Dear community members, I want to share some news about changes happening at the Quilt Alliance. I’ll be leaving the QA next month to begin my position as Executive Director of the Mitford Museum in Hudson, NC. The museum was founded by Jan Karon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mitford novels, and plans are underway for the Mitford Discovery Center to advance the common good through literacy, creativity, and community. It’s as unique an opportunity as the Quilt Alliance has been for me, and I’m excited about working in-person again and building something special in my community.  This has been a tough decision. The timing is not ideal for the QA, because Emma Parker, QA Program Manager, has also decided to make a change. She is taking a full-time position at the Durham County Library, where she has been working part-time in the North Carolina Collection. I’m so happy for her (and the library!), but of course, sorry that the QA will lose her incredible talents. To that end, please join us on Zoom on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 7 pm EST, for a Quilt Alliance Community Meeting. Register here to receive the Zoom link and reminders. This meeting is for QA members, donors, sponsors, project partners, and anyone in the quilting community who cares about quilt documentation. We’ll share details about the staff transition, QuiltCon plans, and other upcoming opportunities to help carry out the QA mission during this season of change.  Emma and I will still represent the QA at QuiltCon in Raleigh, February 19-22. If you plan to be there, please visit us in the QA booth (#243). We’ll be selling quilt documentation supplies and giving away lots of label samples, fun prizes, and educational handouts on the importance of quilt labeling to share. Thank you for your continued support! We really hope to see you at the Community Meeting on Jan. 27.   Warm regards, Amy Milne, Executive Director

Published in the Oct-Nov 2024 issue of the Quilt Alliance Newsletter By now, I’m sure most of you have seen photos and videos of the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. The Quilt Alliance’s home base is in Asheville, NC; since the storm in late September, QA staff have been in recovery mode and missed sending out the October issue of this newsletter. Let me fill you in: We gave up our brick-and-mortar office in 2017 to save money, and Debby Josephs and I work remotely in our home offices in Western NC, and Emma Parker is located in Central NC. Debby and I were unable to work for weeks due to power, cell, internet, and water outages, but we were incredibly fortunate that our homes were not damaged by the storm. The QA’s equipment, supplies, and records are kept at a storage space on Swannanoa River Road in Asheville that was flooded to the rafters. The building is still standing (unlike the storage building next door, which is now just a concrete slab). The facility has been boarded up since the storm and we do not expect to recover any of our items (paper records, quilts, exhibition and documentation equipment and supplies). Like 95% of other businesses and individuals affected by the hurricane, the QA’s insurance policy does not cover flood damage. This loss feels small compared to so many in our area who lost family members, homes, and jobs because of this 500-year storm. We have resumed normal operations and are working hard to make up for lost time in fundraising and project planning during this critical season in the nonprofit calendar. Thank you to everyone who contacted us to check in and send love and support. This year’s annual donation drive is especially important and I hope you will all consider contributing whatever amount fits your budget. You can make a donation or become a QA member here (individual and guild) and I want to thank you in advance for supporting our recovery effort. Thank you! Amy Milne, Executive Director

Announcing a New Membership Benefit from Aurifil! Last year QA board co-president, quilter, curator and writer Laura Hopper created a Birthday Block of the Month featuring blocks by nine incredible designers to celebrate our 30th anniversary. It was a huge hit and helped us grow our membership by 32%. This year, co-president Bradley Mitchell and his generous and creative colleagues at Aurifil are gifting our members another Block of the Month! Starting in May we will begin sharing the Aurifil Flora Block of the Month with our members. The blocks, instructions and any supplemental resources will be shared via this newsletter and your membership portal. So if you haven’t yet logged in to your portal, give it a try soon. There are twelve months/blocks in the Flora series and we will keep the BOM archived in your membership portal for at least six months after the last block is released in April 2025.  Not a member yet? Join today! The last few years have been a wild ride. We’ve had to stop, adjust, reimagine, reroute, redo.  It’s been a challenge, but in some ways, all of the changes have helped us to slow down, to appreciate the beauty that lives right in front of us, and to experience the small things with a more grateful heart. Perhaps it manifests as an unexpected cool breeze on a hot summer day or the sound of a bird chirping outside your window. Maybe it’s a favorite hike just outside the city or maybe it’s a burst of color that provides the perfect distraction on your Sunday morning stroll. A tree, a flower, a bloom, a petal… the sense of calm and renewal that nature provides is often overlooked, but this year, we are choosing to bring that natural beauty to the forefront.  Introducing Flora, a 12 month Botanical Appliqué BOM designed by Aurifil’s Kate Brennan in partnership with graphic designer Christina Weisbard. The colors and design of Flora were drawn from 12 breathtaking rainforest plants from the Amazon Water Lily and the Bird of Paradise to the Jade Vine and the Spider Lily. The monthly blocks,  allow each of the 12 featured plants to take center stage.  While instructions are given for fusible appliqué, a variety of methods of appliqué and finishing will be highlighted. Depending on the month, raw blocks are 12-1/2″ x 12-1/2” or 12-1/2” x 24-1/2”. They can be finished into individual minis or collected to create a finished 48” x 48” quilt.