American Quilt Study Group Civil War Quilts

 The American Quilt Study Group (AQSG) is a nonprofit quilt research organization with over 1,000 members in the U.S. and abroad. AQSG establishes and promotes the highest standards for interdisciplinary quilt-related studies. Membership is comprised of traditional and contemporary quilt artists, quilt lovers, historians, collectors, dealers, museum curators, appraisers, and students of women's studies.

An increasingly popular part of AQSG's activities is its biennial Quilt Study, which challenges members to replicate, either exactly, or as an interpretation, quilts of a specific style or period. Last year's theme required that every inspiration quilt be identifiable as a 'Civil War Quilt'  made between the years 1850-1865. Participants determined their own construction methods for their projects based upon information available about their original quilts.

The New England Quilt Museum is proud to display 25 of these unique study quilts, each accompanied by a photograph of the original and a statement from the quilt maker describing why she chose the inspiration quilt, what techniques she used to construct her own quilt, and what she learned in the process. Three of the study quilts on display were inspired by quilts in the Museum's permanent collection. These are displayed side-by-side in the Donahue Gallery with other authentic Civil War Era quilts.