The exhibition, “Four-Part Harmony: The Linda Carlson Four-Block Quilt Collection,” will open Oct. 30 at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum.

More than two dozen quilts will be shown in two rotations. The first rotation runs Oct. 30 through Jan. 10. The second rotation is Jan. 13 to March 28.

Collector and author Linda Carlson and Carolyn Ducey, curator of collections at the museum, chose the quilts on display from a collection donated to the center in 2004 by Carlson and her husband, Dr. John V. Carlson.

The four-block style was popular during a classic era of American quilt making starting in the 1840s and continuing into the early 1900s.

California Star” (circa 1890-1910)

The large, symmetrical patterns were inspired by fast-changing styles of the 19th century. New fabric production and sewing techniques also influenced the quilt makers. This exhibition shows how quilting reflected cultural and political trends as well as other practical effects of new sewing tools and dyeing technologies.

Linda Carlson is a well-known quilting author, having published three books – “Roots, Feathers and Blooms: Four-Block Quilts, Their History and Patterns” in 1994, “Four-Blocks Continued” in 1997, and “Quilting to Soothe the Soul: Create Memories for Today, Tomorrow and Forever” in 2002.

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum is the home of the largest publicly held quilt collection in the world. The quilt center is an academic program of the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design in the College of Education and Human Sciences.

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays; closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is free for UNL faculty, staff and students with a valid NCard. For more information, go to www.quiltstudy.org or call 472-6579.

Carpenter’s Square” (1910-1930)

‘4-Part Harmony’ programming

Programs (free with museum admission) for the IQSC’s new “4-Part Harmony” exhibit include:

• Nov. 1, 2 p.m. – Public lecture, “Roots of the Large Four-Block Quilt,” Linda Carlson.

• Jan. 12, noon, Tuesday Talk – “A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Exhibition Installation.”

• Feb. 21, 2 p.m. – “Meet the Curator” book signing and conversation with Linda Carlson.

• March 16, noon, Tuesday Talk – “Four-Block Quilts in the IQSC Collection,” Carolyn Ducey.