If you didn’t know better, you’d think Frances Calhoun’s “Rose Window” was the real thing, surreptitiously lifted from the north transept of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

“Rose Window” is one of several quilts on display at the conference center, beginning July 7.Instead of stained glass, however, Calhoun’s work of art was fashioned with black fabric and brilliant Indonesian batik, appliquéd and quilted by hand. Instead of gracing the gables of a famous church, it will hang at the Florence Elston Inn & Conference Center at Sweet Briar College.

Beginning Monday July 7, “Rose Window” and 13 other Calhoun quilts will be on display in the lobby of the conference center. Work by the award-winning Lynchburg quilter will be exhibited there for the next year and the quilts will rotate about every three months.

The exhibit may be viewed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and admission is free.

Over the past 35 years, Calhoun has made dozens – possibly hundreds – of quilts of various sizes. Her large, bed-sized quilts take about a year to finish, although she admits her work, like her quilts, can be patchy at times.

“I may go three weeks without touching it or go every day for a week,” she said. “My working is sporadic. … I do it as time permits.”

In addition to “Rose Window,” quilts currently on display include “Calhoun’s Pets,” which pays homage to her dogs and cats and won “Best of Show” at the 2005 North Carolina Quilt Symposium; “Vintage Landmarks,” a quilt devoted to Lynchburg historic sites; and “Les Poulet,” which features various breeds of chickens.

Her seasons series – “Spring Garden,” “Summer Glory,” “Autumn Bounty” and “Winter Wonder” – also is on display. The four quilts were completed over a period of 11 years.

Calhoun, who rarely uses a commercial pattern, says much of her inspiration comes from her garden. Many of her quilts include flowers and birds, some of which are made from eight to 10 pieces of fabric. Even more complicated, the tail of one rooster in “Les Poulet” is constructed of 17 pieces.

Calhoun’s work has appeared in books and quilting magazines. It has been featured at the annual Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, American Quilter’s Society show, Virginia State Fair, Woodlawn Plantation in Alexandria, Va., and other places.

Although she has given away some quilts over the years, Calhoun said she’s never sold one. “I’m not in it as a business,” she said. “I make them because it’s a creative outlet. I don’t make them with the notion of selling them [but] I do like to show them.”

An opening reception will be held 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, July 25. Admission is free and the public is invited. For more information, contact Pat Hutto, manager of the Elston Inn & Conference Center, at phutto@sbc.edu or 381-6266.

– By Suzanne Ramsey, SBC staff writer