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Va. Historic Area Opens New Baltimore Quilt Exhibit

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) -- Dozens of quilts produced around the middle of the 19th century are going on display at Colonial Williamsburg.

Officials say the exhibit at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum features works influenced by quiltmaking in Baltimore, which was the nation's third largest city of the time. It runs through April 2014.

The co-curator of the exhibition says "Quilts in the Baltimore Manner" reflects the strong textile industry and innovative quiltmaking styles of America's largest seaport of the period 1845 to 1855.

Most of the quilts are made in a style known as album quilts made of blocks decorated with intricate designs.

Album quilts were usually a cooperative effort composed of individual signed and inscribed blocks. They were often intended for an honored recipient within a community.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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