By Katie Scarvey

For the Salisbury Post

In what has become a tradition for her, Linda Bryant dropped off a few handmade quilts at Trinity Oaks Wednesday.

Linda, who is a member of the Salisbury-Rowan Quilters Guild – both the Starry Nights and Sunny Days chapters – has been bringing in quilts since 2007 for the annual quilt show at Trinity Oaks. The show opens today and runs through Tuesday.

Sometimes, Linda borrows pieces she’s given her children to exhibit in the shows –her son jokingly calls those “rubber band quilts,” she says.

This year, Linda submitted two Christmas quilts, one a Holiday Dresden pattern and the other a Holiday Chevron table runner.

Virginia Callicotte also brought in several quilts Wednesday, including a bubble gum pink double wedding ring quilt made in Indiana in the 1930s from feed sack material.

As always, the show will feature plenty of quilts with stories behind them, including a quilt that appeared in the TV show “Heartland.”

Carrying a sad story in its stitches is “Meg’s Bow Ties,” brought in by Debbie Morse. The quilt was made in memory of Meg Parmaei, who died of spousal abuse in 2002. After Debbie inherited 41 hand-pieced bow-tie blocks and some additional squares from Meg, she decided to finish what Meg had started. She made 40 more blocks, then hand-pieced and quilted “Meg’s Bow Ties.”

Donna Prunkl submitted a sawtooth star quilt, originally from Virginia, that she bought 30 years ago at an antique show. Prunkl learned that the extra large quilt (8 feet by 8 feet 7 inches) was likely made to cover both a master bed and a trundle bed.

The quilt’s history is actually written on a patch attached to it: “Given to Helen Virginia Moore in 1934. Given to her father Abram Schultz Moore by his mother Josephine A. Moore in 1932. Made and quilted by Elizabeth Harrison Moore in 1858. She is Helen’s great great grandmother. Born 1818 died 1895.”

Imogene Coates submitted a yo-yo quilt that she made with her mother-in-law, Louise Farmer, in the late 1950s with material from feed sacks.

A polyester crazy quilt crafted in the 1980s by Trinity Oaks resident Thelma Deal will also be part of the show.

This year’s exhibit – “A Quilt is the Heart of the Home” – is the 31^st show organized by Brenda Zimmerman, director of life enrichment at Trinity Oaks health and rehab.

Brenda enjoys inventorying the quilts and learning as much as possible about the quilts’ histories. Because of the knowledge she’s gained over the years, Brenda is often able to tell quilt owners things about their quilts that they didn’t know.

The show, held in the main activity room at Trinity Oaks health and rehab, opens today from 2-6 p.m., and continues Monday, Feb. 23 and Tuesday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. There is no charge, and the public is invited. Trinity Oaks is located at 820 Klumac Road in Salisbury.

Katie Scarvey is a communications specialist for Lutheran Services Carolinas.