Gayle LeGrand has been an active Palo Verde Patchers member since 2005, including serving as president in 2008-09, was selected as Quilter of the year in 2011 and in 2019, was the Quilt Show Featured Quilter. In addition, LeGrand has also co-chaired the Palo Verde Patcher’s Quilt show several times.

The International IQM has agree to add two MORE quilts from Gayle LeGrand’s family to their collection. Gayle shared the quilts and their background at the 7/9 meeting.

LeGrand grew up on a ranch in Maxwell, Nebraska and was an active participant in the early days of the International Quilt Museum, when it was a small effort known as “The Quilt House.” There are several of her family quilts in the collection. An intergenerational quilt, Kansas Sunflower, was in the May through Nov, 2009 IQM exhibit “American Quilts in the Modern Age. The quilt was started by Mary Adams Abercrombie (1832-1909) and continued by Ella Abercrombie Harman (1867-1963) and Ruth Harman Gutherless (1904-2004) and finished by Gayle Gutherless LeGrand (1932).

Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, the International Quilt Museum is home to the world’s largest publicly held quilt collection. With objects from more than 65 countries and dating from the 1600s to today, with collections and exhibit works that represent quilts and quilt-making traditions from around the world and throughout history.

The Sun Bonnet Sue was made by Ella (1867-1963) for her young granddaughter Gayle (1932). Gayle states that her grandmother “was a big influence as she made beautiful quilts.”

The baby quilt was also made Ella, Gayle’s grandmother. Like Gayle, the quilt is 91 years old.

Thank you Margaret Simmons for providing the information about Gayle and her family’s history.

Visit patchers.scwclubs.com.