The primary exhibition is held at the Dairy Barn Art Center in Athens, Ohio in odd-numbered years.

After the conclusion of the Quilt National, selections of the exhibits also tour the country.

[6] Founder Nancy Crow, along with Françoise Barnes and Virginia Randles organized the event, accepting applications from 96 artists, totaling 360 pieces.

Its purpose was then, and still is, to carry the definition of quilting far beyond its traditional parameters and to promote quiltmaking as what it always has been — an art form.

[9] Notable pieces from the 1979 exhibition include Equis Robis I and Equis Robis II by Sharon Robinson, which are custom-shaped coverings for a horse, Earth, water, air and fire by Radka Donnell and Dawn Nebula by Michael James.