Our History
Timeline of the Quilt
NOV 3, 2005
The idea for a Leather Quilt is conceived of and brought forth to the world by Master Steve of Butchmanns.
FEB 26, 2006
The Leather Quilt was displayed for the first time at South Plains Leatherfest in Dallas, Texas with approximately a dozen panels.
2005 - 2017
The quilt was under the stewardship of Master Steve & Buchmann’s. During this time, Master Patricia and slave Patricia were instrumental in the care, maintenance, and growth of the Quilt. The quilt grew to over 80 squares.
2017
Buchmann’s transferred stewardship of the quilt to Master Blue and his slave sheri, the 2018 Southeast Master and slave. It is at this point the name “The Leather Quilt Project” was adopted.
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As the quilt grew it became impossible to ship in a single suitcase. Since it had to be shipped in two cases, it was decided events would be allowed to request all, or half of the quilt, as their space could accommodate and as their budget for shipping would allow. In order to further help manage shipping costs and provide better access to the quilt, Master Blue and slave sheri enlisted assistance by appointing a West Coast caretaker to help with logistics when all, or part of the quilt, was located on the west coast. Sir Tomo was appointed as the first West Coast Caretaker (Note: This did not divide the quilt into two separate quilts. Also, the panels in each case were constantly rotated so all panels had an opportunity to be seen on both coasts when the full quilt was not requested.)
2019
The decision was made to remove pins and dedicated pin panels from the quilt. The weight of the pins and the damage their pinbacks were doing to the other leather panels made this decision necessary to protect the health of the quilt, but these pins and dedicated panels were important and have been lovingly preserved and put in a display at the Carter Johnson Library.
2020
Master Varii and slave neill were acting as onsite caretakers for LLC when COVID lockdowns cancelled it and future events. By necessity they became the unofficial caretakers of the East Coast section of the quilt and stored the Quilt in climate control conditions until it was able to be displayed again.
SEP 2021
Master Blue asked Master Varii and slave neill to continue as East Coast caretakers as events slowly open up and the quilt starts traveling again.
OCT 2021
Master Blue appointed Master David and slave brynn as new West Coast caretakers in anticipation of events slowly opening up and the quilt beginning to travel again. Sir Tomo had continued to care for the West Coast section of the quilt, keeping it safely stored during COVID until it was passed to Master David and slave brynn.
JUN 2022
The Quilt was displayed for the first-time post COVID at SELF in Atlanta, GA.
NOV 2022
JustRob had seen a need and began working on a digital archive in 2021 and shared it with Master Varii and Master Blue. The digital portion of the Leather Quilt Project kicked into high gear at Leather History Preservation Weekend with JustRob, Tori, Master Varii, and slave neill working together to locate histories on every patch, and JustRob taking new photos of every square.
Tori, producer of LHPW and former Bootblack titleholder, gave every patch a thorough inspection for any discoloration or damage from prolonged storage and she helped Master Varii make plans for a Quilt cleaning and repair weekend by our wonderful community bootblacks to bring the quilt back to perfect condition.
APR 2023
Master Blue and slave sheri officially transferred stewardship of the Quilt and the Leather Quilt Project to Master Varii and slave neill, the 2022 & 2023 Southeast Master/slave. Under Master Blue and slave sheri’s careful watch the quilt grew to over 180 squares. Master Varii asked JustRob to be the official Leather Quilt Project Historian and he accepted.
MAY 2023
Due to work obligations Master David and slave brynn asked to be replaced and Master Varii appointed SirDaddyDaun and slave girl j as the new West Coast caretakers.
JUN 2023
The Quilt crossed a milestone. The 200th square, FIST, was added to the Leather Quilt at SELF. JustRob began working on a new, updated virtual archive for the Leather Quilt Project and KnightAndDae (a graphic designer in the community) volunteered to create a logo which was adopted.
JUN 2024