The Truckee Meadows Quilters

The Truckee Meadows Quilters quilt club (hereafter referred to as TMQ or the Club) was organized in 1978 by local quilters and quilt lovers to promote quilting and to learn more about the art through study and sharing. TMQ incorporated in 1995 as Truckee Meadows Quilters, Inc. The group initially met during the day, then in 1980 an Evening Group meeting was initiated. Currently the Morning Group meets on the second and fourth Fridays and the evening group meets on the first and third Mondays. Each elects officers to handle administrative matters related to that entity.

TMQ held its first quilt show in 1980 at the Centennial Coliseum (now called the Convention Center), supported by a grant from the Nevada State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Other quilt show sites have included the Hall of Fame room at the Lawlor Event Center, Bally's Hotel Convention Center, and the Exhibit Hall at the Fairgrounds. For the first show the Club jointly made a quilt which was raffled off as a fund raiser, a tradition which has been followed for subsequent quilt shows. Shows beginning in 1989 have honored a featured quilter, a club member who has a significant body of quilt work or who has worked hard for the benefit of the organization.

Beginning in 1988 a portion of the proceeds of each show have been donated to charitable and cultural organizations of interest to the Club: Meals on Wheels, Crisis Call Center, Child Abuse Prevention Project, Casa D'Vita, Committee to Aid Abused Women, Care & Share, KNPB Channel 5, Children's's Cabinet McGee Center, Committee to End Domestic Violence, Nevada Heritage Quilt Project, Nevada Women's Archives Project, Habitat for Humanity, Churchill County Museum, Marjorie Russell Textile Research Center, Hospice of Northern Nevada, Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center, Meals on Wheels, Sparks Heritage Museum, and VA Hospital Spouse House. By the end of the 1998 show, the Club had donated $26,850 to such community groups.

The membership of the club feels a keen sense of social responsibility to their community. Over the years, TMQ has given quilts to such organizations as the Ronald McDonald House, McGee Center, Kid's Kottage, and VA Hospital. Since 1989 TMQ members have made over 2,000 small (24"x24") quilts for the neonatal units at St. Mary's Hospital and the Washoe Medical Center. These quilts are placed over the isolettes of infants whose stay extends beyond five days and goes home with the infant. The quilts help shield tiny eyes from the constant glare of bright lights and provide warmth and color in an otherwise sterile environment.

Truckee Meadows Quilters and its members frequently participate in community education opportunities. Classroom lectures, quilting demonstrations at parks and cultural events, and quilt exhibits at the downtown branch of the public library let the public know that the art of quilting is alive and well in Reno and Sparks.

TMQ is governed by an executive board consisting of a president, first vice president, vice president-elect, second vice president, secretary, and treasurer, elected at the Club's annual meeting; the chairs of the Morning and Evening Groups; and the chairs of standing committees. The second vice president serves as the chair of the annual quilt show. Four meetings of the entire membership are held during the year; the December meeting is designated as the annual meeting.

TMQ feels that education is an important function of the club and provides many opportunities through both the morning and evening groups and through special workshops featuring the talents of local quilters or nationally-known authors and teachers. The Club also owns a library of several hundred books on the subject of quilting and related topics, which is available for use by members. A monthly newsletter, The Newspatch, keeps members informed of events and activities of members.

One Club association of special note is the Nevada Heritage Quilt Project. Growing out of the membership of Truckee Meadows Quilters, the off-shoot organization Nevada Heritage Quilt Project joined a national movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s to document quilts in the state of Nevada, whether made here or elsewhere. The public was invited to quilt appraisal days where professional quilt appraisers evaluated each quilt and compiled a worksheet to permanently record the information. Photographs were also taken of each quilt. Records and photographs of the Nevada Heritage Quilt Project are now at the Nevada Historical Society.

 

Scope and Content

The records of the Truckee Meadows Quilters were donated by the Club to the Special Collections Department in 1992 and 1998 and consist of five cubic feet of materials, dating from 1980-1999. Materials such as membership rosters, scrapbooks, newsletters, quilt show materials, and block of the month packets are added as they are created. There are no restrictions on use of this collection.

