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Jessica Nelms

Peg Mowrey admires the detailing of the quilt that will be raffled off during the 2008 Festival of Quilts Quilt Show that takes place Sept. 19 & 20 at Shaver Rec Center in Seneca.

SENECA — Remember that Alice Walker classic, “Everyday Use,” from your freshman English anthology? Turns out the story’s two sisters — who bickered over whether to use their mother’s handmade quilts as bedding or wall candy — were both right.

On Sept. 19 and 20, Seneca will be awash in Irish chains and painted thread, a temporary Quilt City. At the center of it all: the Lake and Mountain Quilters Guild Festival of Quilts, at the Shaver Recreation Complex. Held roughly every two years, this year’s event will boast 200 or so quilts, some by nationally known makers. A boutique, workshops, benefit auctions and children’s instruction are also on tap.

Festival chairperson Peg Mowrey first pieced together quilt patterns in the late-60s, when she was a student at DePauw University. But the Ohio native didn’t get serious about quilting until 1981. Married to an Air Force officer, now retired, quilting became a way for her to set down roots whenever their family moved to a new town.

“It traveled around with me,” Mowrey said. “I found quilting was a means to find a new group of friends.”

The sewing circle, alive and well. Even today, in a world stoned on smart-phones and HBO, quilts provide a nostalgic tug, Mowrey said.

“It goes back to when you were young. Maybe you remember using quilts or having quilts around us on our beds. Maybe you remember your grandma or someone else working from a quilt frame while you played underneath it.”

The best thing about knowing a quilter is, at some point, they will probably give you one of their works. Benevolence is common among thread heads. Festival of Quilts upholds the credo, displaying a series of 9-inch-by-12-inch guild challenge quilts, donated to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research via online auction. A live charity quilt auction at 11:30 a.m. each day will benefit three local charities: Helping Hands, Our Daily Bread and Lakeview Assisted Living

“Our 2006 auction raised well over $1,000 for each of the three charities chosen that year,” Mowrey said. “And we're pleased and excited to know we'll have about 50 items for this year's auction, ranging in size from crib-sized quilts to small wall quilts.”

Each year around Christmas, the guild makes quilts to give to less fortunate Upstate residents.

“Our guild members are especially giving of their time, talent and materials,” Mowrey said. “Last year we made and donated well over 100 quilts to numerous locations, including Oconee Medical Center, local nursing facilities and shelters. Each month we hold a mini-raffle at our guild meetings, and the proceeds are donated to Lakeview Assisted Living to help provide little extras for their residents.”

Although quilting is often transferred generation-to-generation, Mowrey was self-taught. A former registered nurse, the needlework came naturally for her, and it turns out Mowrey’s great-grandmother was a quilter, and her mother was a cross-stitching enthusiast.

Mowrey believes the 1976 American Bicentennial helped create a second wave of quilting mania. Today, contemporary quilting is bursting with cross-pollination: traditional designs reinvigorated with modern fabric and techniques, including batik exotica.

The Lake and Mountain Quilters Guild was founded in April 1987, and now includes about 150 members. Their last Quilt Festival was also held in Seneca, in September 2006, attracting almost 1,200 attendees. During their informal monthly hangouts, guild members share patterns and conversations.

A Seneca resident, Mowrey has worked with a fleet of local organizations to expand the festival’s theme beyond Shaver. Other quilt events and shows are set for the Blue Ridge Arts Center (BRAC), Ballenger House and Lunney Museum. Downtown art galleries and shops are also in on the action. (See schedule box for specifics.)

“Chain of Stars,” a presentation quilt made in memory of deceased guild member Brenda Hewell, is on display at Patina on the Alley. The quilt uses star blocks in a clean, modern design. Red and gold and flourishes. “Chain of Stars” will be given away during a Saturday raffle. Tickets are available at Patina, located at 114 Ram Cat Alley.

BRAC’s “Fiber Fantasy” exhibit boasts over 30 works from 10 quilters. The content is exclusively art quilts — these aren’t for your bed. West Union resident Marilyn Wall curated the show, which includes literal depicts as well as abstract designs.

According to Wall, after years as an art-world stepchild, quilting is now viewed as a legit medium. She credits exposure for the ascension.

“Fabric is not as pliable as paint, and it’s not that forgiving. It’s something you have to work with a little more diligence to get something,” Wall said.

At the behest of BRAC President Warren Carpenter, Wall looked statewide for “Fiber Fantasy” artists, with an attempt of drawing crowds from outside the Upstate. So, she tapped artists from Aiken, Beaufort and Tryon, N.C. Look for quilts from Mt. Pleasant’s Judy Hayward and St. Helena Island artist Trudy Flanagan, as well. The latter weaves Oriental influences into her output.

Local quilters — including Salem’s Penny Little and Marilyn Ingall and Walhalla’s Virginia Grobusky — also provide highlights.

Wall began art quilting in the mid-90s, branching out from a background in photography.

“Once I got into photography, I wanted to try something more artsy,” she said. “The same thing happened with quilting.”