Jacobsen honored at quilters' picnic

Quilters jammed the Village Green for their annual picnic. photo by Jim Mitchell The finale of the week-long Quilter's Affair class program was a picnic complete with music and, of course, more quilting. After a week of classes, lectures, and demonstrations, 650 quilters were served by Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill & Saloon in the Village Green Park.

Musical entertainment during the meal was provided by Jody Henderson, Sisters school band director and his jazz ensemble.

Ann Richardson, executive director, started the program.

"We have a very special opportunity tonight to thank someone who has gone above and beyond to help the Quilt Show," she announced. "The High Desert Museum has contributed a gift certificate to be presented to someone who has made a contribution that was significant, beyond what we might have expected. That person is Sally Jacobsen."

Richardson added, "Sally has done all of the legwork involved in connecting and communicating with the 100 or more sponsors, who provide at least one-half of the support for the quilt show. Sally's so hard-working and creative and energetic and it's all unseen by everybody who comes to the show."

The picnic celebrated other efforts as well.

Each year Jean Wells challenges her employees at The Stitchin' Post to make a specific type of quilt. This year it was to make a quilt using the Florentina fabric designed by her daughter, Valori Wells-Kennedy. This year's "Challenge Quilts" were paraded before the appreciative audience.

Gwen Marston, quilter, teacher, writer, and guest speaker, stole the show with stories about her life on "the most remote island in all of the Great Lakes, a place called Beaver Island, in the middle of Lake Michigan.

"It's 33 miles off the shore," she said. "It's the size of Manhattan but we've got 450 of us all cohabitating. So, it's very rural. People don't just drop by. We have one paved road. It starts in town and goes out 2 miles. We have one grocery store and I always tell people, 'We have the best of both worlds. It's very expensive and we have no selection.'

"I've lived there for 21 years. It's a good place for me to live and work. I've done this kind of work, where I travel and teach quilting, for 22 years. I travel around the U.S. and other countries and teach classes. This is my third time to Sisters, second this year, and I will be back in April. "

Marston is a prolific writer. She is working on her 19th quilt book.

Although she has made about every style of quilt, she regards herself as a quilt historian and favors antique quilts, as evidenced by the title of one of her classes, "So Old It's New."

To date, she has made about 400 small quilts, 200 large ones.

Marston displayed and described an array of her quilts and she continued her entertaining stories at The Stitchin' Post book signing session the next day.