
In 1990, the Hubble Telescope was launched into space, the World Wide Web debuted, and American Quilter’s Society held their sixth annual Quilt Show & Contest in Paducah, KY.
This year we invite you to join us as we celebrate 35 years of quilting, 35 years of quilters, and 35 years of AQS inspiring, educating, and nurturing quilters who love quilting. Here’s to the next 35!
In this series, we start in 1985 and work our way to 2019 taking a look at the quilting world through our unique perspective. Enjoy the beautiful quilts and marvel at the amazing heritage quilting is because of you, the quilter.
American Quilter’s Society Quilt Show & Contest
KALEIDOSCOPE STARS by Lucy Burtschi Grady won 1st Place in the Traditional Pieced, Amateur category.
WHEN GRANDMOTHER’S LILY GARDEN BLOOMS by Eileen Bahring Sullivan won 1st Place in the Innovative Pieced, Professional category.
OHIO BRIDE’S QUILT by Debra Wagner won 1st Place in the Other Techniques category and the Viewer’s Choice Award
JACOBEAN ARBOR by Patricia P. Campbell, quilted by Jackie Muehlstein won 1st Place in the Group/Team category.
LOOKING BACK II: SILENT CRIES by Dawn E. Amos won the Viewer’s Choice Award.

AQS Publishing put out nine books in 1990.
What were you quilting in 1990? What changes have you seen in your life? Leave a comment below, email us your photos, or share them in our Facebook group, Project Parade.
What a great look back! Hope you are going to do the same for every year since AQS began. My personal quilt history spans almost the same years and I find it interesting to remember what quilters were doing–what books were popular, what tools were being developed, the styles of fabrics that were available, and what envelopes quilters were pushing.
Didn’t no people did such beautiful work n the nineties.
I wasn’t quilting in 1990. The major difference I see is that today you see very few traditional quilts at shows. Most are art quilts. While I love art quilts, it saddens me that traditional quilts are essentially kicked to the curb now. Every show should have categories for traditional quilts, both hand quilted and machine quilted. The area set aside for them should be significant. After all, isn’t that the kind of quilt that many quilters make? We are the majority of the attendees at the quilt shows and yet we see so little of the kind of quilting… Read more »
Looking back at these fabulous quilts makes me thankful to AQS for publishing a great magazine. Over the years I have learned so much from your magazine and books. Bravo!
What a great post. I didn’t start quilting until 2000 but I do remember going to The Stitching Post in Sisters, OR in the late 90’s. I was a cross stitcher and shops were few and far between. I saw their sign and was so excited to go in. Was I ever surprised to see walls of fabric, and I wondered, “how on earth does a fabric store survive in this tiny town” Well. once I started quilting, it didn’t take but a second to figure that one out!
I was there! Thanks for the look back.