? Won't you join us?

In the meantime, we at the New England Quilt Museum wish you and yours a safe and very happy New Year. See you in 2012!

~ Maureen Smith, PR & Marketing Manager

Join us this Saturday for a book-signing with Salley Mavor, author/illustrator of Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes.

It took Salley ten years to develop her own fabric relief techniques. She embroiders and sews illustrations, each scene taking nearly a month to complete. In this book, she renders a new and visionary nursery rhyme world with precision and intricacy that generations of your family will treasure for years and years to come.

We're especially thrilled to have her here this year, since we're planning to exhibit her wonderful, whimsical scenes in a very special exhibit as part of our 2012 holiday celebrations.

Come do your holiday shopping at our one-day 20% OFF sale in the museum gift shop. Enjoy holiday refreshments, visit the Holiday Express model train and quilted village (children admitted FREE on Saturday) and have Salley Mavor autograph one of these wonderful books for that special child on your gift list.

ALSO ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10th:

Our exclusive cotton blend blanket, based on an 1850s feathered star quilt in the Permanent Collection, is specially priced for one day only: $75.

A generous 60" x 80", this fully-reverisible, machine-washable blanket makes a fabulous holiday gift!

Hello!

As we prepare to launch into our Silver Anniversary year in 2012, it seemed a fitting time to polish up and improve our website. (Twenty-five years ago our Founding Mothers probably couldn't have imagined the idea of a website, nor would they have had the faintest idea what a "blog" was!) 

We're hoping this new look will be easier to read, easier to navigate and easier to update. We want you to feel welcome, both on this website and (of course) at the New England Quilt Museum. To that end, we hope you'll post friendly comments and suggestions here. 

More than anything, we hope to see you at NEQM, Showplace for Antique and Contemporary Quilts. The museum is a landmark in the heart of America's historic textile producing region. Over the past twenty-five years, thousands of visitors have strolled the museum's galleries and taken part in classes, special events and ongoing programs.

What unites us all is our love of this wonderful art form. Quilts are like snowflakes: no two are exactly alike. Each quilter brings her own inspired eye to the creation of her piece. The New England Quilt Museum showcases the very best in antique and contemporary quilts in the hope of inspiring a new generation.

Keep watching the website for news of upcoming exhibits and special events. We very much hope to see you soon!