For the past three decades, Lawrence quilter Sammie Messick has been honing her craft.

The years of hard work have earned her the honor of being the featured quilter at this weekend’s 2012 Kaw Valley Quilt Guild’s Heart to Hands quilt show.

“I suppose longevity helped,” joked Messick, who’s lost count of how many quilts she’s crafted over the years. A couple hundred, at least, she said.

Messick’s love of quilting started when she ran across a bicentennial quilt in Good Housekeeping. She thought it was neat and set to work. Two years later, she had her own bicentennial quilt.

Messick will have a special section at this weekend’s event, where some of her many works through the years will be on display.

“I hope (attendees) will see an evolution of my quilts from crude to experienced,” she said.

Here are the details of the event at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2110 Harper St.:

• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Sunday: noon to 5 p.m.

• Admission is $5 for adults, and children under 12 are free.

• 110 mini-quilts will be auctioned, with the proceeds benefitting the following local charities: Douglas County CASA, Habitat for Humanity, Douglas County AIDS Project, GaDuGi, the Social Service League, and the Spencer Museum of Art.

• For more information, visit kawvalleyquilters

guild.org.