Fiber & Quilt Museums Throughout the World

There are some great fiber and quilt museums throughout the world. These museums include a plethora of different historical and contextual displays. In this post, we pick out a few of our favorite fiber and quilt museums throughout the world. 

Fibers & Quilt Museums in North America 

Here are some of the fiber and quilt museums that you might want to visit in the United States:

San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles 

This is one of the most comprehensive collections of quilts and textiles around. The permanent collection has over 1200 pieces and includes historical quilts, modern quilts, and other fabric items from cultures throughout the world. In addition to its permanent collection, the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles has regular exhibits throughout the year.

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Winterthur Museum

This is a museum and gardens located in Winterthur, Delaware. This museum is not just limited to quilting and textiles, but also features functional furniture and artwork from different cultures, including the Shakers. Not only does the museum have a luxurious collection of arts and textiles, but they also feature a rich calendar of events throughout the year. 

Southeastern Quilt & Textile Museum 

The Southeastern Quilt and Textile Museum is located in Carrollton, GA. This museum features many different contemporary quilt and textile designs. One popular project of the museum included having people submit images of quilting projects that they had completed during the pandemic.

Kona Hawaiian Quilt Museum

The Kona Hawaiian Quilt Museum has a unique focus on Hawaiian culture, showcasing some of the beauty and color of quits produced on the islands. Some designers and quilters featured include Ric Stark, Phyillis Cullen, Reta Hill, and others.

Kalona Village Museum 

The Kalona Village Museum is located in the small town of Kalona, Iowa. Each year in September, the museum has their annual fall festival that features quilting exhibits and other unique exhibits. Some of the more historical quilt designs include pieces by the local Amish culture, as well as a recreation of the old Kalona village. 

Fiber & Quilting Museums in the Europe

Museum of Textiles of France

This is a large museum that occupies 9,000+ square meters and displays around 6,000 items at any given time. It displays everything from furniture to tapestry art and has items from the Medieval period to the modern day. This museum is located in France. 

Quilters Guild Museum in York

Even though this monumental museum is closed to the public during the remainder of 2021 and possibly in 2022, their collection remains viewable online. This is the flagship showing program of the Quilters Guild of the British Isles and has many beautiful items for you to view online to incorporate into your own design practices.

The Welsh Quilt Center

The Welsh Quilt Center has many unique Welsh quilts for you to view. Their exhibitions are paused until March 2022. When they reopen, you will be able to view Welsh quilts from 1800 to 1945, just one cornerstone of their collection. 

Helmshore Mills Textile Museum 

This is a mills textile museum in Lancashire, UK. This is a very interesting place to visit if you are interested in the history of fabrics, especially learning how they were put together during the Industrial Revolution. 

Other Fiber & Quilt Museums Throughout the World 

There are several other quilting and fabric museums throughout the world. Here are a few more that you might find enjoyable. 

Izumo Museum of Quilt Art 

This is a museum of quilt art in Japan. You will find quilts that are exquisite and resemble paintings in their ornate detail. They offer a beautiful view of the surrounding gardens, also. 

Textile Museum of Jakarta 

This textile museum in Jakarta shows historical fabrics that have a traditional role in the cultural life of Indonesia. 

Sanskriti Museum of Textiles 

This is a museum in India that is dedicated to the preservation and study of the Indian fabric tradition. Here you will find examples of different fabrics and designs that are not necessarily found in many of the mainstream areas of Indian fabric study. 

Iceland Home Industry Museum 

This is the Iceland museum for textiles and fabrics. You will encounter the different machines, fabrics, and handicrafts that are part of Icelandic culture. A unique part of the museum shows how wool is processed from sheep to finished product. 

I hope you enjoy this article! If you know other quilt museums that you can share, please write them on the comments so I can add them to this post.

Museo Textil de Oaxaca, México: https://museotextildeoaxaca.org/historia/ A few years ago, they had a display of Bill Stecher’s quilts: https://museotextildeoaxaca.org/una-senda-de-edredones/

A fiber art museum that truly deserves a mention here is in La Conner WA. Located in a beautiful building in a cute little northwestern town. Well worth a visit. https://www.qfamuseum.org/

Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, Colorado. 200 Violet Street, Unit 140 Golden, CO https://www.rmqm.org/ The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum is a cultural and historical quilt museum in Golden, Colorado. The permanent collection contains over 800 quilts dating back to the 19th century. The museum is also home to the Sandra Dallas Library and a gift shop.

The New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA

The Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Hooked Rug Museum of North America in Hubbards, Nova Scotia

Home to the world’s largest publicly held quilt collection is the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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