A QUILT exhibition in one of the region's museums has proved so successful that organisers have promised to extend it for a further eight weeks.

The Bowes Museum's North Country Quilts exhibition, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, has attracted textile enthusiasts and quilters from around the world since it was opened by international quilt specialist Kaffe Fasset, in August.

The exhibition features a variety of quilts, spanning more than two centuries of quilting, with the oldest on display, dating from 1783.

Specialists and historians, such as Mr Fasset and Michele Walker, have described the exhibition as the most significant show of traditional British quilts ever held, and thousands of visitors have poured through the museum's doors since it opened.

One determined visitor, from Illinois, US, travelled to see the exhibition during the recent flooding and spent 12 hours on trains before reaching Barnard Castle.

The exhibition was scheduled to finish on January 7, but due to the numbers of visitors and interest from around the world, via the Internet, the display will be on show until March 7.

For more information, contact the Bowes Museum, on (01833) 690606