Thousands flock to annual quilt show

Creativity abounded through exquisite quilts that spilled across downtown Sisters on Saturday for the 43rd annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOQS). From tiny doll quilts to giant king-sized ones, the town of Sisters was an explosion of vibrant color.

Known today as the largest outdoor quilt show in the world, SOQS, presented by Kaufman Fabric, began in 1975 when Jean Wells Keenan hung her students' quilts outside her shop on a Saturday in July. That thoughtful action turned into an annual event that now, 43 years later, draws people from all over the world.

Every quilt showcased is a journey, each quilt unique to its creator. And quilt styles ranged from colonial to contemporary. Designs varied from paper sewn to original patterns, from geometric shapes to birds, horses and a photo journal of Paris to vivid scenes of a lakeside view and a winter country home. There were squares with umbrellas and shoes, vintage airplanes, and safari animals.

A great deal of effort goes into staging this event. And beginning at the break of dawn on Saturday, 400 volunteers hung over 1,200 quilts transforming Sisters into the largest outdoor quilt show in the world.

"Creative Trails" was the theme of this year's quilt show and of the 2018 poster created by Sisters artist Paul Alan Bennett.

"I did a quilt show poster in 2008 and didn't use my knit style. But this year SOQS was looking for something different so I used my knit style with bright colors and pattern approach," Bennett said. "I followed my design intuition, letting the composition guide me. It's all a journey of invention, where my eye is listening carefully, to where the composition wants to go next. Its much like composing music."

This year's raffle quilt was also inspired by the Quilt Show theme, "Creative Trails," and was designed by Valori Wells from her fabric collection. Proceeds from the annual raffle quilt are shared between SOQS and Kiwanis of Sisters, helping to raise money to support Kiwanis programs, including the local scholarships and

Food Bank.

A skill that serves the purpose of providing warmth and comfort is now seen by many as a form of art.

And for 2018 inspirational instructor Colleen Blackwood, creating art quilts is something she enjoys for herself.

"When I'm teaching I kind of have a bipolar approach," said Blackwood. "When I want to quilt something for me, it (is) more of an art quilt, but when I'm thinking of what others can design, I make sure it's a quilt that they can learn a technique or skill from."

Blackwood was an instructor at this year's Quilters Affair and taught beginner machine quilting.

"It's not fancy equipment, the students can learn to quilt on their own sit-at-home sewing machine," she said.

You could hear the sweet harmonizing drifting down Cascade Avenue from Silverado Quartet, a group of four musical women who sing acapella in barbershop style.

"This year we are going to be performing at the Deschutes County Fair," Hope Bridges said. "And we won the National Anthem 'Oh Say Can You See' contest and sang the National Anthem at the High Desert Stampede in Redmond March 31."

Long-time quilter and quilt-shop proprietor Anne Wendinger from New Ulm, Minnesota, brought a tour group of 52 quilters to SOQS for a little bit of sightseeing and quilt browsing.

"This is our second time here. We flew into Portland on Wednesday and are staying in Bend," she said.

Wendinger has been quilting since the 1980s and started her quilt shop, Sewing Seeds, in 2013.

Young quilter Ella Kerr, 10, granddaughter of featured quilter Liz Weeks, had her quilt, Nine Squared Vibrant, displayed at the Next Generation Quilters Exhibit in the Youth Activity Area in Melvin's by Newport Avenue Market parking lot.

"I like to quilt shapes and vibrant colors," Kerr said. "I really like quilting with my grandma and I've been quilting since I was six."

Dawn Williams from Terrebonne was standing near her quilt, A Robin Sampler, in the exhibit Blockin' with the Robins. Williams quilts with the Blockin' Robins, a round-robin quilting group in Bend.

"We have 10 members, and this is our sixth year together," Williams told The Nugget. "The group completes an annual round-robin project.

A round-robin quilt is a group project made by several people. The owner of the quilt makes the first block or round according to a given set of instructions using their preferred colors and style of fabric. The starting block is then passed to other members of the group to make additions to the quilt following new instructions. After the quilt has gone to each of the members of the group, the quilt top is returned to the owner for completion.

Each year more than 12,000 attendees come on Quilt Show day to admire the handicraft of quilt artisans of all skill levels. Organizers and volunteers hang an incredible number of quilts over every available surface in town, including buildings, fences, and railings. But the SOQS has grown far beyond quilt displays.

Jeanette Pilak, SOQS executive director, was on hand to give her feedback about the annual event.

"What motivates me about the quilt show is the economic development generated for the town I live in," Pilak said.

"And when a quilt comes in like the one named 'Freedom Bound' in which each block tells a story of a slave's journey North away from the plantation where she was born, it shows you how deeply we are all bound by and through this art form."