Rainbow of comfort: More than 130 quilts on display at NC State Fairgrounds

A rainbow of quilts will be on display all day Friday and Saturday at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds.

Capital Quilters Guild of Raleigh, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978, will host their annual quilt show March 17 and 18 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Kerr Scott building at the state fairgrounds at 4285 Trinity Road in Raleigh.

More than 130 quilts will be on display for judging, and local vendors will sell tools and wares related to the art of quilting. Admission is $10. Children 10 and younger are admitted for free.

Co-organizer Sue Ann Jatko has been a member since 2009. Her mother taught her to make quilts, which became a replacement after her three daughters no longer wanted to wear the dresses she loved to sew.

"It's all about the fabric for me," said Jatko. "I think a lot of our quilts bring back those warm memories of family members who have already passed on. I think for those of us who make the quilts, we just know that they're going to be loved, they're going to be appreciated."

Most of Jatko's quilts are donated to intensive care units and nurseries in hospitals, women's shelters and senior centers through the Capital Quilters Guild of Raleigh's Comfort Quilts initiative.

The nonprofit donates over 1,000 quilts each year to local organizations like Safe Child and The Green Chair Project.

"We have gotten thank you notes from family members after we sent quilts to nursing homes to say, you know, my when when my dad got this quilt, he just hugged it right close to his chest," Jatko recalled.

This weekend's annual showcase will feature a board of nationally-certified judges to award first, second and third-place awards and special prizes for hand quilting, machine quilting, wearable quilts, best machine quilt, best use of color and more. The public can even vote for their favorite quilt.

The event will feature a special tribute to Jane Hall, one of the nonprofit's founding members, who died last year. Hall was an author and a great teacher in promoting the art of quilting around the world.

"She was such an amazing person -- not only to our guild and quilting in North Carolina but also nationally," Jatko said.

Hall taught workshops across the country and her quilts were showcased in the The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky, which is recognized as one of the top quilt displays in the world.

The event will also feature prizes and a silent auction to benefit Riverside Ranch, a therapeutic horse riding program based in Clayton.

Capital Quilters Guild of Raleigh also hosts workshops for its members each year. There are currently over 200 members, and Jatko said over 40 people joined this year -- including a new batch of younger members.

"They are tending to be younger, not so many with the gray hair," Jatko laughed.

You can learn how to become a member or get more details about the showcase online.