Quilt show draws thousands

Sisters firefighters helped hang quilts where others couldn't reach. photo by Jim Mitchell Warm weather -- but not too warm -- contributed to a near-record crowd at the 29th annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Although nobody can, or will, estimate the size of the crowd at the annual event, estimates have been bandied about in the 20,000 range for previous shows.

Judging by the available walking space in town, the length of the bathroom, food, and ATM lines and the number of charter buses, this year's event drew at least that many.

Saturday's crowd consisted of a few youngsters, fewer dogs, and some men. But most were lady quilters.

Quilting, it seems, is a woman's "sport." The women are dedicated to the point of being compulsive and they have fun designing and sharing their creations.

The show began early, earlier than it was supposed to. At 7 a.m., fire trucks arrived at The Stitchin' Post with lights flashing. The curious wondered if there really was an emergency but it soon became obvious the firefighters were there to hang quilts in places the normal hanging crews could not reach.

Yellow caution tape did not deter spectators from getting a closer look or better camera angle. As they stepped over the tape, Fire Chief Tay Robertson's responsibilities expanded as he ushered the eager back out of possible danger to themselves or the firemen.

Meanwhile the hanging crews had picked up their assignments and with quilts and ladders went to their assigned areas without the same fanfare as the fire department. But just as efficiently, they had their quilts in place by showtime. Throughout the morning the lines outside eating establishments continued to grow.

By the time the show officially opened at 9:30 a.m., all quilts had been hung by volunteer crews.

Visitors came from near and far. Some sedately studied each quilt. Others jockeyed for the perfect viewing and photographic position.

Walking down Cascade, one lady excitedly flung her arm out, pointing to a quilt, and exclaimed, "It's a bargello!" Her husband, narrowly missing a punch in the jaw, replied, "What's that?" "A technique!" "Oh."

Stepping up for a closer look... photo by Jim Cornelius

Charter buses loaded with quilters arrived from throughout the Northwest and beyond. One left at midnight the night before from northern Washington, and would return at midnight after the show. Most spent one or more nights enroute. All returned with more quilting supplies and excitement than they started with. One lady rode the train from Tennessee to Arizona to Eugene, then bused to Sisters. Some drivers, all men, slept the day away, others roamed the show.

One bus driver commented, "The thing I hear is, 'The town loves the quilters. And so the quilters love the town.' It works both ways."

One of his riders added, "Well, normally you don't see quilts hung outdoors. Photographically it's nice to see them outdoors because the pictures even turn out pretty -- better than just putting one on your wall at home and trying to take a picture of it."

The Sunflower Sisters were part of the show. All dressed alike in quilted vests and sunflower-decorated hats. All nine had started first grade together in Tigard. One suggested that they should have brought a trailer to carry all of the "sunflower things" they had accumulated. A couple were quilters, the rest were happy to be observers.

Another enthusiastic group came from the United Kingdom. Led by author and teacher Christine Porter, they toured the area, attended classes, and took in all the show had to offer.

"Everybody has been so hospitable," one commented. "It's been really great."

Past editor of Britain's Patchwork Quilting magazine, Porter commented on the Sisters Quilt Show, "I think it's one of the best shows in the world. It has such a community spirit and atmosphere here with the most beautiful surroundings. Really, really nice."

About 2:30 p.m. the wind picked up enough to threaten the quilts. A "quilt rescue team," pretty much dormant all day, got busy. By 4 p.m. some quilts were in danger of being damaged or had already blown down, so retrieval began. As volunteers brought in quilts they were refolded, checked in on the data base and sorted and stacked alphabetically.

By 7 p.m. all quilts were back, the few "missing" quilts were accounted for and the volunteers headed home.

A few extended their day, joining the teachers and the group from the U.K. for a celebratory dinner at Bronco Billy's.