TMQ grew out of a loosely-structured assembly of quilters into the highly organized corporation of today. Because of that early informal nature, few records exist for the earliest years. The oldest records in this collection are copies The Newspatch which began publication in 1981 and a brochure for the 1989 quilt show. Some of the earlier issues of the Newspatch are missing (or perhaps were never published) and some volumes are not dated. The newsletters are highly informative, providing details of club meetings and special activities, election results, minutes, and news of members. Currently the Special Collections Department receives The Newspatch on a regular basis.

One of the standing committees of TMQ is the position of Historian. Her responsibility is to document the Club's activities and members throughout the year. The historian compiles yearly scrapbooks which provide extensive documentation about the Club's activities, especially the quilts produced by members. In addition, scrapbooks contain clippings about the Club, members, and quilt-related events; lists of officers and members; quilt show brochures; correspondence; newsletters; and photographs of meetings and special events.

The series containing minutes of joint meetings is incomplete. Separate minutes exist for some years, while other minutes are found within issues of The Newspatch. Separate series contain minutes of meetings of the Morning and Evening Groups. Likewise, treasurers' reports are incomplete; some are found within Series 2 while others were printed in the newsletter.

Documentation of the annual quilt shows consists chiefly of Quilt Show Committee chair records, quilt show brochures, photographs, and newspaper clippings found within scrapbooks. Materials which provide instructions for putting on a quilt show have been retained by the Quilt Show chairperson (the second vice president).

Other Club records consist of some miscellaneous materials: block of the month packets, programs and brochures for special events, etc.

Together these records provide information on the revival of the art and craft of quilting in the Reno-Sparks region.

Processed by: Susan Searcy
Date: 1992; updated May 19, 1999

 

 

The records of the Truckee Meadows Quilters have been arranged in the following series:

1. Administration
2. Minutes and Treasurers' Reports
3. Correspondence
4. Quilt Show Brochures
5. Newsletters
6. Morning Group Minutes
7. Evening Group Minutes
8. Block of the Month Patterns
9. Miscellaneous
10. Scrapbooks

 

Series 1. Administrative Records. 1989-1998. 4 folders.

This series contains TMQ bylaws, membership rosters, and information packets distributed to new members when they join the Club. The collection of rosters is incomplete but lists of members were sometimes published in the Newspatch (Series 5) and occasionally included in the scrapbooks (Series 10). The new member packets contain a club history, general information, and pattern for making a needle holder. New materials are added yearly.

Materials within each folder are arranged chronologically.

Box 1

1/1 Bylaws. 1989, 1991, 1995.

I/2 Membership rosters. 1990-1998. Received yearly.

1/3 New member packet. Contains Club history, general information, and directions for making a Sunbonnet Sue needle holder. ca 1990.

1/4 New member packet. Contains bylaws, roster, and pattern and fabric for making a name badge. Feb. 1992.

 

Series 2. Minutes and Treasurers' Reports. 1988-1995. .25 cu. ft.

Series 2 contains official minutes of the joint meetings (so called because members of both the Morning and Evening Groups met together to attend to official club business), held four times a year, and treasurers' reports submitted at each joint meeting. This series is not complete. Some official minutes as well as informal versions appeared in newsletters prior to 1988. Minutes are continued in the Newspatch after 1995, as are treasurers' reports. Arranged chronologically.

Box 1

2/1 Minutes. 1988-1989.

2/2 Minutes. 1990-1991.

2/3 Minutes. 1992.

2/4 Minutes. 1993.

2/5 Minutes. 1994.

2/6 Minutes. 1995.

2/7 Treasurers' reports. 1989-1992.

 

 

Series 3. Correspondence. 1989-1995. 3 folders.

Correspondence in this collection includes thank you letters from TMQ for speakers and services, thank you letters from organizations who received funds from TMQ, thank you notes from parents of infants who received neo-natal quilts, and miscellaneous other correspondence. Additional letters and notes were also included in the TMQ scrapbooks (Series 10).

Arranged chronologically.

BOX 1a

3/1 Correspondence. 1989-1990.

3/2 Correspondence. 1992.

3/2 Correspondence. 1993-1995.

 

Series 4. Quilt Show Brochures. 1980-1999. .5 cu. ft.

This series contains records of Quilt Show Committee chairs, quilt show brochures and publicity materials, samples of "thank you" tags and gifts attached to all quilt show entries, and a list of featured quilters, 1989-1999.

