You know, quilts are also wonders of design.

Using scraps of material, quilt makers create treasured keepsakes full of memories.

Let's join Julia Carpenter as she takes us to a quilt show and quilt shop to learn more.

[mellow country music] [mellow country music continues] - We're at the Capital Quilters Raleigh Quilt Show, where hundreds of the best quilts are on exhibit.

Today's quilters are not your great-grandmother's quilters, because today's quilters have taken an essential handicraft into an art form.

Our guide for the show is Anna Norris.

- We are a group of people who get together who share the love of quilting, and we do that by going out into the community and hosting events such as quilt shows, making charity quilts to give to a variety of charities, and bringing in national education to teach people how to quilt.

We have quilters who submit quilts from all over the region, and they are divided into many categories, and many of them are juried.

So this allows 'em to get feedback on how to improve their quilting or their style for the next show.

You're really seeing some of the best quilter' work in this region.

- [Julia] Kim Zembrowski is recognized as one of the best traditional hand quilters in North Carolina.

Her hand stitches look machine made.

They are not.

- The traditional way that people finished a quilt by putting the three pieces together is to sew through all of the layers.

And you can do that at any way you want, any design, so you get to pick the design.

That became the unique part of the quilt.

- Quilt shows are held throughout the year and all over our state.

And quilt shops are where quilters find their materials and learn their craft.

We are off to visit one of the finest, Cary Quilters.

So Julianne, so tell us what makes up a quilt?

- So a quilt is made of three pieces.

You have a front or a quilt top, you have a backing, and there is a batting in the middle.

And the batting is the puffy, fluffy stuff that makes the quilt have some depth and character - Character.

And this is a solid print.

Is this something a beginner quilter could start with?

- Yeah, so this is made out of solid fabrics, and it's a fairly simple pattern, not too involved.

So yeah, this would be a great choice for beginners.

So there are two basic ways that you can begin to make a quilt.

This one is hand-stitched, and this one is machine-stitched.

Most people are going to use machines these days for stitching, but of course historically, everything was stitched by hand.

And then the second option is machine stitching.

Of course, this is much more widely used these days because machines are much more available than they have been in the past.

- [Julia] The quilt comes together when the quilt top, batting, and back are combined with quilting stitches.

Long arm quilting is a popular option.

Julianne is an expert on portrait quilts.

- So this is a portrait quilt.

This is actually of one of my sons, and it's what I love to do.

So if I am not working, I am at home cutting up teeny tiny pieces of fabric in order to make these portrait quilts.

And these are all machine appliqued.

- [Julia] Quilt labels are very important to quilters, because it gives you a history of when this quilt was made.

Tell us, how would you learn to start quilting?

- Well, most quilt shops do offer classes.

We offer a ton of classes here at Cary Quilting.

Technique classes, project classes, things from beginning sewing all the way to the most complex techniques.

- Ladies, you finished your first quilt class.

Congratulations.

[group cheering] - [Julia] Your quilting journey can start at a quilt shop and end at a quilt show anywhere in the state.

[mellow soothing music] - Cary Quilting is at 935 North Harrison Avenue in Cary, and they're open daily.

For more information, give them a call at [919] 238-9739, or find them online at caryquilting.com.

The Capital Quilters Guild can be reached through their website at capitalquilters.org.