The Project

Since its
establishment in 1994, The Massachusetts Quilt
Documentation Project has documented over 7,000 pre-1950
quilts originating or currently owned in this state.
Dozens of historical societies and hundreds of private
owners have been served.

MassQuilts encourages the study and
preservation of quilts and demonstrates that these
textiles convey important insights about the lives of
Massachusetts women from the colonial period to the
present.

Our volunteer effort produced
a book and an exhibition at the New England Quilt Museum to
provide information about the rich history of quilts in Massachusetts.

Quilt owners receive:

A copy of the documentation report including an
approximate date, description of the fabrics, construction and patterns

A photograph of the quilt

A special label to attach to the quilt signifying
its inclusion in the documentation project

Instructions on the care of antique quilts

In Eastern Massachusetts:

MassQuilts holds documentation days at the
New England Quilt Museum, 18 Shattuck St in Downtown Lowell
on the second Thursday of each month by reservation only. $10 members/$15 non-members.
Call 978-452-4207 X 15 to make an
appointment.

Some of our many loyal volunteers
after a meeting in Belchertown, MA to discuss the content of our
book

Marjorie Childers researches the
pattern name while Helen Bardwell counts the number of quilting
stitches in each inch on a mid-nineteenth century "star and
crescent" quilt documented at the Worcester Historical Museum by
a MassQuilts volunteer team