Celebrate National Quilt Day on March 21st with WMQFA! There will be a variety of events throughout the day, including a guided tour of our current exhibition, Warmth, Comfort, Style, Fashion, & Fine Art: Quilts from the Pilgrim / Roy Collection, and a panel discussion.

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM: Guided Tour:

Engage in an exclusive tour of Warmth, Comfort, Style, Fashion, & Fine Art: Quilts from the Pilgrim / Roy Collection with WMQFA Senior Curator, Emily Schmelowitz. This tour will provide a unique behind-the-scenes perspective from a curator.

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM: Panel Discussion:

An insightful panel of various textile experts discusses what it means to collect quilts. Panellists will share their experiences, offer tips on starting and growing a collection, and explore the emotional and cultural connections that quilts foster, with time for Q&A at the end.

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM CST

Virtual Lecture Fee: $15 WMQFA Member / $20 Non MemberVirtual Lecture Description:

Enjoy this Virtual Lecture from the comfort of your home, and join us over Zoom with Deborah Boschert, as she shares her most recent art quilts and talks about developing her own personal style. Tons of examples of her favorite techniques, materials, and themes. She’ll tell stories about exciting collaborations, surprising discoveries and finding inspiration in unexpected places.

This lecture will be held exclusively on Zoom. Before the virtual lecture, registered attendees will receive an email with a link. The lecture will NOT be recorded for later viewing.

Program Fee: $10 WMQFA Members / $15 Non Members

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Program Description:

Join us for a special tour with artist Heidi Parkes of her WMQFA exhibition, Heidi Parkes: Soft Magic.

Please register in advance to secure your spot.

Lecture Description:

Author Judy Frater and will introduce her new book, Artisans by Design: An Odyssey of Education for Textile Artisans in India, on teaching design to traditional artisans in Kutch, India. Then she and two artisan designers featured in the book, Adil Khatri and Pachan Siju, will discuss traditions, the value of cultural heritage, their experiences of contemporary markets, and the impacts and implications of formal design education.

Tour Fee: $10/Members $15/Non Members

All proceeds go to supporting the Museum

Join us for an immersive experience as Takako Willden, a Niigata, Japan, native and Cedarburg local leads you through the gallery of Akiko's work!

Takako was instrumental in helping to connect Akiko Ike with the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts, and served as a fulltime translator during Akiko’s stay. She is now thrilled to share the knowledge she absorbed from the artist herself as she guides you through the gallery.

Photographs are welcomed, we just ask that you do not use a flash.

Guided Tour from 9am-10am

Workshop from 10am-Noon

Workshop Description: The day will start with a private tour led by Takako Willden through the gallery of Akiko Ike’s hanging work. Here, Takako, will explain Akiko’s unique technique and style by pointing out specific examples, and will be happy to take any questions from class participants.

This immersive experience will be followed by a two-hour workshop, where you have the opportunity to make one Chiku Chiku Kay Bag using the same Japanese cotton and special Sashiko thread dyed in Niigata, Japan that Akiko Ike herself uses. Takako learned the technique directly from Akiko while in Japan, and with Akiko’s blessing, she is able to offer this workshop here in Cedarburg Wisconsin! If you enjoy hand sewing, this is for you!

Kaya is a Japanese term for the material used in mosquito netting, which Akiko often recycles into her own artwork. The Kaya bags you will be making in class will be similar to a tote bag in size. The body of the bag will be Japanese Kaya (mosquito netting) material which you will personalize through chiku-chiku stitching.

• All the Kaya bag supplies will be provided (Kaya netting, Boro fabric, thread, needle)

• We will be Chiku-Chiku stitching the bag body and handles

Please bring a pair of scissors to cut your thread as you work. 

Participants can bring a sewing machine if they would like to try to complete the project during the workshop. Or they can take the bag body and straps home to assemble at a later time with a machine or through hand sewing. A sewing machine is NOT required.

