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 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.
AUG 2023
Master Mason became Master/slave Conference official onsite caretaker and a NE regional advisor to the Leather Quilt Project.
JUN 2024
Slave Lexi volunteered to redesign the original website and bring the Quilt into its current, virtual layout, allowing for better accessibility and usability by a wider audience. slave Lexi accepted the position of webslave and historian to help Rob in archiving Quilt histories. Master Ray came on as well as a virtual archivist.
JAN 2025
January saw the return of the Love on the Quilt Weekend where bootblacks from all over come together to care for the Quilt, rejuvenate squares that need love or have become damaged, but also sharing stories. Love on the Quilt Weekend was first started in 2023 by Tori, Evil Geoff, Deejay, Master Varii and slave Neill.
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At the Weekend, bootblacks assembled and voted Goldie lead bootblack, at which point she officially joined the team!
MAR 2025
New vest pins featuring the Quilt logo were made and distributed for people who add there square or give service to the Quilt. (Note - If you added a square prior and wish to get a pin, please send us a note under Contact Us!)
A new "Leather Quilt" vest patch was created and sold as the Quilt's first fundraiser to support the continued care of the Quilt and to help bring it to more communities.
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JUN 2025
Recognizing a need for further care, Master Varii asked Michael "Allsin" to join the team as our Historical Leather Restorationist. Recognizing Michael's superior skills with leather and a need to really focus on preserving this living history as it travels, Master Varii asked Michael to care for several patches that had become worn to restore them to their previous glory. Michael also was invited to attend the Love on the Quilt Weekends to help guide the team on differences between bootblacking and historical preservation. The Quilt is unique in that people do touch it, it travels and is assembled and disassembled by teams of volunteers. Michael kindly accepted this huge task to care and advise. ​
2025
While 2024 had broken records for the Quilt in both number of appearances and new panels - including a trip to Florida for the first time! And Master Varii and slave neill personally driving the Quilt to new locations - 2025 once again shattered the records and added more panels in more places as the community continued to recognize the importance of actively working to record and preserve our history.
JAN 2026
After such a huge 2025 for the Quilt, and stepping into the 20th year of the Quilt, slave neill needed to step away from the Quilt Project. As the Quilt Team had grown substantially in addition to the Quilt's sheer size and breadth, Master Ray began assisting Master Varii with logistics in addition to his archivist duties and officially took on the title of Coordinator as well. ​​​​