Lau is this year’s featured quilter

Jan Lau of Redmond will display her quilts as the Featured Quilter at the 30th Annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show on Saturday, July 9.

Strollers during last Saturday’s Around the Block Fiber Arts Stroll got a sneak preview of some of those quilts.

Beacham’s Clock Co. sponsored Lau during the stroll.

Lau began her retirement in 2001 with the goal of making one quilt. Today she’s made over 50 quilts and her skill has grown with each one.

Once she joined the Ridge Rippers guild in her Eagle Crest neighborhood and took her first class at The Stitchin’ Post, her new hobby blossomed through the camaraderie she found with fellow quilters.

“We are so lucky here in Central Oregon to have the talent and willingness to share,” said Lau.

Lau is encouraging to beginning quilters. She recommends starting with a small quilt to gain confidence. Lau suggests making a wall hanging rather than a king sized quilt.

Then she says, if you cut and sew accurately, “it all falls together well.”

Lau said she has grown more venturesome with colors.

“As you quilt longer, you get a little more uninhibited,” added Lau.

Lau said joining the quilting community has been a “whole awakening.”

“It’s given me structure to my retirement that I otherwise wouldn’t have had,” said Lau.