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Quaint farms dot the countryside; lighthouses stand tall at the coast. Each year, students flood onto the campuses of A-list universities. Every season brings a pageant: The cherry blossoms in spring, that famous fall foliage, fluffy snowdrifts in winter, and endless summer hours at the seashore.

Connecticut is one of the oldest states in America, and this distinction shows up in early quilts made in the region, some dating back to the early days of the Republic. If you’ve pieced Star blocks, strips, Flying Geese, or other traditional patchwork components, Connecticut quiltmakers deserve a debt of gratitude. Their patterns and methods helped shape today’s quilts.

The mighty Studio Art Quilt Associates, headquartered in Hebron, connect boundary-pushing art quilters in Connecticut and around the world. In Hartford, individuals who have been impacted by substance abuse are healing through a memorial quilt project. And famed quiltmaker Denyse Schmidt will forever be, however reluctantly, one of the foremothers of the modern quilt. Other Connecticut quiltmakers may be less known, but they are all worth knowing.

We suspect that by the time you finish reading Quiltfolk, Issue 17: Connecticut, you’ll feel like you’ve spent a few enjoyable days getting to know some new quilty friends from “The Nutmeg State.”