A new quilt exhibit, titled Piecefully Nappanee, will help kick off opening season of the 2012 Quilt Gardens Tour sponsored by the Elkhart County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

The exhibit will be held May 31 through September 27 at the Nappanee Center, 302 W. Market St., Nappanee, host to one of the 19 blooming “quilts” along Northern Indiana’s Heritage Trail.

An opening reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on May 31 with a formal program at 7 p.m. Visitors will have the chance to see the unveiling of two new wall-hanging quilts by local quilter, Connie Kauffman, that are patterned after the 2011 and 2012 quilt gardens. The exhibit will include 25 quilts that tell a Nappanee story as well as the Star of Hope quilt (through June 11), which unites several local organizations and the Very Bradley Foundation in fighting breast cancer.

For more information on the Star of Hope quilt program, visit www.amishcountry.org. Nappanee Center hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

There is still time to add quilts to the exhibit. If you or someone you know owns a quilt that tells a Nappanee story, please contact Martha at 574-773-7919 or mweirich@nappaneelibrary.org