Barbara Caron began making these small-scale quilts before she relocated to Lincoln to serve as the assistant director of the International Quilt Museum (2007-2012). Her work as an educator and her early years as a librarian are evident in the quilts. As small teaching tools, they are “… like the pages of a book,” says Caron—each one telling a story distinct from, yet connected with, each of the others. While Caron plucked many of the fabrics from her collection of scraps, turning her material selections into cohesive and precision-made miniature quilts give evidence of her skill and design training. 

More than half of the quilts are interpretations of bed-sized quilts from the IQM’s Permanent Collection. Others are of miniature versions of time-honored and favorite patterns. Caron’s quilts, along with quilts and quilted objects from around the globe, reside in the IQM’s Education Collection. This collection fulfills an important facet of the museum’s mission: engaging and educating the public about global quiltmaking practices.