ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — It was as if a rainbow had been scattered along the halls, classrooms, chapel and sanctuary of the Robertsdale United Methodist Church.

This rainbow was made of fabric and came from more than 400 quilts of al styles, colors, and patterns on display at the Robertsdale United Methodist Women’s biennial quilt show. The show was held last week at the church.

That’s a lot of fabric and batting. Organizers were expecting 300 quilts.

No matter. Members of the show committee hung quilts over every wall, and draped them over pews in the sanctuary and chapel.

The show was a draw for both locals and ‘snowbirds” alike.

“It’s hard to fathom,” said Janet Thurman of Maquon, Ill. “I didn’t realize there would be so many quilts.”

“Oh, this took a lot of work,” said Pat Hallberg, a member of the RUMC women’s group, smoothing a “prairie point” quilt on a pew in the sanctuary. For the uninitiated, prairie points are made by painstakingly folding small pieces of material into a triangle, which are then commonly attached to the ends of the quilt.

This quilt was nothing but prairie points.

“This quilt was purchased in Mississippi in 1952,” said Hallberg, checking the tag, which said the quilt was now owned by Janette Pike, who received the quilt from her mother, Lela T. Clark.

Hallberg had some of the quilt’s story, explaining that Clark purchased the quilt from a Mississippi woman who would only take $15 for the item in 1952, even though it was obvious the quilt was worth far more.

Hallberg said “She (Clark) later found the lady who made the quilt and took her to lunch and bought her ‘head to toe’ a new outfit.”

Some of the quilts held family stories - several were made from parts of t-shirts family members wore, and at least one quilt celebrated a family reunion.