Protecting Sisters' fabric masterpieces

Often, as the afternoon sun wanes over the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, an uninvited guest blows in: the wind. Fabric masterpieces flutter and flap, threatening to break free.

Yet every year their fate is secure, thanks to the steadfast presence of the Quilt Rescue Team (QRT) - a highly organized volunteer crew, devoted to assuring that no harm will befall the town's textile treasures.

Are the QRT superheroes? As of yet, they don't wear capes. But they have indeed proven to be faster than a speeding golf cart and able to scale tall buildings when absolutely necessary.

"If a windstorm comes up and the quilts start threatening to come down, we buzz over there like Superman and rescue them," said team leader Clyde Dildine.

In between those occasions, team members naturally fall into a hospitality role.

"Truth is, we probably spend more time getting our picture taken than we do rescuing quilts," he said.

By mid-day on Saturday, veteran QRT team member Malcolm Murphy estimated he'd graciously posed at least 25 times for camera-wielding tourists. Smiling and sociable, Malcolm was an obvious target, cruising slowly up and down Cascade Avenue all weekend in a golf cart tricked out with fuzzy dice (a gift from Dildine) and a garland of rubber duckies.

Although major disasters have always been averted, last Saturday morning began with the most dramatic incident in Malcolm's memory. At the start of the first shift, while Clyde briefed his crew, a radio call came in from one of the hostesses, reporting a potential quilt emergency behind Stitchin' Post.

The tall, narrow, tree-themed quilts draped among the ponderosa pines as part of the featured "Quilted Forest Challenge" collection were coming loose and falling into the arms of surprised onlookers.

Malcolm swooped in on his cart to lead the rescue effort; the team quickly sunk eyebolts deep into the tree bark and employed a generous amount of rope to save the day.

"We had to completely re-engineer the rope system. You could say it was an engineering feat," he said.

Clyde's most memorable quilt rescue took him to new heights. Each year firemen hang the "Employee Challenge" quilts from the tip top of Stitchin' Post. One afternoon a gust of wind flipped one of the quilts over on top of the roof. Undaunted, Clyde climbed out an upper window to pull off the daring quilt rescue.

Clyde enticed Malcolm to join the team full-time three years ago with a perk: sole possession of the QRT golf cart. Malcolm's the only team member who works all shifts.

"Last year we had to pry it (the cart) away from him," Clyde joked.

Clyde praises Malcolm as dedicated and valiant. Once a tourist waved Malcolm down; her friend had injured an ankle and was in dire need of a lift.

"Malcolm noticed they were struggling and loaded them up," said Clyde.

Malcolm has wife Lynda to thank for his happy involvement with the QRT. Lynda quilts in a group with the show's executive director, Ann Richardson.

"It's my way of giving back to the quilt show and the community," says Malcolm.

Don Scott, of Battleground, Washington, was a new QRT recruit this year. On Saturday he was busy learning the ropes from Malcolm. His involvement was a spur-of-the-moment decision; his wife was taking a quilting class in town.

"My wife said, 'You know, you could do that,' and I said 'Yeah, I guess I could!'"

So Don dropped by the quilt show office and - lucky enough - Clyde had room for one more volunteer and one super-cool, neon yellow team T-shirt to spare. Your Store donates the eye-catching tees every year, noted Clyde.

The Scotts attend the quilt show as often as possible. Don recalls their first visit, in the early 1980s, when "Sisters was nothing but a couple diners and a couple service stations."

Chances are Don will return to serve on the QRT another year.

"It's fun to feel like something good is happening and you're a part of it," he said of his first day.

It takes about 24 team members to cover all the shifts, with four to six on duty at any given time. Armed with radios and ladders, they have no trouble keeping busy.

"Ann makes sure we have a zillion other things to do," said Clyde. "We just have a hoot running around taking care of things. But we're always roaming around town with our eyes up."