Travel

From the City of Arlington, TX: "Step into Jane Austen’s world at the Arlington Museum of Art! Celebrating the author’s 250th birthday, this free exhibition features costumes and jewelry from Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Emma (2020). Dressed for the Drawing Room: Fashion in Jane Austen’s World is open now through March 22, 2026, at 1200 Ballpark Way in Arlington’s Entertainment District."

From the Museum of Fine Arts Boston: "In rural Chinese villages today, women are creating dynamic patchwork textiles, as their mothers and grandmothers did before them. This art form, which evolved from ancient Buddhist and Daoist customs of monks dressing in patched rags to project a sense of humility, is rooted in practicality, with the fabrics serving as bed and window covers, door curtains, and children’s clothing. The vibrant abstract compositions demonstrate creativity and fine artistic sensibilities that flourish far beyond the borders of established Chinese art canons."

From the Museum at Texas Tech University: "Step into the elegance, drama, and timeless style of Downton Abbey™ with Dressing the Abbey, an enchanting exhibition featuring thirty-six original costumes worn by the stars of the critically acclaimed television series."

There's been lots of news lately regarding the Houston International Quilt Festival and Quilt Market. We have the latest news, straight from Quilts, Inc.

Mood Fabrics has opened a brand new store in Houston, Texas. The storied fabric store, famous for being the spot where contestants from Project Runway shop, recently opened their new location this past weekend. "Step inside 9,000 sq. ft. of designer fabrics, trims, and endless creative inspiration. Whether you sew, design, or craft, this is your new happy place." And the best part? It's only a few miles away from the convention center, so when you visit the Houston International Quilt Festival next year, there'll be a new place for you to shop!

Please enjoy this walk through of the Sacred Threads 2025 Exhibit that was on display from October 30, 2025 through November 9, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. "Sacred Threads is an exhibition of art quilts exploring themes of joy, inspiration, spirituality, healing, grief and peace/brotherhood. This biennial exhibition was established for quilters who see their work as a connection to the sacred and/or as an expression of their spiritual journey."

Patricia Belyea and Victoria Stone, co-owners of Okan Arts, invite you to join them on their 2026 Blue Japan Indigo Tour to give you, "a more in-depth understanding of indigo, as well as memories for a lifetime." What does that include? Well, here's just a small sampling of the adventures you'll go on: "You venture into the mountains to dye indigo at a 13th-generation family business that makes huge koinobori. You go behind the scenes at a banner factory to dye a koi wall hanging. You tour an indigo farm in Tokushima Prefecture. You make paper embellished with indigo at a famous washi factory. You wander Kojima Jeans Street, the heart of Japanese denim. And more!"

From the Fashion and Textile Museum: "This exhibition is a celebration of sixty years of Cosprop’s creativity and a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes of this celebrated costume house. Through stunning costumes, accessories and sketches, the visitor will learn the design and making process from script-to screen. Leading costume designers and actors will share their thoughts on favourite costumes, showing how Cosprop brought these magical moments to life."

That's right, not one, but TWO brand new exhibitions are now open at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY. The first, Quilts of Valor: Countdown to America250, "celebrates the semiquincentennial and features quilts that showcase custom QOV patriotic quilt panels commemorating this historic American milestone." While the second, Charles Cameron: A Curious Modern Quilter, shows how Cameron "employs curiosity to explore modern elements, color and value using a mix of precision and semi-improv techniques."

From the National Trust: "Famous actress Ellen Terry wore this shimmering dress in the 1888 production of Macbeth. Decorated in more than 1,000 beetle wings, it was even immortalised in a painting by John Singer Sargent."

From the International Quilt Museum: "On Sept. 10, join us for a gallery talk of the exhibition “30 Variations and 2 Arias: A Tribute to JS Bach” with French quilt artist Anne Bellas! Learn about these incredible quilts from the artist and enjoy free access to the exhibition as well as refreshments. In this exhibition, Bellas reimagines Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” through a collection of 32 textile paintings, each corresponding to a single variation of the celebrated score. Using fabrics inherited from her great-grandmother—transformed through her own processes of dyeing and printing—Bellas creates works that merge personal memory with the universal language of music. The gallery talk will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 10 in the IQM’s Pumphrey Gallery."

From Ricky Tims: "The Colorado Quilting Council has their Quilt-a-Fair in September. I'm happy to announce that I have curated an exhibit of quilts from my personal collection for that show. Quilts by Yvonne Porcella, Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry, Libby Lehman, David Taylor, Kestrel Michaud, Susan Cleveland, Pam Holland, Helen Godden, and many more. Most are miniature quilts, but several are larger. The event is September 25th, 26th, 27th at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Rd, in Longmont, CO."

A new exhibit entitled Light and Movement, focusing on the works of Marianne R. Williamson, is now open at the New England Quilt Museum. "Light and movement have been recurring themes in Williamson’s work for nearly 45 years since she embraced textiles as her artistic medium. Williamson’s work reflects a life dedicated to art and a mastery of diverse fiber art techniques." See these stunning quilts while you can, because the exhibit closes in less than a month.

Every year the Houston Quilt Festival puts up amazing exhibits highlighting different types and genres of quilts amongst the award winners. This year is no different, and Bob Ruggiero of Quilts, Inc. wanted to give you a sneak peek of one of the ones coming. He says, "One of the more interesting and thought-provoking exhibits will surely be “Soul Stories.” Curated by noted and innovative art quilters and instructors Luana Rubin and An Marshall, it features works by visionary art quilters who intertwine the narratives of human existence with a meaningful blend of myths, legends, archetypes, stories, spiritual influences, and science.​" Click through to learn more about the exhibit, and to see some of the quilts that will be featured as part of it.

From the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts​: "Rosemary Ollison: Know My heart features the complex textile oeuvre of Milwaukee-based artist Rosemary Ollison. In her eighties, Ollison has been making art in her home environment for thirty years. This exhibition will be Ollison’s first-ever solo museum exhibition."

From Loïc Prigent: "Discover the behind-the-scenes of the exhibition dedicated to the house of Worth at the Petit Palais! Who is Charles Frederick Worth? Who is Marie Venet? How can a fashion house last a century? For months, our cameras had exclusive access to the staging of this major retrospective. We followed every step, from the restoration to the final installation of the iconic pieces created by the father of haute couture."

From the National Quilt Museum: "Learn how Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s approach to designing eye-popping quilts with bold colors, shapes, and patterns is often inspired by flying 30,000 feet in the air! All this and more can be seen on the video of her artist talk for her exhibition, Option Expedition, which runs through September 9, 2025."

The Frist Art Museum​ in Nashville, TN​ is currently showing the Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston​ exhibit, which showcases "nearly 50 remarkable examples of quilts and coverlets made from the 18th century up to 2021​." As part of that exhibit, you can see Virginia Jacobs’ Krakow Kabuki Waltz, "a monumental 7‑foot‑diameter quilted sphere."

Everything and anything can be material for your next project. Just as we've seen flowers be turned into stunning floral beds that resemble quilts, so too can those same flowers be used to adorn and create lavish garments. This concept has been executed with beautiful precision for the exhibit, Fleurs de Villes Downton Abbey, which "will immerse guests in the refined elegance and captivating drama of Downton Abbey, brought to life through exquisite floral artistry." Learn more about the stunning exhibit and where you can see it on full display as it travels to ten cities across three countries​.