UNL quilt center receives remarkable Dillow collection

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has received a gift of 275 quilts with an estimated value of more than $1.2 million from the estate of collectors Sara Rhodes Dillow and Dr. Byron Dillow, who lived in Fremont.

The gift, jointly announced by center director Patricia Crews and Clarence Castner, president of the University of Nebraska Foundation, is the second-largest gift of quilts to the center, following only that of the center's original quilt collection gift from Robert and Ardis James.

The Dillows also provided major support toward the quilt center's capital campaign and established an endowed fund through the NU Foundation for ongoing support of the center. In recognition of their generosity, the center's conservation room was named in their honor.

"The Dillows have established a legacy of service to education in Nebraska and to the international study and preservation of quilts and quiltmaking tradition," Crews said. "The value of these quilts is immense, not only for their beauty and historic value, but for the endless research opportunities they will provide to our students."

Numerous quilts included in the gift are examples of early 19th-century antique chintz, a particular area of Sara Rhodes Dillow's interest. Several of these quilts are showcased in the museum's exhibition, "Chintz Applique: From Imitation to Icon." A May 1 lecture by author Rosemary Crill of Great Britain's Victoria and Albert Museum is supported by the Byron M. and Sara Rhodes Dillow Excellence Fund.

Another strength of the Dillow Collection is in examples of 18th-century French quilting, with 20 pieces representing exquisite French whitework quilting and wholecloth quilts made of fine French textiles. Many other quilts of note include Baltimore Album quilts and rare palampores. The Dillows also collected the works of contemporary studio quilters, including Michael James and Ruth McDowell.

The gift includes a Dillow family quilt considered by center curatorial staff as one of the finest examples of a Princess Feather pattern. "The remarkable generosity of this couple is underscored by this donation of a valuable family object to our study collection," said Carolyn Ducey, curator of collections at the center.

"We are extremely pleased to accept the gift of the Dillows' remarkable quilt collection, and once again recognize the critical support they provided over the years toward the success on the university's International Quilt Study Center program," Castner said.

Sara Rhodes Dillow, a recipient of the University of Nebraska's Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award, was internationally recognized as a quilter, collector, author and leader in the area of quilt history and preservation. She was instrumental in the documentation of publicly held quilts in Nebraska and was tireless in her commitment to the establishment and growth of the International Quilt Study Center. Among her many accomplishments, Dillow helped start the Nebraska State Quilt Guild and served as its first president.

She graduated in 1958 from Beatrice High School and the University of Nebraska in 1962 with a degree in home economics. She married Dr. Byron M. Dillow in 1962 and he enthusiastically participated in his wife's interest in quilts until his death on Sept. 12, 2002. Sara continued her passion for quilts and support of the mission of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum until her unexpected death Feb. 8.

The University of Nebraska Foundation is a private, nonprofit corporation that has raised private gifts to support the University of Nebraska for 72 years. Last year, it provided more than $130 million for students, faculty, academic programs, research, and for campus and building improvements on all four campuses.

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum was founded in 1997 when native Nebraskans Ardis and Robert James donated their renowned quilt collection to UNL. Their contribution became the centerpiece of what is now the largest publicly held quilt collection in the world. Through private funds from the University of Nebraska Foundation and a lead gift from the James family, the center opened in its new location, 1523 N. 33rd St., in March. The building houses more than 3,000 quilts, as well as state-of-the-art research and storage space, and custom-crafted galleries. The new facility enhances the center's ability to pursue its mission: to collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and promote discovery of quilts and quiltmaking traditions from many cultures, countries, and times.

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays; closed Mondays and major holidays. Docent-led tours begin at 11 a.m. Wednesdays and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is $5 for adults (over 18); $3 for non-UNL students with ID and children; $10 for families; free for children under 5, museum members, and UNL faculty, staff and students with ID. For more information, call (402) 472-6459 or visit www.quiltstudy.org. The International Quilt Study Center is an academic program of the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design in the UNL College of Education and Human Sciences.