11 Little Free Library shelves join Onondaga County quilt project
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Miniature shelves outside houses across Onondaga County are filled with treasures like books, dog treats and handmade quilting kits, inviting passersby to join a collective art installation.
Since June, residents have taken special pieces of fabric from 11 different Little Free Libraries to be sewn together as a community quilt through former Syracuse University associate professor Rachel Ivy Clarke’s “Little Free Fibrary” project.
“It’s been a really wonderful way for us to get art out into the community,” Jodi Crawford, chapter leader of central New York’s Team Little Free Library, said. “All the information that you need and materials you need are all right there for people to take.”
Open through Sept. 30, the project invites residents to explore different parts of the county through 11 pop-up library shelves in Baldwinsville, Cicero, Brewerton, Syracuse, Fayetteville, Camillus, Clay and Manlius.
At each location, people can collect fabric to create their own quilt block, adding pieces to the larger quilt project. Participants can also attend quilting workshops and events hosted by Clarke at local public libraries. These workshops are aimed at helping people with their sewing skills and offer new materials and fabrics to add to the designs.
In previous years, participants mailed their quilted squares back to Clarke, and she sewed all the pieces together. However, this year participants were encouraged to attend group workshops at public libraries across the county, Baldwinsville Public Library Marketing and Outreach Coordinator Erin Cassidy said.
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Although the “Little Free Fibrary” initiative uses some Little Free Libraries — 11 out of the nearly 200 Little Free Libraries in Onondaga County — to distribute the quilting materials, the quilting project is not affiliated with the larger Little Free Library nonprofit, Crawford said. But some local volunteers welcome Clarke’s project in their little libraries.
Launched in June 2024, Clarke’s “Little Free Fibrary” project invites viewers to see datasets and the textile arts beyond their traditional perceptions. Each participating library includes beginner-friendly quilting kits complete with instructions and materials for creating quilt blocks. At a “Little Free Fibrary” on Scott Avenue, there are red circular cuts of fabric placed in between children’s and adult books.
Each year of the project has produced a different result, depending on the quilt’s theme. In 2024, two quilts were made with different colors correlating to the intercardinal direction the area the little library was located in. The 2025 project represented different seasons, showing different blocks of leaves, flowers, snowflakes and suns.
This year, the project is a “Hexagon Scavenger Hunt” where quilters are encouraged to visit all of the participating Little Free Libraries, collect unique fabrics from each one, and stitch them together.
Karin Leblond of Brewerton owns a participating Little Free Library called “The Book Nook.” Despite not knowing how to sew, Leblond appreciates the accessibility and beginner-friendliness of this project.
“I feel like it’s exposure to something new,” Leblond said. “It helps the community, it teaches your child some new skills.”
Children and adult books can be seen tucked inside a Little Free Library shelf. Across 11 pop-up library shelves in Onondaga County, community members can also find fabrics to sew their own quilt block. Peter Shin | Contributing Photographer
Christine Kirkman, a retired pediatric nurse practitioner in Fayetteville, also owns a participating little library. As a pediatric nurse, Kirkman found that not enough parents were prioritizing reading to their children at an early age — which inspired her to begin her little library. Kirkman wanted books to be accessible for children in the community, especially when the local library was closed, she said.
However, Kirkman’s Little Free Library attracts more than just the neighborhood children. Watching from the front window of her home, Kirkman sees all types of people visit her little library. From dog walkers to the members of the Department of Public Works, Kirkman said there’s a mix of visitors.
“We have even had a school bus pull over, and the driver jump out and look in there,” Kirkman said.
Kirkman, a hobbyist knitter, hosted an after-school crochet and knitting program when she worked as a school nurse.
“If we can expose children that are interested now into these crafts, even if it is just one of twenty students that decide it’s something they want to do later in their life, it’s a great thing,” Kirkman said. “Especially if they don’t have that at home or know anyone else that does this.”
Like Kirkman, Cassidy works with children at the Baldwinsville Public Library, where kids are constantly encouraged to share toys and books, she said.
“This ‘Little Free Fibrary’ initiative is sharing (materials), but in addition to sharing time and space, Rachel is also sharing her creativity and skills and knowledge, and I think everyone should take advantage of that,” Cassidy said.
The quilt project emphasizes accessibility, providing in-depth instructions for all sewing levels. Locals like Kirkman and Leblond extend their passion for collaboration by participating in the program.
“I think that working on something together in the same space really develops a community,” Cassidy said. “Your piece could be next to somebody else’s piece who lives across the county from you, but it’s been collected in such a way that they’re on equal ground. There’s no barriers.”
