Treasured quilt has a Sisters connection

As the saying goes, one person's trash is another person's treasure. Bay Area Quilter Judy Arrants has created a treasured quilt with a Sisters connection. One of her most revered quilts, "Poubelles Around the World", will make its public debut July 12 at the 39th Annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.

For the past 15 years, Arrants and her husband, Ron, have enjoyed traveling the world. She has carefully documented their trips with countless photographs, including photos of trashcans.

Trashcans?

"I became fascinated by the interesting and sometimes unique trash receptacles in the many countries that we visited," said Arrants, "so I began taking pictures of them. Some countries, like China, had many interesting examples, while others had very ordinary ones."

Her current collection totals 54 photos of trashcans from 27 countries, but only one is from the United States - from Sisters, Oregon, to be precise.

Arrants, a quilter from Benicia, California, decided that a photo quilt would be a fun way to exhibit and enjoy her ever-growing collection of trashcans. The French word "poubelle" (dust bin or trash container) seemed like a classy name for a quilt that was derived from photos of trashcans. Ironically, though France was one of the first countries the couple visited, there are no examples from there.

To further enhance this international quilt, Arrants added quilted words in the side and bottom borders that read "garbage" in the languages from many of the countries.

"My husband was ever tolerant of watching me stop to take yet another picture of a trash can," said Arrants.

One of her favorite images on the quilt shows a hole in the ground with a sign that says "Use Me" found near the base of the trail to the Tiger's Nest Monastery in Bhutan.

If you go searching for the Sisters trashcan featured on the quilt, you won't find it. This spring it was removed during the renovation of downtown Sisters streets and sidewalks.

"Ron and I have been to over 50 countries on six continents so far. A planned trip will take us to Antarctica in 2015, our final continent, but not our final trip. I don't anticipate finding any "poubelles" at many of our stops there, because we will be required to carry our trash back to our ship," Arrants said.

"This quilt is one that brings a smile to my face when I think about it and memories of some very fascinating places, people and cultures. There is a legend on the backside that lists the year we travelled to each area."

Arrants is thrilled that her quilt has been accepted for showing at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show; unfortunately, she won't be there to see it. She and her husband will be on a global adventure.

Sue Fisher Jones is a former Bend resident and daughter of Jim and Doreen Fisher of Sisters, who now lives next door to quilter Judy Arrants in Benicia, California.