Tara Miller - The Quilt District

09/04/2026

After co-leading a magical retreat in Marrakesh, teaching at a guild in Germany, teaching 2 workshops and giving 1 lecture in Alsace, I'm spending 4 amazing days with a creative group of women for my Building Imagery workshop (extended version).

We will use this linen as our quilt tops.

We'll take those 4 days to look at objects (and subjects) in new ways, experiment and explore with techniques and ideas, build our stories in fabric, and enjoy getting to know each other, unrushed.

A modern 4-day quilting and sewing party? That's what it felt like as I described it. That's a lovely way to think of it, isn't it?

08/31/2026

A massive THANK YOU to Chawne Kimber for her thoughtful and thought‐provoking lecture today, the last day of *The AmericanQuilt: Cloth and Commerce* at the BowersMuseum.

And to Rod Kiracofe, who loaned two quilts for the show, and whom I quoted on the gallery walls. One woman stopped me to tell me she had come back three separate times to see the exhibition, another came FIVE times! Two others became members of the Bowers Museum because of the exhibition.

I am humbled. I am proud.

I poured so much of me into this.

The good news is that *The American Quilt: Cloth and Commerce* will travel to other museums. More on that when I'm able to share.

Knowing it isn't all the way over helps ease the soft ache I feel at it being finished.

08/30/2026

I've joined the Mile High Club.

Of stitching. Oh, get your mind outta the gutter. 😜

The quilted sunset is revealing itself now....

08/29/2026

📍Bowers Museum
2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, CA

We didn’t expect a quilt exhibition to be this colorful, creative, and full of surprises! From traditional designs to unexpected scenes featuring sumo wrestlers, California life, and more, the craftsmanship throughout the gallery is incredible.

This is the final weekend to see *The American Quilt: Cloth and Commerce*, closing August 30. It’s a fun stop for families, art lovers, and anyone interested in seeing American history from a completely different perspective.

08/28/2026

Ok, first of all, I was incredibly lucky to get Teresa's quilt for this show. And then Bowers acquired it! Congratulations Teresa Duryea Wong on landing this home for your extraordinary quilt. And thank you for loaning it for the show in the first place. What an honor.

08/25/2026

Holy crap this is a beautiful—and meaningful—book! Thank you forever to Teresa for giving me the opportunity to share the story of my great-grandmother and her only surviving quilt.

Grandma Bartlett was my father's grandmother, and seeing her quilt and her picture in this book so soon after my father's death gave me a little jump in my throat.

The book is stunning and has an all-star lineup of contributors:



parkes





Plus a few others who are not on social media.

Get your copy at Teresa's website

08/21/2026

As sad as I am that my exhibition is closing next weekend, I am also excited to hear Chawne Kimber's lecture on Sunday. The last lecture for the exhibition. Will I see you at Bowers on Sunday, August 30th?

Don't miss the closing lecture for our featured exhibition, The American Quilt! Join textile artist Chawne Kimber on August 30 at 1:30 pm at Bowers Museum as she traces her family's story through quilts, from cotton fields to contemporary art.

Quilters, historians, and curious folks, this one's for you. Who's in?

Tickets and details at bowers.org/programs.

08/21/2026

I was turning under the edge for the applique, when I looked down to see this view. I think that little appliquéd and embroidered bird just stole my heart.

Next weekend, I'm in SoCal at the Bowers Museum for Chawne Kimber's lecture on Sunday, Aug 30. I was absolutely thrilled when she agreed to do a lecture in conjunction with my exhibition *The American Quilt: Cloth and Commerce*, and I am especially honored that her lecture is the closing day.

If you're within a reasonable day's travel to Santa Ana, California, you have two Saturdays remaining to see the show! If you want to grab tickets to Chawne's lecture, go to bowers.org