Here we are, just arriving at the show. It was early in the morning, not yet hot or crowded. That's Anne, Claire, me and Lori. We were excited and very happy to be there! Sadly we forgot to get a picture taken of us at the park during our picnic lunch.
This was one of the first quilts we saw on our way to our first stop. I am pretty sure this one was actually made by Jean Wells, who is the owner of the Stitchin Post and the creator of the annual quilt show in Sisters. I love the simplicity and the ability to use large-scale prints. I think it's called Slide Show. We saw several others during the same using the same pattern but I loved her colors...maybe it is the background green that's so striking.
Before I forget, I wanted to let you know that the quilt I posted last week with the cute lettering was sewn by Sarah Fielke (not Tula Pink). I found it when I was researching that adorable block of the month that I loved.
Super simple log cabin but I really liked the fabrics and colors. Check out the cute border fabric!
And what's wrong with simple? Who said we have to make complicated quilts???
This is another one that uses a setting to showcase large prints. Also, the adorable large owl is too cute. I took a close-up so you could see how she pieced the corners:
The corners are made from a strip set: a wide gold with a thinner red; then she cut them into 45* angles (my math isn't the best... you get what you need to do here...figuring out the measurement is the toughest part, I'd think). Very clever and again, pretty simple.
This is one of those 365 day quilts-- there was a challenge to make a block every day for a year. This one had pretty striking colors and we all loved it. The setting also makes the quilt, I think.
I think I'm a sucker for samplers. Some people really do prefer to make the same block over and over and avoid samplers. I'm from the other side: I really do enjoy making a different block and playing with fabrics. Here was another great use of pleasing colors. I also love looking carefully at how people set their sampler blocks. This was a great setting as well.
I didn't love the colors in this quilt but took a picture because I liked the use of pieced blocks as well as "solid" (the large flowers) blocks.
This was one of the cutest. Oddly enough, none of my friends noticed this quilt at all. I can't remember where I saw it but I did think it was too cute to pass by without a picture. The quilting is pretty spectacular as well.
This one was actually an antique quilt. I loved the very simple colors; the quilting was amazing, as well.
I guess I did have more than one favorite! I really loved this. Of course, I've never met a blue and white quilt I didn't love; add a little red polka dot and you've got an amazing combination!
You know I'm always looking for ideas for Hawaiian quilts for the annual auction I donate to. I thought this one was cute as well.
To give you an idea of how the merchants decorate for the quilt show, here's Lori in front of a florist shop. The flowers are pretty typical for Sisters on the quilt show weekend. I think I heard that the quilt show is the biggest event they have all year. Not surprising: I hear different numbers ranging from a low of 10,000 people through upwards of 15,000. Keep in mind the town's population has grown to about 1,500 and there are two streets! You wouldn't find it odd to see a horse tied up to the front of a store!~ It's a very western-looking town.
I came home on Sunday in order to babysit for the 3 oldest grandkids for the week (lucky me!). I arranged a different fun thing each day; one day we went to a park where we used to take their mother for her birthday parties! I brought along one of my favorite quilts that I made years ago, called the Picnic Quilt, from a Quiltmania pattern. We set it up on the grass for a picnic and I taught them how to play Duck, Duck, Goose. They wanted to play it every day after that!
I propped up my phone and did a selfie with them. I couldn't have posed them if I'd tried. They just all put their elbows under their chins on their own! I'm going to have this one enlarged to add to my collection of pictures!
Tomorrow I'll post more pictures. There were a number of quilts following Lori Holt's pattern Vintage Farm Girl, which were very inspiring!
Saturday was the annual Sisters Quilt show near our cabin in central Oregon. We have established a routine of sorts--we leave very early in the morning to beat the traffic getting into the tiny town of Sisters and to enable us to see a lot of the show before it gets crowded and hot. This year we got into Sisters before 8:00 AM!! We found a great parking spot near the park, where we always meet for lunch afterwards. Lori was a great navigator!
Our first stop was the Stitchin Post, which is THE quilt store in Sisters. Jean Wells, the owner, was the person who started the yearly quilt show, always on the second Saturday in July. They have established their own tradition of offering an employee challenge, the results of which they hang on the outside wall of their store.
Unfortunately the trees have really grown next to the shop so you can't get close to the quilts--the majority of them are also too high to really see. But the whole effect is pretty dramatic. You can see how crowded it was before 8:30 am!!
We did a little retail damage inside the Stitchin Post and I thought you'd enjoy a little look at what the shop looks like. I didn't take many pictures as we were on a mission (get in and get out!!). Unfortunately I didn't think about looking for the Sue Spargo thread until later in the day, and the show was just packed!
These are just a few of the class samples.
This is their cutting table and more store samples along the wall!
This was a sample they had of a bag but they sadly didn't have any more patterns. I think it's adorable and I plan to order the pattern.
We decided that we'd head directly for the teacher's tent, which is a large tent where the instructors from the week's classes display their class samples or other quilts they have made for books they sell. It's usually very crowded so we had hoped we'd beat the crowds; that didn't work out as planned but it was still a great place to see the quilts, which turned out to be almost all modern quilts!
My favorites were by Tula Pink! I think I just love her fabrics. I don't think the patterns are particularly intricate or unusual. It's the use of the fabrics and colors which "make the quilt," as the saying goes!
I am having trouble downloading them but will post pictures as soon as blogger is ready to cooperate!
