If you’re in for fresh local art, head over to the Lake Placid Center for the Arts for the Quilt Show.

On display until Feb. 9 are 48 of some of the North Country’s most technically advanced quilts alongside strong traditional patterns. There are all kinds of outside-the-box materials and designs being used in ways you’ve probably never seen.

It’s free, and open from Wednesday to Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. The show is a partnership between the LPCA and the Adirondack Quilters Guild.

Some of the quilts are for sale, but most are not. They are for your eyes only. If you’ve never had the opportunity to experience quilting as an art form — with its vivid experimentation and diversity in form — this is your chance.

There are all kinds of threads to follow in the way the actual quilting is done. There’s traditional geometric stitching of squares through layers of fabric. Some quilts have no stitching at all, using unique ties punched through and knotted between the fabric layers. Then there’s flowing, organic stitching that provides an altogether different texture to the quilt’s appearance.

It’s come a long way from its functional roots — when fabric was too labor intensive or expensive to throw away, when a pair of pants or a sweater wore out and were no good and so were cut up, reassembled and quilted together into an eclectic means to keep warm.

You can see how that tradition has evolved. The show at the LPCA should draw people from all over. If you’re looking for something to do in the afternoons over the next month or so, keep the Quilt Show in mind.