Show brings a galaxy of quilts to explore

The largest outdoor quilt show in the world grew in size this year, when over 1,400 quilts took over downtown Sisters in walls of bright colors that hung over every fence and rail.

Sisters Outdoor Quit Show Executive Director Jeanette Pilak and a host of volunteers began putting up orange cones at 4 a.m. Saturday morning to make sure the entire city of Sisters would be safe.

"We had huge help and support from the City of Sisters, ODOT, and the public works department," said Pilak.

Another army of volunteers arrived at 7 a.m. and began hanging the eclectic supply of quilts.

"There are 101 more quilts here than last year, and our youngest quilter this year is 8 years old from a 4-H quilt group," said Pilak. "Several new venues have been added to this year's exhibits. Quilted in Honor, a fundraising initiative for Operation Homefront ... the proceeds raised go to support returning veterans and their families. Then in conjunction with Quilted in Honor, the Starlight in Sisters quilt raffle will also raise money for those in need."

The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show was open to anyone, and thousands of quilt enthusiasts from as far away as New Zealand rolled into downtown Sisters by tour bus, RV, bicycle, motor vehicle and even on foot to take it all in.

The day slowly heated up and most folks were dressed in shorts and hats, knowing how high the temperatures would soar.

Strolling down Hood Avenue sidewalk in their steampunk attire, Hiedi Pierson in her long velvety purple gown and D.J. Holbrook in his knee-high boots and steampunk clothing, didn't seem uncomfortable in the heat and happily posed as folks ran up and took their photos.

"We're from Eugene and were camping up at Big Lake," said Holbrook. "We knew nothing about the quilt show. We just decided to dress up in our outfits today and go for a drive to see where we end up. This was a surprise!"

The quilt show is a family affair - including the furry kind - and as the day heated up so did the dogs. Furry Friends Foundation supplied lots of water and treats for pets and hosted a doggie pool full of the cool stuff to splash around in at Town Square. Furry Friends Foundation, which provides pet food for families in need in Sisters, was also selling raffle tickets for a dog-themed quilt made and donated by Valerie Fercho-Tillery.

Karen Holm and Norma Beale from Washington glanced up at a few quilts in Town Square where the new "Manland" quilt exhibit was hung. Three times as many men entered the show this year as in previous years.

"It's our 15th year here and we are having fun," said Holm. "I think this is just wonderful that more men are quilting. There's even a man quilter featured in the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky."

Music could be heard from one end of town to the other. From singer-songwriter-pianist Lindy Gravelle tinkling the keyboard outside of Sisters Coffee to Ron Laws playing his Native American Skyway flute near Hood Avenue Art, there was something for everyone's taste.

Sisters' newest busker sat strumming his resonator guitar on a bench in Barclay Park as folks listened to his upbeat tunes. Some folks threw a few bills into his guitar case as they walked by. The musician in the park was 17-year-old Solomon Dahms, who just moved to Sisters with his family from Portland three days earlier.

"This is the third time I've ever busked," said Dahms shyly. "I played on the street at the farmers' market in Portland with my guitar teacher once. I have one more year of high school to go and I am really looking forward to the Americana Project Luthier Program at Sisters High School."

The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show's mission is to educate and inspire the public about the art of quilting, and that it did at the Quilting Activity Area. Sewing machines and a variety of fabrics were on hand for kids of all ages to learn about the art of quilting. Volunteer Martha Sander was helping a possible future-generation quilter sew fabric pieces together.

"I'm here to help the kids. They get to choose nine different fabrics and arrange the pieces how they like. They are learning a traditional nine-patch; it's an excellent beginner block with lots of design potential," Sander said.

The "Dreaming in Color" exhibit stood out with its bold bright colors that appealed to many quilters.

"We are a group of 11 and are called Cover to Cover Book Quilters," said Victoria Jones from Vancouver. "We have all read Kaffe Fassett's quilting book, "Dreaming in Color." It inspired us by what we read in the book, and some of us came up with original designs. We have all our artists' statements on display; they are all quilted in an expression of our personalities."

Many businesses helped keep the thousands cooled down with drinks, and overheated quilters took advantage of City Hall facilities to splash water on themselves and cool down.

Each year hundreds of volunteers and businesses pitch in to help in any way they can before, during, and after the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, and each year the show continues to grow and evolve.