Our Story

In 1977, Richard Cleveland and several other Vermont quilters had the insight and inspiration to hold the first annual Vermont Quilt Festival — a one-day show in Northfield, Vermont on the Norwich University campus.

Inspired by a renewed interest in quilting, driven in part by the bicentennial, the founders of VQF created a space for quilters and collectors to share antique and new quilts from Vermont quilters. The one-day event was so successful that the following year they added a contests feature to recognize the talents of local quilters.

As the festival grew in attendance, the board introduced sewing and quilting classes for visitors to take advantage of the skilled quilters participating in the event.

Today, the festival attracts thousands of visitors to participate in classes, contests, exhibits, and lectures, and networking.