Celebrate National Quilting Day on Saturday, March 16 at the Folk Art Center. Connie Brown and Robin Brooks, who are members of the Asheville Quilt Guild and the Southern Highland Craft Guild, will demonstrate their craft from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. in the center’s lobby.

The National Quilting Association, Inc. began sponsoring National Quilting Day in 1991. Quilting groups across the country use the event as a way to raise awareness of the traditional craft. At the Folk Art Center, Connie Brown, who is also a quilt historian, will present a variety of “Trip Around the World” quilts. The “Trip Around the World” pattern is made up of many squares of similar colors pieced on the diagonal around a central square. The lines of similarly colored squares surround one center square, and the contrasting light and dark squares give the impression of orbiting the world.

Visitors are also invited to bring a quilt – a family heirloom, an antique purchase, or a vintage quilt with a unique design, for questions and analysis by Connie. Helpful information about how to care for quilts and how to learn more about the process will be provided.

Robin Brooks will demonstrate all elements of quilt-making from design to piecing to machine stitching. She will share examples of all stages of the process.

During the event, Allanstand Craft Shop at the Folk Art Center will feature a variety of traditional and contemporary quilts made by members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, which represents craftspeople living in the Appalachian mountains. To become a member of the organization, artists’ work has to pass a rigorous jury process, ensuring the work displayed is always the highest quality.

For more information about the Folk Art Center’s National Quilting Day celebration, call (828) 298-7928 or visit www.craftguild.org.

The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, just north of the Hwy 70 entrance in east Asheville, NC.