Our Story
Quiltacy was inspired by one remarkable quilter: the founder's mother, Cheryl. This page tells the story of how it started.
About Marsali
Marsali is a quilter, graphic designer, and the creator of Quiltacy. She learned to quilt from her mother at just seven or eight years old, and decades later they love having a shared hobby. You'll rarely find Marsali with fewer than three sewing projects in progress, and every quilt photo on this website features one of her own creations. She especially enjoys pairing traditional quilt patterns with fresh, modern fabrics and prints. When she's not quilting or designing, she's spending time with her three kids (who quilt too!) and her pup, Lottie.
The Story of Quiltacy
I created Quiltacy for my mother, Cheryl. She is an incredible quilter (it has been her primary hobby throughout her life). Several years ago, my mom told me that she was looking for a good system to record all of her quilts. She had used a spreadsheet in the past, but it was long, unwieldy, and it couldn't include photos of all her quilts.
What my mother wanted
My mom knew what she was after in her ideal quilt log: she wanted to see images of her quilts laid out in a grid, so she could easily scroll through photos of every quilt quickly. However, she also wanted each quilt's entry to include plenty of information about that quilt: patterns, fabrics, batting, dates, and quilting details.
What I wanted to add
As I was listening to my mom explain what she wanted in a quilt log, I realized that I wanted something from her quilt log, too: as her daughter, I wanted my mom to journal about each of her quilts. Why did she make this one? What inspired her to put these colors and patterns together like this? How did she choose the name she gave this quilt? What memories does she have of making it? I wanted Mom to have a record-keeping system that prompted her to record the story behind each of her creations.
Quilting plays so many roles in my mom's life. It's her creative outlet and a way of showing love through gifting. It's her therapy on hard days and an enjoyable mental challenge other days. It's a collecting hobby and an avenue for social connection. Quilting is so woven into who she is that I've come to see her quilts as part of her legacy. I won't have my mom with me always, but I realized that if I could get her to write all of her quilts' stories down, I'd have a piece of her to keep.
A message hidden in the walls
So, Quiltacy was born. When the site was finally ready, I called my mom to surprise her with the URL and the very first Quiltacy subscription. You know how a homebuilder will sometimes hide a message inside the walls of a new house, for someone to find years later? I got to do the same thing here: written right into Quiltacy's code is the rule that Cheryl's Premium account is free, forever. I love that the site will always carry that little nod to my mom and her quilting legacy.
Every quilt deserves a record
Now, Quiltacy is open to every quilter. I feel strongly that every quilt has a story worth remembering. The hours you put into the project, the artistic choices, the love poured into the stitches: all of it is worth writing down. Whether you decide to use Quiltacy or not, I hope you'll keep a thorough record of what you make, and I hope you'll put a permanent label on every quilt you finish.
Marsali Andrews
Founder and Owner of Quiltacy
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