Running National Quilt Museum with Frank Bennett

by LeahDay · Published March 6, 2019 · Updated March 8, 2019

A few weeks ago I received a note from Frank Bennett, the CEO of the National Quilt Museum. I asked him to come on the show and share about the museum and what it’s like to take care of so many quilts. Get to know Frank and learn more about how quilts are displayed and preserved by the museum in this podcast episode:

Listen to this episode or download it to your computer using this player:

Jump ahead to time: 15:06 to get straight to the interview with Frank!

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Big Quilting News

This week I’m walking on clouds because I finally finished writing all the patterns for the Friendship Quilt Along! This was a very big project and I’m so delighted to have all the math and writing done. This is definitely going to help me relax into this quilt along project and enjoy the process of making all the videos!

Click here to find the pattern for the newest Checkerboard Tiles block.

Ann Rowley, a member of the Quilt Friends Club counted over 370 pieces in this particular block! These books are piecing heavy, which is why I’m keeping the quilting very simple this year so we can enjoy beautiful, functional quilts at the end.

Click here to find the piecing video and learn how to piece this Checkerboard Tiles Block.

I’m still working on my rabbit hutch and finished up several woodworking projects in my barn. I’m looking forward to getting more work done outside as soon as it warms up. As soon as the rain stopped, the cold weather moved in!

I am Committed!

I’m not starting anything else new and I’ve set all other projects aside. This week I made a solid commitment to not work on anything new except for my book Rise to the Challenge of Your Life. I’m very excited to be editing this book and working on the illustrations to make it super pretty!

After Rise is finished, I’m going to dive straight into a book about my goddess quilts, a series I started in 2007. I love making these quilts and would love to share the stories behind them.

I’ve been wanting to write this book for years and I’m so happy to finally make this a commitment. I can’t wait to hold this book in my hands! After years of wishing it would happen, I’m determined to stop waiting and make it a reality.

Meet Frank Bennett, CEO of the National Quilt Museum

Frank has been the CEO of the National Quilt Museum for the past seven years. He is not a quilter, but a business owner. His job is keeping the lights on and making sure the museum continues to grow.

The goal of the National Quilt Museum is to advance the art of today’s quilters by bringing it to new and expanding audiences worldwide. We also chatted a bit about preserving quilts properly. Click Here to find the Quilt Museum TV episode about storing your quilts. I learned a lot from this video and plan to improve the way I’m storing my favorite quilts this year.

Frank has a background in marketing and his favorite event of the year is the School Block Challenge. He loves to see all the blocks and the kids that participate year after year.

How Is the Museum Funded

One common misunderstanding in the quilting community is how the National Quilt Museum is funded. I honestly thought the museum was funded in part by the AQS (American Quilter’s Society) quilt shows. Turns out, the museum is not affiliated with AQS in any way (at least not monetarily).

Because the winning quilts from the AQS Paducah quilt shows are automatically entered into the National Quilt Museum, it’s easy to assume the two are related.

The National Quilt Museum is mostly funded through admissions and the gift shop. So make sure to come by and visit, and buy something when you do!

The main purpose of the quilt Museum is to spread the word about quilting so that more people will see this craft as an art form and be interested in passing it down to another generation.

Frank is very excited about National Quilting Day, which is March 16th. They are working together with Quilt Alliance to host a kickoff event at 10 am at the museum. This year they’re also doing a livestream on Facebook for everyone to watch that can’t visit the museum that day.

Click here to check out the museum’s website to learn more about the events and exhibits on display. Bring a kid and get involved sharing your love of quilting with the world!

Let’s go quilt,
Leah Day