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Sesquicentennial Quilt

A quilted map of California featuring symbols representing each region of the state.

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of California statehood

The Sesquicentennial Quilt was created by the California Heritage Quilt Project to honor California’s 150th anniversary of U.S. statehood in 2000.

Featuring vignettes depicting unique characteristics of the state’s 58 counties, the quilt was hand-stitched by more than 230 applique artists across California under the guidance of lead designers Ellen Heck and Zena Thorpe and organizer Helen Powell.

I decided the little green frog would never show on the green fabric background that was sent, so I put our frog jumping off Mark Twain’s book “The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.”

Mary Lou Humber

“Jumping Frog” Quilter

It was impossible to include the multitude of lifestyles in this region of California. The best I could do was to represent the people in the form of the little houses and villages that are tucked into the hills and valleys all through this area. My intent was to represent and honor all who live, work, and play here – past, present and future.

Dixie McBride

“Redwoods” Quilter

I wrote the plane’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, and they provided me with wonderful information, pictures, and drawings that I used to make a plane that was detailed and scaled right.

Zena Thorpe

“SR 71” Quilter

While standing overlooking the Pacific Ocean, I envisioned the surprise the explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo would experience if he sailed past the site of the Point Loma Lighthouse into the San Diego Bay today. The view would be quite a change from when he sailed into the Bay on September 28, 1542. The Point Loma Lighthouse beckoned ships toward the San Diego Harbor from 1855 to 1891, but has remained an enduring symbol of the City of San Diego.