Illinois Quilt Research Project
Many of Stan and Dorothy Rankin’s quilts are included in the Illinois Quilt Research Project.
In 1985, The Decatur Quilters Guild hosted a meeting. The outcome was the formation of the statewide Land of Lincoln Quilters Association. Several months later, in 1986, The Illinois Quilt Research Project (IQRP) was born. At the helm was the Early American Museum’s director, Cheryl Kennedy. The project set out to record and register any quilt completed before 1950 made in Illinois or owned by an Illinois resident. Working with quilting organization both inside and out of the state, the first quilt registration day happened in Decatur during February of 1988. The thirtieth and final registration day occurred in Macomb, Illinois, during the summer of 1991.
Each registered quilt was photographed and received a unique identification number. Volunteers stitched a cloth tag to each quilt with the ID number, and filled out a detailed information sheet. Information sheets collected information such as the quilts age and maker, geographic origins, and fabric types used. The filing of photos and information sheets occurred by county of origin and ID number.
One thousand quilts out of the first 15,000 became possible additions to a new book. Written by E. Duane Elbert and Rachel Kamm Elbert, History from the Heart: A Two Century Heritage of Illinois Quilts and Quiltmaking (Rutledge Hill Press) came out in 1993. Now out of print, the book uses the data collected thorugh the IQRP to tell the story of Illinois quilts and quilt making, preserving those legacies for future generations.
Sporadic quilt registration continued to occur, but the late 1990s the IQRP ended. Over 17,000 quilts were registered. The Early American Museum was the acting repository for the project’s data and documentation, and in 2010 transferred the entire collection to the Illinois State Museum.
To browse a selection of IQRP quilts online visit:
To access IQRP data contact (email preferred):
Tracy Pierceall
Illinois State Museum
Research & Collections Center
1011 East Ash Street
Springfield IL 62703
217-524-0496
tracy.pierceall@illinois.gov