Ironer's Press

05/19/2026

The Stock I Come From - Artist Talk: Wednesday, May 20 from 6-7:30pm : Registration Link: https://www.hisawyer.com/textile-arts-center-of-madison/schedules/activity-set/1883245

The Black Threads Quilting Bee will present a theatrical performance inspired by storytelling, memory, and community. The Black Threads Quilting Bee is the very inspiration behind the creation of the Memory Collectors Storytelling Project (MCSP), and it is incredibly meaningful to share this experience with those who have helped sustain and grow this work.
The event is free and open to the public, but you must register to reserve your seat.

In addition to the May 20th presentation, join us for an informal stitching session and conversation with artists from The Work of Remembering. Spend time creating in community while engaging with exhibiting artists and hearing firsthand about their stories, legacies, and the role quilting plays in capturing and sustaining memory. All skill levels are welcome.
Stitch and Chat Session: Wednesday, May 20, from 4-6 pm
Registration Link: https://www.hisawyer.com/textile-arts-center-of-madison/schedules/activity-set/1886018

If you would like to learn more about the programs and products at the Creator’s Cottage, become a member, or volunteer, please visit The Ironer's Press website: https://www.ironerspress.org/

💛 To continue supporting our mission through a financial contribution, please become a Friend of the Cottage: https://givebutter.com/ccbecomeafriend

04/30/2026

Join us tomorrow, Friday, May 1, 2026 for the opening reception for our most recent quilt exhibition titled, The Work of Remembering. This collection features story and legacy quilts created by the Black Threads Quilting Bee and participants in The Memory Collectors Storytelling Project (MCSP): Fighting Alzheimer’s with Art. Rooted in shared histories, personal narratives, and healthy and safe communities. We are incredibly excited to share this exhibition as a meaningful celebration of community, creativity, and remembrance. To learn more about the show visit the Textile Arts Center of Madison’s webpage . To learn more about the Memory Collectors Storytelling Project, visit us online at https://www.ironerspress.org/mcsp.

Learn more about the Creator’s Cottage
If you’d like to learn more about the programs and products at the Creator's Cottage, become a member, or volunteer please visit our website at the creatorscottage.org. If you’d like to join us in person, sign up for one of our monthly Tea and Tour sessions, the first Tuesday of the month from 10AM-11:30AM. Tea and Tour Sign up form

Click the link below to submit a financial donation to support our mission. https://www.ironerspress.org/donate

02/19/2026

Good job, Annetta!

12/02/2025

The Creator's Cottage Giving Tuesday Campaign! https://givebutter.com/R6saNL

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday! Let's show-up and show-out for the Creator's Cottage.

Thank you for believing in our mission and for helping us build community through the arts.

Together we can make a difference! Your giving supports local artist.

11/20/2025

Join Us for the Creator’s Cottage Makers Space Winter Market!
Celebrate the season with community, creativity, and purpose! We invite you to come out and support the Creator’s Cottage, a nonprofit makerspace dedicated to uplifting local artists, storytellers, and creative entrepreneurs.

Our Winter Market will feature a beautiful selection of handmade quilts, teas and tinctures, books, prints, earrings, soaps, oils, and many more one-of-a-kind gifts crafted by our talented makers. It’s the perfect opportunity to shop small, shop local, and find meaningful gifts for the holidays.

This year, we’re also excited to host a special clothing event:
💃🏾 A Legacy of Style: The Creator’s Cottage Holiday Trunk Affair

Browse elegant plus size women’s apparel at special discounted prices. All proceeds from the clothing sale will benefit the Memory Collectors Storytelling Project, helping us preserve and uplift community narratives for generations to come.
We’d love to see you there. Your support makes a difference!

Register for the CC Winter Craft Market: https://forms.gle/XWU4fw1YBATguFEJA

10/15/2025

Good Afternoon! 🌞 Memory Collectors Family!

From time to time, our MCSP artists take their creativity beyond our community—submitting their beautiful fiber art pieces to local, state, national, and even international showcases. We’re always proud to cheer them on as they share their artistry and stories with the world.

