Quilting is much like a quilt itself: individual pieces become something far greater when they are joined together.
– Cheryl Degan, Austin Area Quilt Guild
In Summer 2026, PCC embarked on a collaboration with DearTomorrow and The Contemporary Austin to collect letters and drawings about the future from participants of all ages. Written on fabric transfers, these letters are a compelling patchwork of Austin families’ hopes, fears, and curiosities about our future as a city and a planet, painstakingly pieced together by members of the Austin Area Quilt Guild (AAQG) along with museum volunteers. You can view the finished quilts on display at The Very ‘Rary, a fundraiser for The Contemporary’s K-12 programming. It’s happening on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026 2-5 pm at Laguna Gloria. Info & tickets here.
We spoke with AAQG member Cheryl Degan to learn more about the process and meaning-making behind these quilts.
Tell us a bit about the Austin Area Quilt Guild.
The Austin Area Quilt Guild was founded in October 1978 and will soon be celebrating its 50th anniversary. Our mission is to further the art and craft of quilting. We have over 400 members and host monthly meetings and quilting workshops. We also host the biannual Capital of Texas Quiltfest at the Palmer Events Center.
How did you get involved in the DearTomorrow Community Art Quilt? What role did you play, how many hours did you spend, and how many volunteers were a part of it?
I was introduced to Meghann Rosales of the Contemporary Austin by a fellow Austin Area Quilt Guild junior member, 15-year old Anna Gottschalk. Anna is a volunteer at The Contemporary Austin and suggested that I might be able to persuade the Austin Area Quilt Guild to get involved to help finish the “Dear Austin” quilt. Along with Carrie Thielemann and Diane Newberry from the AAQG, we spent approximately 24 combined hours assembling the 2 quilt tops along with other museum volunteers. I personally devoted an additional 40 hours quilting the two quilt tops.
Have you participated in other quilting projects connected to social or environmental issues?
Yes, the Austin Area Quilt Guild has made and donated thousands of quilts to charities around the Austin area, including Healthy Families Travis County, Travis County WIC/Mom’s Place, Children’s Advocacy Center Bastrop, and Brooks Army Medical Center/San Antonio.
What has been the greatest challenge with this project? What has been the most rewarding part?
The greatest challenge was quilting the non-traditional materials used in the quilt. Our greatest reward was meeting and helping the young volunteers who were learning to use sewing machines in connection with this piece of art.
What does quilting mean to you?
To me, quilting is much more than making something beautiful from pieces of fabric. It is a way of making meaning. Every quilt carries a story. Sometimes it is a story of family, love, loss or celebration. Sometimes it is simply the story of a quilter exploring color, design and creativity. Quilts have a remarkable ability to take the ordinary things of life and transform them into something lasting.
Why do you think this folk art has been around for so long?
I believe folk art has endured because people have always needed ways to express themselves, preserve their stories and create beauty in their everyday lives. Quilting connects us to those who came before us, while giving each generation the opportunity to reinterpret those traditions in its own voice.
I also think it is important not to think of quilting only as folk art. Quilting certainly has deep roots in folk art and in the tradition of making beautiful, useful objects from what was available. But today, quilts can be sophisticated works of fine art, with the same intentionality, composition, color theory, creativity and technical mastery we see in painting or sculpture. A quilt can be utilitarian and profoundly artistic at the same time.
What makes quilting relevant today?
Quilting is especially relevant today because it asks us to slow down in a world that moves incredibly fast. It requires our hands, our attention and our imagination. We create something that may take months or even years, something that can outlast us.
But perhaps what matters most is the community quilting creates. Quilters teach one another, share ideas and fabrics, solve problems together and gather around tables to sew. There is something deeply human about sitting beside another person, each working on our own quilt, while sharing a conversation. The stitches may be individual, but the experience is collective.
What impact do you hope that the DearTomorrow quilt might have on viewers at The Very ‘Rary? What do you hope they will take away from the experience?
I hope the people who see the exhibit and read the letters will reflect on their own wishes for the future of our planet.
For kids and families who want to learn more about the history or practice of quilting, can you share a resource to get started?
The Austin Area Quilt Guild will be offering beginning quilting classes in January. Watch our events calendar on our website to sign up. Visit our webpage at AAQG.org.
In 2026-27, The Parents’ Climate Community is bringing DearTomorrow’s future visioning approach to Austin youth, families and allies. Read about another DearTomorrow climate-arts project we seeded here.