Legacy Quilts Story

The family of personalized memory products designed and handmade by Legacy Quilts enables clients to preserve powerful memories and pass on history, art and craft in an exquisitely tangible, functional and lasting way.

Inspiration and Motivation

While Legacy Quilts was officially launched in 2002, the genesis of the idea came in 1994 after, founder, Jennifer Olson-Hyatt’s mother died of breast cancer at the age of 48. As the family cleared her mother’s effects, many clothes items were put aside, in the hope that someone might make ‘quilts of memories’ for each family member.

Margaret M. Olson

1946-1994

While Jennifer has always had an interest in art, at the time she had little to no sewing experience. As time passed, Jennifer realized that she wanted to make the quilts, so true to her spirit, she dove in. What she experienced was a healing journey as each fabric memory was pieced into something beautiful, functional and lasting for her family.

Creativity blossomed in the new medium and quilting quickly became a passion, with a growing need to help others preserve such powerful memories. Jennifer notes that a great deal of positive energy is put into every creation. As a result, she loves seeing the wonder they inspire and truly understands the memories they hold.

About the Artist

Originally from northwestern Wisconsin, Legacy Quilts founder, Jennifer Olson-Hyatt did her undergraduate work in English, Linguistics, Education and Women’s Studies, followed shortly thereafter by a graduate MBA. After spending several years in various locations internationally and in the US in ‘corporate America’, she and her husband decided it was time to move back to their small town roots in Wisconsin and make her dream of starting a memory quilting business a reality.

Jennifer O. Hyatt

Legacy Quilts Founder

After launching the business in 2002, a friend encouraged Jennifer to enter the Oxygen Media “Build Your Own Business” Contest for female entrepreneurs. She submitted her business plan, and out of 12,000 entrants nationwide, the idea for Legacy Quilts was selected as one of four winners.

As a winner, Legacy Quilts received a $10,000 grant, an Office Max computer suite and a trip to New York City for a two-day small business workshop. In addition, Oxygen came to Wisconsin to shoot segments for a special TV spot on the winners. View Oxygen Video Clip /Link to Winner's Article at www.oxygen.com

Jennifer and her husband have two young daughters, Ania & Siri. In 2005, the family built their dream home on a northern lake, complete with a separate quilting studio to permanently house Legacy Quilts. In the next years Legacy Quilts is looking forward to significantly ramping-up production and continuing to define and build the Legacy Quilts brand.

To Jennifer, the most important thing in life is that she is doing what she loves, secure in the knowledge that she is spending her life in the most satisfying way possible, while enriching others by helping create and preserve treasured memories through custom quilts.

Our Story