This month, we have something extra special to celebrate! 🎉 Our very own Vaunce has submitted her Legacy Quilt to the American Quilting Society (AQS) Worldwide Quilt Parade—and it just so happens to be her birthday month too! 🧵🎂

Let’s come together to show Vaunce some love and community pride. Visit the Worldwide Quilt Parade 2025 Gallery: Wisconsin and cast your vote for her stunning quilt!

https://aqsquiltweek.awardsplatform.com/entry/vote/rvJvnZvZ?utm_campaign=18097803-Quilt+Parade+2025&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8WQUrE1AIgNjU04z_xziYPIohtdR-rbaKiL78eW2t_D50nSoJ2uS3MPwLw3vgaA-HeTAbEkX0fqIh7G3ShoJ3q5roY3A&_hsmi=384245299&utm_content=384245299&utm_source=hs_email&category=130348&my-votes-only=0&page=1

Let’s lift her up with votes, love, and birthday wishes!

💜 Click the link to donate: https://www.creatorscottage.org/donate
📍 You can learn more about our project here: creatorscottage.org/mcsp
📍Check out recent news articles about Memory Collectors
Wisconsin State Journal : https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://madison.com/news/local/events/article_13a7b9b9-6dae-4add-ac15-d3a1759b9295.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share__;!!Mak6IKo!Jl4yIXEG_tY-Tb24psDCWlOrcNqgy3fBDVavjTDvbS4hcfDx5eNWUwU8yWDyohNGtawZAn9MSSlbYKrpJjuY$
Cap Times Column by Fabu: https://captimes.com/opinion/guest-columns/opinion-help-celebrate-mature-women-quilting-and-creative-arts/article_485b83a4-3f9a-11ef-ad8b-e3ea6ddadf47.html
Isthmus by Melissa Perry: https://isthmus.com/arts/community-through-cloth-memory-collectors/

10/11/2025

Now that we are all rested up from our trip, we just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU!

As organizers of this unforgettable journey, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who supported the Memory Collectors Storytelling Project’s pilgrimage to Alabama. What unfolded was more than we could have ever imagined—a powerful intersection of community, connection, artistry, and history.

Thanks to your generosity, we are thrilled to share that we met our $40,000 fundraising goal! Every donation, prayer, and word of encouragement helped make this dream a reality. Your donations allowed us to bring together generations of women to honor the legacy of creativity, resilience, and storytelling that defines our shared history.

For those who may not know, Bianca and Catrina’s friendship began over 30 years ago on the UW–Madison campus. This trip marked the first time they joined forces on a project of this magnitude. Guided by their shared belief that nothing is too big for God, together, they worked tirelessly to ensure every moment of this experience would uplift, inspire, and affirm the participants’ creative and spiritual journeys.

Their hope is that you will continue to support the Memory Collectors Storytelling Project: Fighting Alzheimer’s with Art as it grows across Wisconsin—shining a light on memory, legacy, and healing, and improving health and wellness outcomes in marginalized communities, particularly among African American women.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing personal reflections and stories from participants about how this pilgrimage impacted their lives. We invite you to follow along, celebrate their voices, and witness the beauty that happens when art, memory, and purpose come together.

If you’d like to learn more about the Memory Collectors Storytelling Project, become a member or volunteer, or contribute financial support, please visit our website using the link below. Together, we can continue to turn stories into a source of healing and hope.

💜 Click the link to donate: https://www.creatorscottage.org/donate
📍 You can learn more about our project here: creatorscottage.org/mcsp

📍Check out recent news articles about Memory Collectors
Wisconsin State Journal : https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://madison.com/news/local/events/article_13a7b9b9-6dae-4add-ac15-d3a1759b9295.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share__;!!Mak6IKo!Jl4yIXEG_tY-Tb24psDCWlOrcNqgy3fBDVavjTDvbS4hcfDx5eNWUwU8yWDyohNGtawZAn9MSSlbYKrpJjuY$
Cap Times Column by Fabu: https://captimes.com/opinion/guest-columns/opinion-help-celebrate-mature-women-quilting-and-creative-arts/article_485b83a4-3f9a-11ef-ad8b-e3ea6ddadf47.html
Isthmus by Melissa Perry: https://isthmus.com/arts/community-through-cloth-memory-collectors/

10/02/2025

🚍Today is the day! 💜 Click the link to donate: https://www.creatorscottage.org/donate

Today the Memory Collectors Storytelling Project: Fighting Alzheimer’s with Art embarks on a historic journey to the Airing of the Quilts Festival in Boykin, Alabama!
Thanks to your incredible support, we’re only $3,750 away from reaching our $40,000 goal. Every gift—large or small—brings us closer, and helps us continue to grow our reach to women and families who need our love and support.
We’ve said it before: we’re not just stitching quilts. We’re building legacy. We’re building community. And we’re transforming the health and wellness of women across Wisconsin. 💜

Mary’s story:

I joined the Memory Collectors Storytelling Project with my mom, who was 91 at the time. We were looking for creative ways to share her many stories. My mom was our family’s griot, the keeper of memory and history.

