News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Mary and Dean Smith display one of her quilts. Photo by Jim Cornelius
Sisters quilter Mary Smith has never been one to follow the beaten path.
"I like to do original things; I don't like to use other people's patterns," she said.
A lifelong quilter, she only delved into the craft seriously about nine years ago, after pursuing many other art forms over the years. Immediately, she began creating her own patterns.
"All my life, I've done everything from scratch," she said, gesturing around her log home in Plainview. "I did all the kitchen cabinets in here, all the carving."
That drive for originality was a personal quest, but she started getting pressure from those around her to take her pattern work public.
"My friends started yammering at me, saying I should publish them," she said.
Her husband Dean joined the chorus. Mary was reluctant; she didn't want to run a business. Dean took care of that by agreeing to be her business manager.
"The Quiltsmith" was born. Now Mary Smith's original patterns are available to other quilters -- and according to Dean, they have been well-received, drawing notice at the International Quilt market, held this spring in Portland.
As anyone who has passed through Sisters on the day of the Quilt Show knows, there are plenty of quilters out there, doing all kinds of different work. And quilting has become a huge international business.
"There's so many facets to the thing, it's beyond your imagination," Dean said.
Mary's own work is multifaceted. She prefers appliqué, but also does piecing; she does both machine and hand-work and her quilts reflect her active, creative mind.
"It's sort of a driven thing with me, as far as creating things," she said.
Dean sums up his wife's drive simply: "She's just a natural-born artist," he said.
That restless, questing creativity has led Mary through a variety of mediums, but with her business thriving, she seems to have settled on quilting.
"I've moved through oil painting, photography, wood carving, cabinet making," she said.
"Maybe quilting is where I'll end up."
For more information on "The Quiltsmith," call 385-4789.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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