Records of the Show Chairs include financial materials, contracts, proofs of insurance, correspondence, some committee meeting notes, and miscellaneous other materials. This subseries is arranged chronologically; materials for the years 1997 and on have been retained by the current show chair.

Quilt show brochures are distributed to attendees of the yearly shows. These brochures provide a good, overall history of the club and its activities, including charitable gifts. The contents of each vary but generally provide a description of the club and its history, list and description of all quilts shown, essay about the featured quilter, and in later years, a note about the community charities which have benefited from quilt show proceeds. This series is not complete; other brochures were included in the TMQ scrapbooks and there were no brochures for some years. Arranged chronologically. Updated yearly.

BOX 1b

4/1 Quilt show brochures, publicity, thank you tags.

4/1/1 1980-1990.

4/1/2 1991-1996.

4/1/3 1997-

4/2 Quilt Show Committee Chair records.

4/2/1 1987.

4/2/2 1990.

4/2/3 1991.

4/2/4 1992.

4/2/5 1993.

4/2/6 1994.

4/2/7 1995.

4/2/8 1996.

4/3 Miscellaneous.

4/3/1 List of featured quilters. 1989-1999.

 

Series 5. Newsletters. Oct. 1981-1999. .5 cu. ft.

The first Newspatch was published in October, 1981 in order to keep the membership informed of past and present club activities. Early styles ranged from the informal to the polished; many were undated and without volume and number designation. Over the years typical contents have included minutes and reports; presidents' messages; news of Morning and Evening Group activities; calendars of local and regional meetings and quilt shows; information about workshops and field trips; quilting tips; and patterns. There are no issues for 1991. Arranged chronologically.

Box 2

5/1-17 Newspatches. 1981-1998.

 

Box 3

5/18 Newspatches. 1999.

 

Series 6. Morning Group Minutes. 1989-1994. 4 folders.

The Truckee Meadows Quilters is divided into two groups meeting on different days. Both the Morning and Evening Groups (sometimes referred to as A.M. and P.M. Groups) conduct business meetings on the first meeting of the month. Each group also has its own set of officers, led by a chairperson. A secretary takes minutes of the business meetings.

This series includes minutes of the Morning Group; minutes for the Evening Group are can be found in Series 7. Minutes are both handwritten and typed, of varying amounts of details. Some attendance sign-in sheets are included. Information about meetings is also contained in the monthly newsletters.

Box 3

6/1 Minutes. 1989-1990.

6/2 Minutes. 1991-1992.

6/3 Minutes. 1993.

6/4 Minutes. 1994.

 

 

Series 7. Evening Group Minutes. Oct. 1992-Oct. 1995. 4 Folders.

Box 3

7/1 Minutes. Oct. 1992-Oct. 1993.

7/2 Minutes. 1992.

7/3 Minutes. 1993.

7/4 Minutes. 1994-1995.

 

Series 8. Block of the Month. 1996-1999. 4 folders.

According to one of the TMQ scrapbooks, the block of the month (BOM) program was initiated in 1986. Each year, a packet of 15-20 patterns is assembled by the BOM Committee. The patterns are specific in their requirements for color and fabric. Members who wish to participate must make a minimum number of blocks prior to a late-year deadline. Like blocks are grouped together and then during the joint meeting held in December, a drawing amongst participants determines who wins sets of blocks. Participants many only win one set of blocks each year but each winner generally has enough blocks for a wall hanging or full-size quilt. Names of winners and their blocks are published in the January issues of the Newspatch.

Packets include program rules, patterns, instructions, photograph of sample blocks, and occasionally, fabric required for a particular block. Arranged chronologically. Updated annually.

Box 3

8/1 BOM packet. 1996.

8/2 BOM packet. 1997.

8/3 BOM packet. 1998.

8/4 BOM packet. 1999.

 

Series 9. Miscellaneous. 1990-1999. 4 folders.

This series is a catch-all for items which did not fit into earlier series. It contains evidence of TMQ's community outreach programs: the annual report for the year 1996 for St. Mary's Hospital Foundation (owner of the Silver Connection building where the Morning and Evening Groups currently - as of 1999- meet); correspondence to and from the Tutwiler, Mississippi, clinic featured on national news; and a tongue-in-cheek "All Male Quilting Review," 1999.

