The Alachua County Library District (ACLD) teamed up with three local quilt guilds to celebrate the art of quilting with the 2025 Quilt Trail.
Throughout the entire month of March and coinciding with National Quilt Day on March 15, more than 100 modern and antique quilts will be on display at all 12 ACLD locations.
Library guests can pick up Quilt Trail passports from any location and collect stamps as they visit each spot along the trail.
“Any partnership with our community organizations is an important thing,” said Brad McClenny, ACLD’s public relations and marketing manager. “It’s always cool to display a local artist’s work.”
The biennial Quilt Trail event first started after a staff librarian connected with quilters involved in local guilds while running the library’s quilting programs. When the quilters told the librarian they didn’t have anywhere to put their artwork, she suggested they display them in the libraries.
This year’s Quilt Trail is ACLD’s second go-around presenting the event and the first year showcasing quilts from three guilds instead of one. All the quilts on display are made by members of the Quilters of Alachua County Day Guild, the Tree City Quilters Guild and the Gainesville Modern Quilters.
McClenny said the higher number of guilds creates more opportunities for people to get involved with them and be exposed to various quilting designs and techniques.
“The Alachua County Day Guild has a little older style, whereas the modern quilter guild, they do a newer style,” he said. “The detail that the groups put into these small panel quilts is unbelievable. There’s some really neat quilts on display.”
During past Quilt Trail events, full passports meant library guests could enter into a quilt raffle. McClenny said close to 200 people turned in full tickets during the 2023 Quilt Trail.
Although there will be no raffle this year, McClenny said the journey of traveling around the county filling up the passport is just as sufficient of a prize.
“It’s a fun chance to get out and drive around,” he said. “They’re going to be on display all the way until March 31, so people have time to kind of get around. If you’ve never seen certain parts of Alachua County, it’s a great chance to go drive out to Hawthorne or drive to Newberry and really see what these other communities have in Alachua County.”
McClenny said anyone of any skill level who is interested in quilting programs or classes can get involved with one of three guilds or check out the library’s crafting classes offering quilting, sewing and knitting. Click here for an updated list of crafting events at the library.
