The art of the quilt is a rich tradition spanning two American centuries.

Valley residents can learn more about that tradition, when presenter Susan Olds gives a slide lecture on the enormous variation of quilt types made popular by early American quilters.

Her presentation, “A Brief History of American Quilts: 1800 to the Present,” is 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, at the North Bend Library.

The development of American quilt styles will be traced from the appliqued coverlets of the early 18th century, to pieced and art quilts of the 1840s, to the present day. Listeners at Olds’ lecture will be told about the various types of quilts, including commemorative, friendship, crazy, mosaic, char, and album quilts, and the different techniques used in constructing them. Examples will be shown of individual patterns, such as the popular nine patch, log cabin, double wedding ring, tumbling blocks, around-the-world, basket, barn door and shoo-fly.

The various uses of quilts, and the connections between quilters and their communities will be examined through 19th century pioneer quilts, and the traditions of the Amish, African-American, Hawaiian and Appalachian quit making.

Examples will include quilts from “American Quilt Classics, 1800 to 1980,” a collection on view at the Bellevue Arts Museum through May 31.

Olds is an art historian, artist and quilt-maker with over 20 years of professional experience in the arts. She served as the head of school at Bellevue Art Museum from 1999 to 2000. Her teaching experience includes 25 years of lecturing on art history in California and the Seattle region.