Box 3

9/1 Community outreach programs: a) St. Mary's Hospital Foundation annual report for the year 1996. 1997; b) "Patterns of Love" - St. Mary's Foundation 1996 donors. 1997.

9/2 "All Male Quilting Review." 1999.

9/3 Tutwiler, Mississippi Project. 1990.

9/4 Nevada State Fair Headliner, vol. 11, no. 2, July 1995. "One of a Kind Quilt Created for the 1995 State Fair."

 

Series 11. Scrapbooks. 1980-1995. 15 vols, 3 cu. ft.

TMQ scrapbooks are compiled by the Club's historian and contain such items as quilt show brochures; newspaper articles; membership lists; newsletters; photographs of meetings, workshops, quilt shows, member's quilts, and special events; and correspondence such as thank you notes from the parents of neonatal babies. The scrapbooks are arranged chronologically. Additional volumes will be forthcoming.

11/1 Book 1. Oct. 1980: TMQ first annual quilt show.

11/2 Book 2. Oct. 1980-Oct. 1981:
Quilt show
First opportunity quilt
Article in Reno Evening Gazette
Membership list
Photos of trip to Oakland Museum
TMQ exhibit at the Hobby and Club Fair at the Comstock Hotel and Casino, 2/21/81
Newspaper article in Nevada Appeal
Quilt display at Ormsby County Public Library

11/3 Book 3. Oct. 1981:
Quilt show program for show at Fairgrounds, Oct. 10-11, 1981.
Articles from newspapers
Opportunity quilt photos
Photos of Japanese Family Crest quilt made by TMQ evening members
Membership list, 1982

11/4 Book 4. Oct. 1981-Spring 1982:
Continuation of photos of 1981 quilt show
Clippings
List of officers
Membership list, 1982
Photos of Table Extraordinaire fundraiser event of the Assistance League of Reno-Sparks - table by TMQ, "Memories are Made of This" - 2nd place

11/5 Book 5. Nov. 1982-1984:
1982 quilt show brochure
Newspaper articles
Quilt show photos
Washoe County Library display photos
Workshop photos
1983 Morning Group membership list
Yvonne Porcella lecture photos
Correspondence
Photos of quilting exhibit at Arlington Gardens
1983 Washoe County Library exhibit
Christmas party photos, 1983
1984 officers and Morning Group membership list
Fabric exchange at Nevada Historical Society
Photos of club meetings
2nd annual quilting bee at Hazel Potter's home
Quilt exhibit at Mt. Tallac Historical Site, July 1984
Senior Life article on Shirley Patterson
Great Reno Balloon Race exhibit photos
Library exhibit and quilting demonstrations, Oct. 1984
Shirley Powell demonstration in basket making
Show and tell photos
Christmas party photos, 1984

11/6 Book 6. 1985-1986:
Synopsis of TMQ history by Judy Hendrix, historian
Photo of 1979 TMQ members
1985 officers photo
Roberta Horton workshop
"Trip Around the World" workshop by Judy Pudwell
Wall hanging made for American Federal Bank as thank you for providing meeting place
Quilting at Thousand Trails Campground in California
Articles and photos of "Biggest Little Arts Festival in the World," July 1985
Katie Pasquini color workshop
1986 officers photos
Article about Haley's Comet Essay Contest and placing Halley's Comet block in time capsule, Mar. 19, 1986
First Block of the Month, 1986.
Winners of Reno Balloon Race banner
Articles and photos of Children's Art Festival, July 1986, Meadowood Mall
Pieced medallion quilt made as fund-raiser for Ronald McDonald House
Esther Ball quilt exhibit at the Frame-Up
Washoe County Library quilt exhibit
Esther Ball demo of double wedding ring quilt
Photos of officers
Thank you note from Ronald McDonald House

11/7 Book 7. 1987-1988:
Quilt show at Lawlor Event Center, May 9-10, 1987
New by-laws meeting
Ronald McDonald House wall hanging photos
Washoe County Library exhibit
Eleanor Peace Baily workshop and trunk show
Senior Citizen Center quilt display
Newspaper article, 1987
National Women's History Month
Newspaper articles about Gertie Ritterby and quilt show
Article about Carson City Quilters
Marilyn Fashbaugh award from National Quilting Association
Quilt show articles, 1988

