“The most vivid day of the year in Sisters” — that’s how one quilt group describes the second Saturday of the year, when the little town of Sisters in Central Oregon is covered in quilts. That’s the day of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, now in its 40th year.
Forty years! Little did Jean Wells Keenan know that summer day in 1975 when she hung a few quilts outside her quilt shop, the Stitchin’ Post, that a great tradition had just been born. This year some 1400 quilts were on display, extending far beyond the quilt shop to buildings up and down the main street and two blocks in on either side.
Here is a representative sample, shown pretty much in the order I snapped them:
Swirling Sea by Karen Oster of Sisters OR (57″ x 63″)
Elephants on Parade by Crystal Darr of Willamina OR (51″ x 61″)
Oriental Shimmer by Betty Green of Baker City OR (71″ x 85″)
Chateau Rouge by Jeannie Wiggins of Redmond OR (71″ x 87″)
Vintage quilt circa 1930, Maker Unknown (67″ x 82″). Exhibited by Sally Rogers of Bend OR.
Vintage Quilt, Maker and Date Unknown, Quilted in 2014 (72″ x 75″). Exhibited by Randy Danto of Scotts Valley CA.
Hot Lips by Roxanna Hill of Redmond OR (86″ x 96″)
Robot at the Whitehouse, exhibited by Gee’s Bend Quilters (76″ x 94″)
Day of the Dead Dresdens by Opal Cocke of Camano Island WA (65″ x 77″)
Detail, Day of the Dead Dresdens by Opal Cocke
Chain of Fools by Candy Wood of Bend OR (67″ x 75″)
Jackie’s Log Cabin on Point by Sally Rogers of Bend OR (70″ x 84″)
Freddy Moran of Orinda CA in front of her quilt Houses on Point (80″ square)
Circles of Life by Andrea Baloskey (80″ square). Exhibited by Jean Wells Keenan.
Labyrinth by Patty Six of Santa Barbara CA (57″ x 62″)
Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors by Pam Goecke Dinndorf of Rice MN (48″ x 62″)
Pumpkin Pie and Ice Cream by Sarah Kaufman of Bend OR (33″ x 38″)
Woolie Garden by Anna Bates of Sisters OR (70″ square)
Detail of Woolie Garden by Anna Bates
Rip Tide by Karla Alexander of Salem OR (60″ x 74″)
Concentricities 2015 by Sue McMahan of Bend OR (43″ square)
Eccentric Circles by Tonye Belinda Philips of Camp Sherman OR (51″ x 67″)
Detail, Eccentric Circles by Tonye Philips
Detail, Eccentric Circles by Tonye Philips
Windmills or Squares? by Sarah Kaufman of Bend OR (23″ x 35″)
Out of Focus by Colleen Blackwood of Pendleton OR (66″ x 72″)
Flower Pops by Alex Anderson of Livermore CA (58″ square)
Bird Dance by Sue Spargo of Uniontown OH (37″ x 43″)
Detail of Bird Dance by Sue Spargo
Something for every taste, wouldn’t you say?
I took so many photos at the quilt show that I’m dividing my show-and-tell posts into two segments. I do hope you’ll come back for more.
Oh, I’ll be back for sure! Loved all of these photos. They sparked many ideas that I don’t have time to turn into reality, but it was fun looking and thinking about them. Thanks so much for sharing!
Wow! Some people are so talented! The year my Aunt and I went someone mentioned that in the history of the Sisters Quilt Show it had never rained on a show…. has the record held? Can’t wait to see more.
Char, two years ago the unthinkable happened — it rained! Happened in midafternoon, and in mere minutes volunteers had taken all the quilts down. Since the regular schedule calls for quilts to be taken down starting at 4 pm, the quilts didn’t go back up. It was still a great show — just cut a little short.
Terrific quilts! My favorite was Flower Pops. Do you think fabric covered buttons will wind up on a future quilt of yours? I thought they were super cute!
I was there and enjoyed the show so much. But seeing your photos brought back all those wonderful quilts and colors and moments. Thank you for sharing.
Oh, I’ll be back for sure! Loved all of these photos. They sparked many ideas that I don’t have time to turn into reality, but it was fun looking and thinking about them. Thanks so much for sharing!
Great photos, wow, what a show of talented people. Will have to make a trip to Sisters, perhaps next year… Thanks for inspiring the rest of us.
Thank you for the pictures. It is fun and so inspiring to see what great artists
are doing.
Love the quilts! Thanks for sharing with us :)! Methinks that Oriental Shimmer reminds me of someone. Who might that be???
can’t wait for the next posts!
Wow! Some people are so talented! The year my Aunt and I went someone mentioned that in the history of the Sisters Quilt Show it had never rained on a show…. has the record held? Can’t wait to see more.
Char, two years ago the unthinkable happened — it rained! Happened in midafternoon, and in mere minutes volunteers had taken all the quilts down. Since the regular schedule calls for quilts to be taken down starting at 4 pm, the quilts didn’t go back up. It was still a great show — just cut a little short.
Terrific quilts! My favorite was Flower Pops. Do you think fabric covered buttons will wind up on a future quilt of yours? I thought they were super cute!
I was there and enjoyed the show so much. But seeing your photos brought back all those wonderful quilts and colors and moments. Thank you for sharing.
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Love the different styles; some amazing work.
Freddy, beautiful work my kind of quilts and my colors too.