Nifty Fifty Quilting

Welcome — I'm Teresa, and This Is Nifty Fifty Quilters

Some things start small but continue to grow in ways you never expect. Mine began with a simple quilt block swap. A handful of quilters, designing and making 50 blocks to represent their state, the idea that fabric could travel across the country and come back as something more than thread and cotton. That was over ten years ago. Since then, we've swapped more than 70,000 blocks — all fifty states and over 130 international quilters representing their countries. There were hundreds of quilters involved, and charity quilts sewn from every single swap to support breast cancer research.

The Nifty Fifty community grew because quilters are generous, caring, and full of compassion. Quilters created works of art to represent their state, sewing 50 of these quilt blocks and trustingly mailing them to a stranger in another state. Before long, a surprise package would arrive in their mailbox containing 50 completely different and unique quilt blocks from quilters across the country.

Each participant in the swap was able to create their own 50-state quilt—something truly special. But even more meaningful were the friendships that grew along the way. Nifty Fifty quilters, connected through fabric, creativity, and trust. My hope is that those connections will continue to grow through the launch of our new site and many successful swaps to come.

Not only will we be bringing back the large Nifty Fifty swaps, but we also plan to offer smaller, more manageable swaps with a variety of fun and creative themes. We also plan to continue our charity work by creating quilts to support breast cancer research—combining our love of quilting with a purpose that reaches far beyond our community.

Our new Nifty Fifty Quilting site is where that community continues—
a place to swap blocks/material, use helpful quilting tools, find inspiration, share support, connect with quilters state by state, and keep this special tradition alive for those who are just discovering us and for those who have been part of it before.

If you’re new here: welcome. Tell me where you’re from and what block you would make to represent your state—that’s always my favorite question.

Hugs,

Teresa