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Wyoming Quilt Project, Inc.

The Wyoming Quilt Project was incorporated in 1994 and documented over 2800 quilts as of December 2009. This was the only quilt documentation group in the state of Wyoming. The project aimed to document 3000 quilts which resided in Wyoming as it continued to educate quilt owners and quilt groups in Wyoming about the rich history inherent in quilts and the respect due quilt makers as artists and craftsmen. We anticipate reaching our 3000 quilt goal in the near future.

The documentation included an in-depth analysis of each quilt to record observations of how it was made, and forms filled out by the owners documenting who made it and why. Oral histories were taken when the quilt maker was available and willing. We also distributed printed information to each quilt owner about proper care of historic quilts. The Project was largely self funded but support was received from the Wyoming State Quilt Guild (wsqg.org), Cheyenne Heritage Quilters and other quilt groups and individuals which helped greatly to cover the cost of the project.

The dates of quilts documented in Wyoming range from 1808 to the present. We tried to limit our search to quilts made before 1940 but we wanted to include any American Bicentennial and Wyoming Centennial (1990) quilts. Quilts were either privately owned or housed in various museums throughout the state. Many of the quilts documented in Wyoming were made in other states and brought here. Part of our goal was to provide documentation for those states so their record can be accessed for future research.

Our photographic documentation included three 35mm color slides of each quilt: one of the entire quilt, one of the entire quilt with a color wheel held to the side of the quilt, and one a close-up of a block or interesting section. We also took two color photographs of the entire quilt: one for the quilt maker and one for the Project's records. We added a digital camera in 2004.

The Wyoming Quilt Project gratefully acknowledges all documenters, site coordinators and people from the local area who so generously gave of their time throughout the years to work on this project. Our documentation days could not have occurred without the dedication and hospitality of many quilt groups throughout the state.

Quilt Index Project Directors: Judy Knight, Anne Olsen, Wendye Ware

The Wyoming Quilt Project includes collections from these museums:
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
Carbon County Museum
Ft. Caspar Museum
Laramie Plains Museum
Little Snake River Museum
Old West Museum
Rock Springs Historical Museum
Texas Trail Museum
Wyoming Pioneer Memorial Museum
Wyoming State Museum



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