When she was diagnosed with dementia in 2014, I knew how important it was to find activities we could do together. Being a 24/7 caregiver was challenging, but it also gave me the chance to help her exercise her mind in new ways. Memory Collectors became that safe and welcoming space.
What she loved most was being able to freely tell her stories among women who truly understood what it was like to grow up African American. My mom spent her childhood in Ohio, she moved to Madison in 1947, to help her mother cook on the UW Madison campus.

Mom and I traveled together for over 30 years, Hawaii was her favorite trip. Being part of this group and preparing for our journey to Gee’s Bend feels like continuing that tradition of traveling, learning, and honoring the voices of women like her.
The group welcomed Mom and me, wrapping their arms around us, even as her life journey came to an end in December 2024. MCSP members continue to support me like aunties, sisters, and friends as I now walk my journey without her. As participants of MCSP we are all on different paths, our cultural backgrounds, professions, ages, and health and wellness journeys vary, yet we support each other through it all.

Supporting Memory Collectors doesn’t just keep my family stories alive—it supports me personally. My financial buoyancy has been unsettled, and being able to remain part of this community is such a gift. Any amount you can give would mean the world to me, and to the women whose stories we are carrying forward.

🌟 Mary, a devoted member of the Gee’s Bend Fundraising Committee, has helped secure thousands of dollars to make this journey possible. Her story reflects the powerful intergenerational connections nurtured in MCSP spaces.
Featured here is her Legacy Quilt: the central image, created by Alicia Rheal—artist-in-residence at the Creator’s Cottage—framed by a quilt pattern Mary designed to symbolize her own life and legacy.

At the Creator’s Cottage and through MCSP, we celebrate the intersection of art, culture, and health and wellness. With your support, we can continue making artistic pursuits affordable and accessible for our community.
Help us finish strong—every gift brings us closer to our goal!

💜 Click the link to donate: https://www.creatorscottage.org/donate
📍 You can learn more about our project here: creatorscottage.org/mcsp
📍Check out recent news articles about Memory Collectors
Wisconsin State Journal : https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://madison.com/news/local/events/article_13a7b9b9-6dae-4add-ac15-d3a1759b9295.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share__;!!Mak6IKo!Jl4yIXEG_tY-Tb24psDCWlOrcNqgy3fBDVavjTDvbS4hcfDx5eNWUwU8yWDyohNGtawZAn9MSSlbYKrpJjuY$
Cap Times Column by Fabu: https://captimes.com/opinion/guest-columns/opinion-help-celebrate-mature-women-quilting-and-creative-arts/article_485b83a4-3f9a-11ef-ad8b-e3ea6ddadf47.html
Isthmus by Melissa Perry: https://isthmus.com/arts/community-through-cloth-memory-collectors/

10/01/2025

✨Just 1 day to go!
💜 Click the link to donate: https://www.creatorscottage.org/donate

We only have one more day to go before we head-out for our trip to the Airing of the Quilts Festival in Boykin, Alabama. Here's a story from another one of our Memory Collectors participants highlighting the importance of the group and this journey.

Annetta’s story:
Two years ago, I lost my father. I spent countless days flying back and forth from Wisconsin to Atlanta, along with my siblings, caring for him while holding on to hope that he would survive cancer, diabetes, and dementia. But God, in His wisdom, called him home—free from pain, free from suffering. Though I still grieve, I take comfort in knowing he lived a good life and was deeply loved.

In that season of loss, I found myself drowning in grief. And then, I joined MCSP. At first, I joined simply to connect around healthy eating—being vegan, I even shared my love for vegan soul food. But what I discovered was so much more. I found women walking the same road as me—caring for aging parents, navigating heartbreak, and trying to find light in dark times. Their stories healed me, encouraged me, and gave me strength.

And we learned how to quilt! What began as a new hobby quickly became a lifeline. Quilting gave me a way to honor my family, to stitch love into fabric, and to turn grief into something beautiful. Each quilt tells a story, and through every piece, I pour my heart into remembering, healing, and creating. One of my quilts, No More Hidden Figures, was even chosen to be displayed at the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show this year, this was one of the proudest moments of my life.

Now, I have been blessed with an opportunity I never dreamed possible. A trip that is more than just travel, it is a pilgrimage. Imagine this: Women (black and white), quilters, healers, daughters, and mothers, all journeying together. Each of us carrying memories of loved ones lost, but also carrying hope, creativity, and resilience. This trip is about more than quilts—it is about life, legacy, and love stitched into every story.

