Quilts may look like simple comforts, folded over couches and pulled from closets, but the artists of the Austin Modern Quilt Guild see something more. The exhibition at the Dougherty Arts Center, “Connecting Threads,” displays a collection of 28 quilts, highlighting each not as decorative objects, but as carriers of memory, love, loss, and community, each telling a unique story of interconnectedness.
“[The pieces] mean something to each person,” says the organization’s treasurer, Anna Kehl. “There’s a story behind each one of them, and in each of those stories, we can all connect.”
Jennifer Mason’s quilt, My Dad, is built from pieces of her late father’s shirts. He loved bright colors and geometric designs, she writes in her artist statement, and the quilt helps her feel his presence. Another piece, Strips of a Certain Size by Melissa Cole, uses fabric she discovered at an estate sale. The original owner had planned to make a quilt, so Cole decided to finish the project on their behalf, giving new purpose to materials that might otherwise have been forgotten.
Amy Dement takes that idea in another direction with Literally Trash. Her quilt uses hundreds of tiny fragments and 288 buttons that were headed for the garbage. The small pieces carry hints of other makers and projects, becoming an act of resourcefulness.
“Each salvaged corner and 1.5″ square represents a moment, a maker, a teacher who shaped my journey,” Dement writes in a statement. “Something from nothing: that’s where the stories live, each stitch binding past to present.”
Jennifer Mason’s My Dad
Credit: Austin Modern Quilt Guild
These stories form the emotional backbone of the exhibit. They show how quilts can hold memories of people who are gone, honor creative legacies, or carry small traces of other makers. They also demonstrate the spirit of contemporary quilting, which moves far beyond the traditional grid patterns and decorative borders that many people associate with the layered blankets.
Modern quilting embraces improvisation and experimentation. The designs are often bold, abstract, and unconventional.
“For us, to be a quilt, it basically needs to be three layers. But you could even debate that,” Kehl says.
Amber Sarker tests that boundary with Mr. Rogers ode Just the way you are…, which features a functional zipper made to look as if the beloved figure’s sweater is attached to the quilt. The zipper adds a sculptural quality that transforms the work into something between textile and object.
Color also plays a major role in the exhibition. In Tessa Gonzales’ There’s No Place Like Home, a glowing field of neon pink pulls the viewer in immediately. Gonzales writes in her statement that she aimed to create “a glowing portal that feels both comforting and unsettling.” The contrast of brightness and mystery gives the piece a magnetic presence.
Other quilts communicate directly through language. In Beth Chinderle’s work YOU GOT THIS!, the large stitched words “Keep Love + Strength Going” stretch across the surface. She includes a poem beside the quilt, which encourages viewers to carry light through difficult moments. It offers a quiet reminder that quilts often act as emotional shelters.
Amber Sarker’s Just the way you are…
Credit: Austin Modern Quilt Guild
That sense of care extends far beyond the gallery walls. The Austin Modern Quilt Guild, founded in 2012, has grown into a 200-member community where makers share techniques, offer feedback, and encourage one another’s creative growth.
“The quilt guild is hugely valuable to improving your craft or your art,” Kehl says. “The inspiration that you get from other artists is invaluable.”
The guild also channels its skills into service. Members donate between 75 and 100 quilts a year to nonprofits including LifeWorks Austin and Day 1 Bags.
“When I’m making [the quilts] I really am thinking about whoever it is going to, ” Kehl says. “I am putting my time, my effort, and my love into that item … I like to believe that people can feel that when they receive it.”
The quilts in the show offer a glimpse into the labor, imagination, and care that the artists pour into their work. They also reveal the many ways people stay connected, whether through family memories, creative lineage, or the simple act of making something for someone else.
“Connecting Threads” runs Nov. 22 through Jan. 10 at the Dougherty Arts Center’s Julia C. Butridge Gallery. The DAC hosts an artist reception on Dec. 3 and an artist talk on Dec. 10.
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