Native American Quilting

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Native American crafts may be jewelry or weavings or pottery.   Most people do not think of quilting, but that is a native skill long practiced as part of reservation life.

         The Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center has been gathering materials to help with a quilting project for the Navajo reservation.   Located at the corners of three states:  Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, the Navajo reservation covers more than 27,000 square miles and is the largest Native American reservation in the United States.   The terrain ranges from mountains, high plateaus, lush forests to sweltering  deserts and includes the amazing Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly.  While the country side offers some of the most scenic areas in the world, it also presents great challenges to the inhabitants, resulting in a number of needs.

           Three year ago, two visitors to the reservation discovered some of the beautiful quilts made by Navajo women.   They also discovered how difficult it is for the women to make the quilts because there are no fabric stores on the reservation, and acquiring supplies is extremely challenging.  Recognizing how important the blankets are  to keeping families warm, the visitors created the Navajo Quilt project.  Donors are invited to share any quilting supplies they may have such as fabric, embroidery materials, scraps, thread, scissors, batting, patterns, needles, and sewing books.  Packages can be sent directly to the reservation (call museum for information) or dropped off at the museum for shipment from there.

             Located on Hatteras Island, the museum is  open Saturday and Sunday for the winter schedule.   The regular schedule (six days a week) will resume  April 7, 2020.   For more information, visit the web site at www.nativeamericanmuseum.org or call 252-995-4440.