🌟 Annetta, volunteers on the meal prep team for MCSP. Keeping us all well fed and healthy! Her story of resilience is powerful!

We are still accepting donations for our trip. You can help us finish strong. Every gift—large or small—brings us closer to our fundraising goal of $40,000. Thank you to all of the people who have already given to make this trip possible, together, we’re stitching a legacy. Thank you for being part of it.

💜 Click the link to donate: https://www.creatorscottage.org/donate
📍 You can learn more about our project here: creatorscottage.org/mcsp
📍Check out recent news articles about Memory Collectors
Wisconsin State Journal : https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://madison.com/news/local/events/article_13a7b9b9-6dae-4add-ac15-d3a1759b9295.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share__;!!Mak6IKo!Jl4yIXEG_tY-Tb24psDCWlOrcNqgy3fBDVavjTDvbS4hcfDx5eNWUwU8yWDyohNGtawZAn9MSSlbYKrpJjuY$
Cap Times Column by Fabu: https://captimes.com/opinion/guest-columns/opinion-help-celebrate-mature-women-quilting-and-creative-arts/article_485b83a4-3f9a-11ef-ad8b-e3ea6ddadf47.html
Isthmus by Melissa Perry: https://isthmus.com/arts/community-through-cloth-memory-collectors/

09/29/2025

✨Just 3 days to go!

💜 Click the link to donate: https://www.creatorscottage.org/donate

As promised, we’re sharing stories from our Memory Collectors participants—their journeys, their hopes, and the significance of being part of this movement. These stories remind us why this upcoming trip to the Airing of the Quilts Festival in Boykin, Alabama is so much more than a trip—it’s a journey of legacy, artistry, and connection.

Thanks to your incredible generosity, we’ve closed our fundraising gap by $6, 000 since our participant spotlight began. Together, we are making it possible for every participant to experience this once-in-a-lifetime journey without financial burden. We are now only $9,000 away from our $40,000 goal—and with your continued support, we know we can get there!

Here’s Melanie’s story:

As a caregiver for my 84 year-old mother diagnosed with dementia, going on the trip is not only an opportunity to learn first hand about the extraordinary Gee's Bend quilters, but it will also be a time of respite for me. As some of you may know, caregiving is extremely rewarding, yet emotionally challenging. The Memory Collectors Project has become my dementia support group, and a fun artistic outlet for my mother.

The photo shows one of the many quilts that my grandmother from Mississippi made over 45 years ago. My mother and aunts quilted with my grandmother as children. The Memory Collectors Storytelling Project has allowed me to continue this family legacy, and preserve our family memories. My goal is to learn quilting well enough to be able to sew a quilt together with my mother.
Thank you in advance for your generous financial support!
-Melanie

🌟 Melanie’s words capture the intergenerational component of why this project matters. It’s not simply about quilts—it’s about preserving family history, passing down traditions, and ensuring that each stitch carries a memory, and each story cloth becomes a legacy piece that children, grandchildren, and future generations can hold onto.

By supporting this project, you are not only investing in the health and wellness of today’s older adults—you are also safeguarding cultural memory and creating bridges between generations. The Memory Collectors are shaping a living archive that will continue to inspire, educate, and connect families and communities for years to come.

You can help us finish strong. Every gift—large or small—brings us closer to our goal and ensures that all of our participants can take part in this extraordinary journey.
Together, we’re stitching a legacy. Thank you for being part of it.

💜 Click the link to donate: https://www.creatorscottage.org/donate

📍 You can learn more about our project here: creatorscottage.org/mcsp

📍Check out recent news articles about Memory Collectors
Wisconsin State Journal : https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://madison.com/news/local/events/article_13a7b9b9-6dae-4add-ac15-d3a1759b9295.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share__;!!Mak6IKo!Jl4yIXEG_tY-Tb24psDCWlOrcNqgy3fBDVavjTDvbS4hcfDx5eNWUwU8yWDyohNGtawZAn9MSSlbYKrpJjuY$
Cap Times Column by Fabu: https://captimes.com/opinion/guest-columns/opinion-help-celebrate-mature-women-quilting-and-creative-arts/article_485b83a4-3f9a-11ef-ad8b-e3ea6ddadf47.html
Isthmus by Melissa Perry: https://isthmus.com/arts/community-through-cloth-memory-collectors/