Almost thirty years ago, Meredith and her husband Bill founded what is now the largest membership organization for quilters in the world. As the driving force behind the growth of quilting’s recognition across the world as a fine art form, Meredith has made an indelible mark on the fiber art community.
In just two weeks, Meredith Schroeder will be inducted into The Quilters Hall of Fame. Presented every year, this prestigious award recognizes a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the world of quilting. More information about the celebration can be found here.
Please join with all of us in the AQS family by posting a word of congratulations and praise for our founder Meredith Schroeder. The comments box below would be an excellent place to share your thoughts!
Need some convincing? Here are just a few of Meredith’s ground-breaking contributions to us as quilters.
Meredith changed the perception of quilting from “women’s work” to professional artistry by offering the largest cash prizes for quilters in the country.
- She continues to increase quilting’s profile, now awarding $20,000 to a single quilt every year.
- By the end of 2013, AQS will award more than $250,000 in cash prizes for quilters.
At Meredith’s invitation, sponsors help fund the cash awards that keep quilters stitching.
- Manufacturers and suppliers now contribute prizes to further elevate and celebrate quilters.
- Now copied by other national quilt shows, Meredith’s innovation has helped keep others in business.
The world now has The National Quilt Museum, celebrating quilting on a grand scale.
- Meredith founded the museum in 1990, originally known as the Museum of the American Quilter’s Society.
- Common to Meredith’s generosity, the museum is now its own non-profit organization, free from business interests to serve quilters across the globe.
- The state-of-the-art museum allows quilts to be viewed as art in an environment that preserves and protects the featured masterpieces.
Collectors and quilt-lovers alike can protect their quilts from loss.
- AQS’s appraiser certification program grants quilt appraisers professional status.
- More than 100 men and women are now certified through this program.
Hundreds of books and thousands of pages are filled with quilting guidance.
- Meredith began two magazines: American Quilter and The Quilt Life.
- AQS publishes more than 20 books per year, offering the leading how-to content for quilters.
- Ideas and tips from artists from around the globe have been shared with the world as authors and designers.
In the words of the Quilters Hall of Fame,
Visionary, innovator, and grand ambassador of quilting to the world are terms that describe Meredith Schroeder, the 2013 Inductee in The Quilters Hall of Fame. Meredith helped put Paducah, Kentucky, not only on a quilter’s map but on the world map.
And… she’s incredibly humble. We are praising her achievement this week because she is on vacation and not in the office to object!
Please join with quilters around the world in sharing a note with Meredith below.
Thank you for all you have done for the quilting industry.
Thank you so much for all you’ve done for quilting and for founding The National Quilt Museum with your husband, Bill. Though I live in Wisconsin, I have visited the museum several times over the years and always find it inspiring to see the very high quality of quilting on display. Thank you for your role in this! Most recently, I took a terrific class from Lenore Crawford at The National Quilt Museum, and was so pleased to meet you there and to observe your continuing interest in that aspect of the museum as well. I send you my admiration and gratitude.
Congrats, Meredith! A well deserved honor…we look forward to having you in Marion!
Thank you for all you have done to keep the art of quilting alive, and bringing its history to the attention of people all over the world!
Congratulations! And thank you for your hard work and inspired vision over the years.
Thank you Meredith (and Bill!) for bringing quilting into the art it is in the 21st century. Our grandmothers would stand in awe to see the quilts that are being made today, and it is all because you had a vision of what the future of quilting could be. You deserve this honor!
I am so happy for you, with all the work you’ve done for the Quilt World, every quilter should thank you. Enjoy every moment, you deserve it.
thank you so much for your courage and inspiration that has brought so many of us together for the common good Quilting
You are amazing. Well deserved achievement.
I have attended every Paducah AQS show starting in 1987 and have had the privilege of chatting with Meredith and Bill on several occasions. They have always been so personable and welcoming, but more than that I have admired their commitment to the world of quilting. AQS is an amazing group to belong to and I am proud to support the Museum. What a vision it was right from the beginning and it continues as a testimony to all American quilters. Thank you and hearty congratulations!!! Enjoy the honor and the ceremony!!!
Thank you thank you thank you!!! The AQS magazines and shows have inspired and informed so many quilters. I’ve learned so much and grown as a quilter. You’ve truly changed the world for quilters and quilting.
Your vision has inspired so many of us to create what we only dreamed of. Thank you, Meredith, for opening the eyes of the world to the beauty of quilts. God bless you!
What an honor!! BIG congratulations to Meredith, and extremely well deserved!
Thank you Meredith for all you have done to promote quilting..through your efforts people from around the world have been inspired, motivated and charmed by quilting…the history, the women (and men) who created and continue to create them, and the new techniques, machines and products that continue to help the art of quilting evolve. Congratulations on a well deserved honor…you are an inspiration and a role model for women everywhere, not just as a quilter but as a businesswoman and community leader!