*Extra Sashiko thread and other items from Akiko’s shop will be for sale during the workshop. Purchases must be made in USD cash (No ATM onsite) Please plan accordingly, Thank you*

Guided Tour from 6pm-7pm

Workshop from 7pm-8:30pm

Workshop Description: The evening will start with a private tour led by Takako Willden through the gallery of Akiko Ike’s hanging work. Here, Takako, will explain Akiko’s unique technique and style by pointing out specific examples, and will be happy to take any questions from class participants.

This immersive experience will be followed by a 1.5-hour workshop, where you have the opportunity to make two Chiku Chiku Coaster using the same Japanese cotton and special Sashiko thread dyed in Niigata, Japan that Akiko Ike herself uses. Takako learned the technique directly from Akiko while in Japan, and with Akiko’s blessing, she is able to offer this workshop here in Cedarburg Wisconsin! If you enjoy hand sewing, this is for you!

Please bring a pair of scissors to cut your thread as you work.

Teacher Biography: A native of Japan, Takako Willden is mostly a self-taught artist who enjoys learning from the experts. She loves to find ways to repurpose Boro fabrics from Japan and make them into something beautiful and useful. Takako learned the technique directly from Akiko while in Japan, and with Akiko’s blessing, she is able to offer this workshop.

Guided Tour from 9am-10am

Workshop from 10am-Noon

Workshop Description: The day will start with a private tour led by Takako Willden through the gallery of Akiko Ike’s hanging work. Here, Takako, will explain Akiko’s unique technique and style by pointing out specific examples, and will be happy to take any questions from class participants.

This immersive experience will be followed by a two-hour workshop, where you have the opportunity to make one Chiku Chiku Brooch using the same Japanese cotton and special Sashiko thread dyed in Niigata, Japan that Akiko Ike herself uses. Takako learned the technique directly from Akiko while in Japan, and with Akiko’s blessing, she is able to offer this workshop here in Cedarburg Wisconsin! If you enjoy hand sewing, this is for you!

Please bring a pair of scissors to cut your thread as you work.

Teacher Biography: A native of Japan, Takako Willden is mostly a self-taught artist who enjoys learning from the experts. She loves to find ways to repurpose Boro fabrics from Japan and make them into something beautiful and useful. Takako learned the technique directly from Akiko while in Japan, and with Akiko’s blessing, she is able to offer this workshop.

Friday, May 19, 2023

5:30pm to 7:00pm, talk begins at 6:00pm

$30/$25 WMQFA Members

Join us for an opening night celebration and gallery walk-through of the museum’s newest exhibit, given by exhibiting artist Akiko Ike. Immerse yourself in Ike’s incredible body of work in this first North American solo exhibition of the artist. The walk-through will be in Japanese with an English translator. Light refreshments will be served.

$30/$25 WMQFA Members

RESCHEDULED TO APRIL 22

Join Fabulous Fads exhibition Co-Curator Carol Butzke on a tour through the museum’s current exhibition, then be delighted with a trunk show featuring more treasures from Carol’s personal collection.

Join us on Friday, October 7, from noon–1pm CDT, for a free Zoom panel discussion with Counting Threads artists Libs Elliott, Audrey Esarey, and Erick Wolfmeyer. Learn about the artists’ incredible creative processes during a lunchtime talk moderated by WMQFA Senior Curator Emily Schlemowitz.

No fee or registration required, but donations are appreciated! Donations support programming and allow us to keep this event, and others like it, free of charge.

Program will be live via Zoom webinar and livestream through Facebook. Click here to join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84087539741

Description

Join Patricia Belyea as she takes you on an insider tour of the Tokyo Quilt Festival and on a virtual textile tour of Japan. Visit a chusen-dyeing workshop, an indigo master, a secret needle shop, the Kubota Museum, and more. Every step of the way, Patricia shares her textile-filled adventures. Patricai also shows some of her quilts made with Japanese yukata cottons. After her talk is a half- hour Q&A session for questions and comments.

