Boxes Under the Bed™:

This is a national project set up to train local researchers to identify and rescue quilt-related items such as letters, clippings, patterns, etc. in need of preservation.

Introduction
Vital information about quilting, its history, patterns, practice, and people is at risk of being lost forever. In homes across this nation, "boxes under the bed" hold patterns, clippings, manuscripts, catalogs, and correspondence, forming an undiscovered but invaluable archival resource of American history and culture. Boxes under the Bed™ is a grassroots effort that enlists quiltmakers and others in identifying important quilt ephemera and in gathering significant quilt documentation.

What is the Boxes Under the Bed™ Project ?

In homes across our nation, "boxes under the bed" lie filled with vital but elusive information about the history of quilting in the United States as practiced since the 19th century. Boxes Under the Bed ™ is a grassroots effort to record information about the patterns, clippings, manuscripts, catalogues and correspondence related to quilting that form an undiscovered but invaluable archival resource for students of quilt history and American culture.

Why is the Boxes Under the Bed™ Project Important?

Guidelines for this project teach quilt makers and others how to identify important quilt history and gather significant quilt documentation. In cooperation with the Library of Congress's American Folklife Center, The Alliance for American Quilts sponsored two Boxes Under the Bed™ workshops at the International Quilt Festival in Houston in November, 1996 and October, 1997. These programs have engendered local and regional Boxes Under the Bed™ efforts, including a model project organized by the Michigan State University Museum. You can learn more about organizing your own Boxes under the Bed™ project on this Web site.

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