Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum — Attraction in La Conner

Recently took a trip to LaConnor and made a stop at the Quilt Museum. I was lucky to arrive here during the Material Men's Quilting Show. What a happy surprise I got! In general, the men's quilting designs are very different from the quilting designs I have always seen. The men's designs seemed to use very bright colors, often had a sense of humor, used pop culture, religion and saw old well-known images in a completely new light. The imagery in the quilts was completely non-traditional, often humorous and sometimes used heavy metal and punk rock designs. I saw portraiture done on quilts using a block technique. I could see that the design represented a face but the portrait only became clear when I looked at it through my camera lens. All these quilts just made me think how differently these men must think then the way I think. These quilts were so creative, so funny and so beautiful. I wasn't sure how entertained I would be coming here but I was greatly surprised. This was a lot of fun. A couple of things should be noted about the Quilt Museum. It is easily found by following the signs in LaConnor pointing you in the right direction. It is in a beautiful 3 story Victorian home. Only open Wednesday thru Sunday 11am - 5pm. Entry is $7 per person unless you are a student or military and it is $5. Parking is on the street except for handicap parking behind the museum. Please keep in mind the age of the building when thinking about handicap access. There is no elevator so handicap full access is 1st floor only. There is a slideshow available of the exhibits on the 2nd & 3rd floors. The staff here are very, very enthusiastic about quilting and are happy to answer any questions. You're even allowed to touch the quilts as long as you touch with your gloved hand. Plastic gloves provided with admission. Overall, my museum trip lasted about 1 1/2 hours and it was very worthwhile. It was fun to see designs that broke my stereotype of quilts. And it was fun to see another example of how men think...

I loved this small museum - great resource for the quilter, but interesting to anyone who loves art and/or fiber crafts. There are three floors - the first has some interesting antique quilts, plus an extensive gift shop with lots of quilting supplies. The second floor has an exhibit of modern quilt designs by Maria Shell, who I find super interesting from an art perspective. And the top floor has a beautiful tower room and a fascinating display of art from Salley Mavor. Each framed "set" is a real stitched piece used for a children's book that shows how children around the world sleep. It's not only charming and interesting, each piece is a treasure trove of techniques, found items, and cultural awareness. You could stare at these for a long time! (They try to sell the book in the shop, but it sells more quickly than they can restock them.)

There's no dedicated parking immediately around the museum, it's on a neighborhood block like any other house with street parking. There is a city lot just around the corner, $5 for all day parking, making it a good spot while you explore the 1st street shops and...

Kind but a little intense docent and sweet volunteers. The permanent collection seems to mostly be top embroidered quilts (based on 2 visits.) Great library of books on fiber arts including a few interesting monographs, that don't seem to be listed in WorldCat, so worth a visit if you're a fiber artist. They get some truly stunning traveling exhibits. Worth signing up for the news letter if you're interested in fiber arts at all. In early 2024 a woven basket exhibit was excellent and in early 2025 the Red Dress embroidery piece was visiting and ncredible in person. It's small and not handicap accessible at all with 3 thoughts of stairs to see everything. It has a charming gift shop with both fiber arts supplies and creations from local La Connor artists. Beautful drive north from Seattle and fun places to eat in the...