Free Virtual Program: Friday, March 18 at noon CDT

Join us for a virtual conversation about WMQFA’s origins, based on the year-long oral history project conducted in 2021. This program will focus on the women who were interviewed and instrumental in the museum’s creation.

Donations, large and small, built WMQFA, and they are still appreciated! Registration is not required but donations allow us to keep programs like this free.

Click here to donate

The program will be live via Zoom and WMQFA’s Facebook.

Click here to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86991164264

This program is sponsored by grants from the American Quilt Study Group, Kohler Foundation, and Wisconsin Arts Board with support from the National Endowment for the Arts

Free Virtual Program: Friday, February 25 at noon CST

Join us for a virtual conversation about WMQFA’s origins, based on the year-long oral history project conducted in 2021. This program will focus on the museum’s transition and creating the museum you know and love today.

Donations, large and small, built WMQFA, and they are still appreciated! Registration is not required but donations allow us to keep programs like this free.

Click here to donate

The program will be live via Zoom and WMQFA’s Facebook.

Click here to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87966869762

This program is sponsored by grants from the American Quilt Study Group, Kohler Foundation, and Wisconsin Arts Board with support from the National Endowment for the Arts

Friday, February 18, 2022 at noon central time

Join WMQFA and Hooked by Design artists Tracy Jamar, Susan Feller, and Kris McDermet for a lively panel discussion about their work, inspirations, and more!

This program is free, but donations are appreciated. Click here to make a donation.

Join here via Zoom or watch live on Facebook. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85858230035

Hooked by Design and its programming are supported by Jan Schley and the Wisconsin Arts Board, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Free Virtual Program: Friday, February 4 at noon CST

Join us for a virtual conversation about WMQFA’s origins, based on the year-long oral history project conducted in 2021. This program will focus on the museum’s beginnings and the Wisconsin Quilt History Project.

Donations, large and small, built WMQFA, and they are still appreciated! Registration is not required but donations allow us to keep programs like this free.

Click here to donate

The program will be live via Zoom and WMQFA’s Facebook.

Click here to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84943403132

This program is sponsored by grants from the American Quilt Study Group, Kohler Foundation, and Wisconsin Arts Board with support from the National Endowment for the Arts

Friday, January 14, 2022 at noon central time

Join WMQFA and Hooked by Design artists Sharon Felten, Heather Goodchild & Ann Willey for a lively panel discussion about their work, inspirations, and more!

Registration is not required. This program is free, but donations are appreciated. Click here to make a donation.

Join here via Zoom or watch live on Facebook.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82292889298

Hooked by Design and its programming are supported by Jan Schley and the Wisconsin Arts Board, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Free Virtual Program: Friday, December 10, 2021 at noon CST

2021 is WMQFA’s 10th anniversary. Throughout the year, WMQFA has been collecting oral histories from past Board Members, volunteers, and Founding Mothers - all the people who envisioned and drove the effort that became the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts. Join us, FREE, for a special one hour zoom presenting these stories on Friday, December 10 at 12pm CST.

Donations, large and small, built WMQFA, and they are still appreciated! Your gift supports programs like this!

Click here to donate

The program will be live via Zoom and WMQFA’s Facebook.

Click here to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81303327740

This program is sponsored by grants from the American Quilt Study Group, Kohler Foundation, and Wisconsin Arts Board with support from the National Endowment for the Arts

Registration Closed at 4 p.m. CDT.

Thursday, September 2, 2021; 6:30 p.m. CDT

Join WMQFA as we open the Victoria Findlay Wolfe: Playing With Purpose exhibition with a special one-hour lecture with Victoria!

Victoria will give a lecture then take us on a tour of the exhibition, with time for questions from both the in-person and virtual audiences.

This hybrid event will feature limited in-person seating for WMQFA members and a virtual option for everyone.

$25 WMQFA members (virtual/ or in-person) or $30 non-members

Click here to register