American Quilt Study Group

In 1970, Sally Garoutte and Joyce Gross began studying the history of quilts and quilt making. They formed the Mill Valley Quilt Authority and built a network of individuals that now comprises the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG). In 1979, Garoutte and Gross proposed a gathering of quilt scholars, collectors, and quilt makers to discuss quilt history, biographies of quilt makers, documenting quilts, and the promotion of quilts as an art form. The first meeting of AQSG occurred in Mill Valley in November 1980. Since that time, AQSG has grown to include more than a thousand members from all over the United States and the world. Garoutte served as an editor of Uncoverings, the AQSG journal as well as textile and contributing editor of Quilters Journal . She was inducted into the Quilters Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1989, Garoutte died at the age of 64.