The American Quilter's Society (AQS) QuiltWeek show is not your grandmother's quilt display. It's a full-on celebration of creativity, color and craftsmanship that will leave even non-quilters in awe.

"People will be blown away by what they see," shared Michelle Renee Hiatt, director of AQS. "People who don't quilt may have an image in their mind of what a quilt looks like, but they will be surprised by what these quilts look like. Even if you are not a quilter, if you have a love of art and fiber, it's worth coming to the show to see the talent that's out there."

The QuiltWeek show will be held from Wednesday, Sept. 10, through Saturday, Sept. 13, at Spooky Nook Sports, 75 Champ Blvd., Manheim. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 12, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The show will feature workshops, lectures, special events and more.

"There will be classes in color, technique, applique, fabric painting," Hiatt said. "We also offer classes to learn how to quilt on domestic, sit-down longarm and longarm machines. Those are classes you don't often see."

Many of the instructors offer kits for sale, and the machines necessary to work on the projects will be on-site, she said.

"This is also an excellent opportunity to learn," she noted. "If you are thinking about purchasing a sewing machine, this gives you the perfect opportunity to try all these machines and see what's right for you. There are all levels of classes. There's something there for each person."

National instructors will offer classes, and hundreds of quilts will be on display throughout the show, including just under 400 contest quilts in eight categories as well as almost 300 special exhibit quilts.

"The variety and quality of these quilts is incredible," Hiatt said. "It's really inspiring to see all the different types - modern, hand-quilted, machine-quilted, applique, piecing. No matter what type of quilter someone perceives themselves to be, they will find quilts similar to their tastes as well as quilts that will push them to start thinking outside the box."

Instructors will include nationally known quilters Sue Cleveland and Nancy Mahoney, along with a variety of unique exhibits.

"Pay attention to the quilt exhibit by the Two of Us," Hiatt recommended of the exhibit featuring works by Pat Holly and Sue Nickels. She also highlighted "Beyond Tradition," which includes abstract quilts on loan from the National Quilt Museum. Another exhibit will spotlight a creativity challenge that began last year when members were invited to create artwork on seven-inch blocks, all with the theme "My Dream (fill in the blank) Cabana," resulting in 75 pieces that have been hung together.

"It's quite striking to see," she said. "The pieces are small, but the amount of work that went into them is impressive."

More than 100 vendor booths will be on-site at the show, highlighting local, national and international participants.

AQS was founded in 1984 by Meredith and Bill Schroeder. The current CEO is their grandson.

"Our goal is to make sure quilters receive the recognition they deserve," Hiatt said. AQS holds four shows a year, including one at its headquarters in Paducah, Ky., and awards thousands of dollars in prizes annually. Other sites are chosen for their impact on the fiber-arts industry and attract people from all over the country.

"Lancaster is one of those shows. It's a destination show for a lot of people," Hiatt explained. "We have bus tours that come in from New England just for this show." While the Paducah show draws upwards of 35,000 visitors, Hiatt noted that Lancaster's show typically brings in up to 17,000 people.

"Lancaster is our only non-convention-center show," Hiatt said, noting that the Nook has proven to be an ideal location. "The lighting is fantastic, and the floor, which is used for sporting events, is easier to stand on than concrete. Many of our attendees and vendors remarked on the comfort of the floor."

Lancaster's long tradition of fiber arts also makes it an ideal location for the show, she said.

"We always look for areas that have a high demographic of quilters," she stated. "We are always looking to move forward with promoting what our founders set out to do: give national recognition to quilters and their work."

Hiatt recommended registering early for classes as they fill up quickly. Tickets for admission to the show may also be purchased in advance or on-site. For details on QuiltWeek and registration information, visit http://www.americanquilter.com and click on the "Shows and Contests" tab.