Have a chat with a devoted quilter and you’ll quickly discover the quilting world is vast. Those of us who have been exposed to traditional Hawaiian quilting may believe, for instance, that quilting is a totally handcrafted art. But this is far from true.

"Is a quilt hand-sewn or machine-sewn? Was it made by a team? An individual? Some people use patterns; others create their own. Some even paint designs," said Wendy Pulsifer, organizer of the Hawaii Quilt Guild’s 29th annual exhibit, discussing the range of possibilities. The show is on display Friday to May 19 at the Hono­lulu Museum of Art School.

Pulsifer uses an indigo dying process for her own fabrics and makes quilts from them. She said some quilts have elements of both hand stitching and machine work. In the Baltimore Album style of quilting, panels are hand-embroidered and then sewn together, often with a machine.

Some quilters use a long-arm sewing machine — an industrial-looking contraption with a 10-foot-long worktable, fabric rollers and a sewing head that moves on tracks along a frame, guided by hand or a computer. The machine sews together the top panels, batting and backing with speed and ease, and can be used to custom-stitch astoundingly intricate and beautiful designs. Quilters also use patterns called pantographs that are traced using a laser or stylus.

Pulsifer says it’s customary for art quilters to design patterns and then send the materials out for assembling. In the old days, quilters would hire church ladies to sew their designs, but now it’s mostly long-arm quilters who do the job.

This year’s quilt exhibit has 91 submissions, a bit fewer than most shows. Because the guild show is not juried, all the pieces are being displayed.

When submitting a quilt for exhibition, it’s imperative that it be credited to both the designer and the quilter, the person who actually sews it together.

"If you don’t give a quilter credit, you’d be in big trouble," Pulsifer said. "It’s the same as turning in someone else’s homework."

Skillfully made quilts display a number of qualities.

A good quilt falls nicely flat when hung. Borders and stitches are even, and fabrics coordinate well together. Stitching styles and quilting patterns should be complementary. In short, the quilt’s elements are well balanced.

"A good quilter has good sewing skills," said Pulsifer.

The exhibit includes an annual "challenge quilt," a contest that requires quilters to work within a theme. This year quilts must be monochromatic, with the color dictated by the spool of thread each quilter drew from a box.

The challenge quilts are small — just 60 inches in perimeter — and can be any shape. The thread pulled must be incorporated into the piece.

"It’s a blind judging, meaning nobody knows the identity of the quilter," said Pulsifer. "Every year, people look forward to this challenge."