About the Registry

The Quebec Quilt Registry is a useful resource to those interested in the rich and culturally diverse history of Canadian quilts, a history worthy of further research and scholarly attention.

In the 1970s, quilters and craft historians in Canada, and elsewhere, were reflecting on heritage and history, whether of settlement, migration, immigration, or resistance. This interest in ‘family trees’ nourished the ‘quilt revival’, taking the form of documentation programs with both families and quilts recorded by newly formed organizations.

The Quebec Quilt Registry was started in the 1980s by three Montreal quilters: Diane Marchand, who was curious about the number of quilts in Quebec which was better known for woven bed covers; “Freddy” Wilson, who enjoyed the never-ending stories associated with the objects; and Adaire Schlatter, who wanted to investigate the craft in the context of the French/English community in the province.