About NQA
The National Quilting Association, Inc., a nonprofit organization run by quilters for quilters, was
founded in 1970 by seven women in the Washington, D.C., area. The organization was established to create,
stimulate, maintain, and record an interest in all matters pertaining to the making, collecting, and
preserving of quilts, and to establish and promote educational and philanthropic endeavors through quilts.
Membership in the organization is open to all interested individuals. The
NQA was chartered in 1972. Local NQA Chapters were also begun during these
early years.
The NQA has always considered its first responsibility to be service to its members. Thus, many programs
have been established over the years to aid the membership, with special
benefits to chapters. And, of course, our
Annual Quilt Show is a successful effort between our
members and our merchant sponsors.
NQA History
The first quilt show was held in the Greenbelt (Maryland) Public Library in September, 1970. Quilts were
first hung to their full length at an NQA show when the location moved to the gymnasium at the Georgetown
Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, D.C. From these humble beginnings come the NQA Shows of today,
which have moved to different locations around the country for years. From east coast to west - Tacoma, WA
and Riverside, CA - the show has traveled to quilters far and wide. A new page in NQA's history begins
with the relocation of the corporate office to Columbus, OH in 2004 and the settling of the show into
that city for at least the next several years.
The NQA published its first newsletter, Patchwork Patter in 1973. From a hand collated
and stapled mimeographed few pages, the Quilting Quarterly has
progressed to a glossy full-color publication of 50 or more pages.
The NQA has always considered its first responsibility to be service to its members. Thus, many programs
have been established over the years to aid the membership. The NQA has certification programs for quilt
teachers and judges. A
Master's Guild has been established to recognize outstanding
quilting achievement. A Grant and Scholarship program was implemented to
give monetary assistance to individuals or groups studying or researching the field of quiltmaking. The
Education Program has many offerings for continuing education in the
quilt world.
From the original seven founders of NQA, we now have a membership of about 5500 in the U.S. and abroad,
with over 200 active chapters in 33 states. The annual shows average 400 entries with a steadily growing
attendance exceeding 9000. From small beginnings, the NQA continues to grow and change to reflect the
interests of its membership.
Office
The mailing address for the Columbus office is:
PO Box 12190
Columbus, OH 43212-0190
Phone: (614) 488-8520
FAX: (614) 488-8521
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