Several homemade quilts, made by people across the region, are displayed at the 2008 High Plains Quilt Festival in the Memorial Building in Portales.

“Tangerine Sky” is one of Marilyn Ford’s art quilts that will be on display during the High Plains Quilt Festival. Ford, of Tucumcari, is the show’s featured quilter this year.

Anyone who enjoys quilts will likely find something of interest at the third annual High Plains Quilt Festival.

Organizers say nearly 200 quilts will be on display Friday and Saturday at the Memorial Building. Classes and seminars will be offered, and several vendors will offer fabric and other quilt-related products.

Elizabeth Lawrence, chairman of the festival’s organizing committee, said the show began with several quilters who wanted to have a quilt festival.

This is the first year the entries will be judged. Pam Zenick of Canyon, Texas, will be the judge.

Lawrence said the entries include full-size and miniature pieced, appliqué, and combination pieced and appliqué quilts. Also on display will be “challenge” quilts. Quilters who participate in the challenge purchase a designated fabric the year before and craft a quilt within certain dimensions.

Two quilts will be raffled off, and a silent auction will be held to benefit the Eastern New Mexico Food Bank. Some of the items in the silent auction are quilts, magazines and books, Lawrence said.

Some classes required pre-registration, but mini-classes will be offered throughout the show.

Lawrence said the mini-classes are on all aspects of quilting and will run 40 minutes each. Some of the class topics are paper piecing, beginners, tools of the trade and color theory.

Lawrence will be exhibiting an “Underground Railroad” quilt made of Civil War reproduction fabrics. Tradition says that slaves used certain patches in quilts as maps to guide them to freedom, she said.

Another exhibitor is Joann Blakey. She said she will be entering a cathedral window quilt made with 1930s sugar sacks “in really mint condition, given to her by her cousin.

“It was quite a challenge,” she said.

Blakey said she’s been quilting since 2004 and intends to make quilts for each of her children and grandchildren.

This year’s featured quilter is Marilyn Ford of Tucumcari. Ford makes non-traditional “art quilts.”

“There’s no pattern except your own,” she said. “You start with a fabric you like or an idea and build from there.”

She learned about making art quilts at an Extension Club meeting 12 years ago. Since then she’s made 50 art quilts.

“Anything you can use goes,” Ford said. She said it’s important to know traditional quilting methods before venturing into art quilts.

Ford will be teaching seminars during the show.

The Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce helped several area quilters organize the show.

What: High Plains Quilt Festival

When: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Where: Memorial Building, corner of Seventh and Abilene streets

Cost: $3 admission fee, includes mini-classes

Information: 356-8541 or www.highplainsquilts.com