Community Events 2025

IHQS is proud to partner with local organizations in Bloomington to present off-site events related to quilting during our show. Our community has much to offer beyond the IHQS! Partnerships for 2025 included the I Fell Building, Monroe County History Center, Wonderlab, Wylie House, and Farmer House Museum. We’ll announce 2026 partnerships closer to the show.

I FELL BUILDING PRESENTS: “Sublime Stitch, Transformative Thread”

This curated exhibition, in conjunction with IHQS, features seven Bloomington fiber artists specializing in stitch as an elevated art form. Stitch themes range from abstract to traditional, bringing together a unique perspective of the craft It’s a feast for the eyes as well as the tactile touch.

This exhibition is hosted by David Joseff Sloma, fiber artist and instructor, at the historic I Fell Building, downtown Bloomington. The fiber artists participating in the exhibition are:
Cynthia Brubaker, Angela Caldwell, Carissa Carman, Emily Wilson Gillespie, Nora McGinnis, Sarah Nichols, and David Joseff Sloma.

The I Fell Building is located at West 4th Street, Bloomington, IN 47404.
Schedule (PDF)

Get directions. (Easy walking distance from the convention center.)
Free and open to the public.

Monroe County History Center Presents:  “Rooted In History”

Twelve SAQA Indiana members accepted the challenge to take a deconstructed feathered star block from an antique quilt top and create something new. The top is from a long-time family in Bloomington, Indiana and the history is being researched on its origin. Information will be included at the venue with completed artwork.

This showcase will premier during the IHQS. These new 20” x 20” creations are rooted in the past, yet showcase the newest materials and techniques of current quilt artists.

The Monroe County History Center is located 202 E. 6th Street, Bloomington, IN 47408.
Regular Hours:  Tuesday – Saturday:  9am - 4pm
Hilary Fleck, Curator
Phone: (812) 332-2517 Ext. 6
Get directions.
Admission is free with an IHQS hand stamp or wrist band.

WONDERLAB MUSEUM OF SCIENCE, HEALTH, and TECHNOLOGY

WonderLab will be hosting an exhibit of quilts from the MIddle Way House Quilt Bee associated with the Bloomington Quilters Guild (BQG). The Middle Way House Bee started five years ago. Our purpose is to make quilts for the children at Middle Way House. Children get to choose a quilt, and then it is theirs to keep.

BQG members get together once a month, but also work at home in between our meetings. Most quilts are made by more than one person — one person may make the quilt top that you see when you look at a quilt hanging, while other members of our group quilt through all three layers, and then more members finish the edges, called the binding. So each quilt, by the time it is finished, could have been worked on by as many as four or five different people. Then the quilts are delivered each month to Middle Way House.

The Bee’s goal is to put a quilt in the hands of every child. So far, they have donated over 1,000 quilts to Middle Way House. 

Admission is free with an IHQS hand stamp or wrist band. Otherwise admission is $14.50 for everyone over the age of one. WonderLab does not have designated parking and recommends the nearby 4th Street garage (corner of W. 4th and S. Walnut Street). It’s also an easy walk from the Monroe Convention Center via the B-Line Trail.

Location: 308 West 4th Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47404. Get directions.
Hours: 9am-6pm on March 6-7, and 9am-5pm March 8.
Contact: (812) 337-1337

WYLIE HOUSE PRESENTS: “COMMENT-AIRY”

Wylie House Museum is the charming 1835 home of Andrew Wylie, the first president of Indiana University. The fully furnished home provides a fitting backdrop for its 19th century quilt collection. This year, in addition to a selection of museum quilts, Wylie House hosts quilts created by Indiana University students.  

Comment-airy is an exhibition at Wylie House considering airing out one's comments about an important social justice topic. Quilts from students enrolled in the current IU Fibers 220 course, along with curated works from MFA and BFA students in the IU Fibers program, will represent the care and connection embedded in quilts of all different scales and skill level.

Admission:  Free and open to the public.
Location: 307 E. Second St., Bloomington, Indiana 47401
Hours:  March 5-8, Wednesday - Saturday,
10am - 4pm
Get directions.

Accessibility: One accessible parking spot is located next to the museum’s education center. A path leads to the ramp at the back entrance of the museum. The historic home’s second floor is only accessible by staircase, but the museum provides images of upstairs rooms on its iPad. 

Parking: Free, two-hour street parking is available in front of the museum. Neighborhood zoned street spots are available on Saturdays. Wylie House has nine museum-designated spaces, one of which is an accessible spot, behind the museum and its education center. Access them via the alley that runs east-west between Lincoln St. and Grant St. 

Contact: (812) 855-6224 or libwylie@iu.edu

FARMER HOUSE MUSEUM

In 1999, Mary Ellen Farmer left her historic 1869 house to the community of Bloomington, along with her possessions, to be a museum dedicated to community, family and the history of ordinary life. The Farmer House Museum seeks to preserve and interpret family life in Monroe County, Indiana. By promoting a dialogue with the past, the museum hopes to inspire the public to appreciate and understand the human forces that have shaped our community.  

The museum will be showcasing quilts and other textiles from its permanent collection — with an emphasis on textiles and family traditions. Director Emily Purcell will be demonstrating slow sewing. 

Admission:  Free and open to the public.
Location: 529 N. College Ave, Bloomington, IN 47404 (near the corner of N. College and 10th Street)
Get directions.

Special Hours during IHQS:
Open 12 pm-6 pm every day of the quilt show (March 6-8) and also 12-6pm on Sunday, March 9. (Normal open hours are Saturday and Sunday only.)
March 6-9, Thursday - Sunday: 12pm - 6pm

Accessibility: The museum is located in a building built in 1869. There are steps up to get into the museum. Please contact the director at (812) 336-5597 to discuss alternate ways to enjoy the collection. 

Explore Bloomington

Visit Bloomington also has lots of information on what to do and see while you're in town.