11/8 Book 8. 1988:
Quilt show program
Photo of balloon quilt designed by Margaret Illions, as opportunity quilt
Quilt show photos
Newspaper article
Charitable donations
"Harvest Hoedown of All Arts Festival" event sponsored by Truckee Meadows Community College
Photo of Nevada Star quilt

11/9 Book 9. 1990:
TMQ officers and committees list
Yankee Pride opportunity quilt photos
Joint meeting fashion show photos
Miniature quilt show at the University of Nevada, Reno, April 1990.
Folded star workshop
Joint meeting picnic at Rock Park, Sparks
Quilts for preemies article and photos, Nov. 1990
Quilt show brochure
Tutwiler, Mississippi donation article
Show and tell photos
Christmas party photos
Sierra Arts Foundation Christmas party quilt display

11/10 Book 10. 1991:
Auburn quilt show photos
Show and tell
Article on Tutwiler Clinic in Mississippi and TMQ contributions
Lake Tahoe retreat in April
Opportunity quilt in progress
Washoe County Library quilt display
Quilt show
Opportunity quilt photo, "Quilted Skies-Balloons Away"
Article on Heritage Quilt Project
Quilt show program
Quilt show articles
Correspondence

11/11 Book 11. 1992:
Neo-natal quilt workshop, Feb. 29, 1992
Joint meeting photos
Women's History Month Program
Block of Month photos
Jacket workshop
Lake Tahoe retreat, featuring Amish quilts
TMQ joint meeting and picnic at Rock Park, Sparks
Washoe County Library quilt display
1992 opportunity quilt, "Go for the Gold," designed by Linda McLaughlin
1992 quilt show program
Newspaper articles about show
Quilt show programs
Article about quilting
President Polly Thimgan

11/12 Book 12. 1993:
Article on election of officers
Show and tell
Corner in the Cabin Tahoe retreat
Dewey Decimal Quilt donated to Washoe Public Library
A Common Thread brochure
Block of the month photos
Kathryn Pellman trunk show
Article on neonatal quilts
Christmas tree skirt workshop
Crown of Thorns opportunity quilt
Boomtown exhibit on quilting
Quilting at Fabricland
Miniatures workshop
Quilt show brochure
Newspaper article on show
Mary Ellen Hopkins lecture and trunk show

11/13 Book 13. 1994:
Washoe County Library display
Dewey Decimal quilt donated to Washoe County Library
Thank you note from the Library for the quilt donation
Blocks of the month
Neonatal quilt workshop
Program meeting at McKinley Park School
Photos of Sue Enslen and her quilt which was entered in the Paducah, Kentucky, quilt show
Community service program for Marvin Moss Elementary School
Joint meeting and picnic at Rock Park
1994 quilt show, Sept. 10-11
Quilt show program
Opportunity quilt
Quilt retreat at Lake Tahoe
1994 Newspatch publications

11/14 Book 14. Jan.-June, 1995:
Program meetings at Classic Residence
Show and tell
Officers and board members
Quilt show committee
Baby quilt workshop
Sweatshirt workshop
Evening group meeting at American Federal Bank
Mary Mashuta lecture and workshop
1995 opportunity quilt in progress
March joint meeting
Blocks of the month
Daphne LaPointe prize-winning wall hanging entered in Keepsake Quilting contest
Washoe County Library quilt display
Joint meeting and picnic at Rock Park
Neonatal quilts and thank-you cards
Thank you note from Ronald McDonald House for donation of quilts
Newspatches

11/15 Book 15. July-Dec. 1995:
Sierra Folklife Festival at Wingfield Park
Wall hanging donated to Classic Residence
Show and tell
Article "Group Celebrates Quilting as an Art Form"
Nevada State Fair quilt made by TMQ
Quilt show program
Opportunity quilt
Quilt show photos
Wall hangings donated to Ronald McDonald House
Newspaper article on member Sande Cooper
Quilted Wheels flyer and photos
Christmas party and joint meeting
Block of month winners

Manuscripts | Special Collections

Please direct questions to Jacquelyn Sundstrand
Updated June 24, 2008