HOUSTON – An old grandma’s home has been transformed into an art form that will draw tens of thousands of people to the George R. Brown Convention Center downtown. Houston this weekend.

If you have an old quilt at home, it may be a family heirloom. Maybe it keeps you warm at night. These are all good things, but as you wander through the International Quilt Festival, you’ll find there’s so much more on offer. There are also many more. More than a thousand quilts, of all shapes, sizes and colors, are on display.

SUGGESTED: The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup final will take place in Houston at NRG Stadium

“We have people from all 50 states and 30 countries who come here,” says Bob Ruggiero of the festival. “It’s the largest annual quilt show in the world, and it’s right here in Houston.”

For 50 years, quilters and their fans have been gathering for the show in Houston, as the art form has been elevated to something more at home hanging on the wall than something to ward off the cold.

Artist Kestrel Michaud’s award-winning quilt is the product of months and hundreds of hours of work.

“I’ve used every medium you can think of: wet, dry. I’ve used everything, and nothing has been the same that makes sense in my soul as a fabric. I’m a fabric girl until at the end.”

Get news, weather and more on the new FOX LOCAL app

The stories that emerge from the fabric are limited only by the imagination. From festive to futuristic, patriotic and inspiring, classic to modern. The details, up close, tell the story of the work that created them. It is a source of inspiration for festival-goers who are often quilters themselves.

“I think I’m surprised,” one woman said between photos of the quilts. “It’s heartwarming to see the time, and what they’re getting is amazing.”

“It’s just amazing what people think they do, you know,” said another. “I hadn’t thought about it, but I’m going to try. It’s really, really nice.”

Between showing off her mother’s decades-old works and greeting her fans, African artist Oluwasewi Awoyomi says: “You have over a thousand works here, and each person speaks her language in a unique way, their creative language in a unique way, and it’s just a beauty to behold.”

The International Quilt Festival runs until Sunday. Admission is $18.

For more information about the event, Click here.