Florida Sesquicentennial Quilt

The Florida Sesquicentennial Quilt was created in 1995 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of women’s suffrage and the 150th anniversary of Florida statehood. The original quilt blocks were assembled by thirteen Florida quilt guilds who had received kits to complete the pattern. The quilt’s design is a computer-generated variation on traditional Dutch Tulips and Irish Chain quilt patterns. When completed, the quilt was signed by multiple Florida quilters and women politicians.

The quilt was on display in the 37th Annual Capital City Quilt Show at the Museum of Florida History (September 27 – November 3, 2019). Look for the quilt to be on display again in a Fall 2020 exhibit about the history of the women’s rights movement and women’s activism in Florida.

This quilt inspired the Museum of Florida History’s barn quilt mural located in front of the R. A. Gray Building in downtown Tallahassee. The quilt mural was produced in association with the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum and the Big Bend Quilt Trail.
Historic quilt photo credit: Collection of the Museum of Florida History