It's a Qult Show and More

We spent this morning in Sisters at the 2009 Outdoor Quilt Show. It was great- but let me bring you up to date on my Thursday/Friday class first. As I indicated in my past posting- I took Sarah Kaufman's Folded Log Cabin class (Titled 99% Marimoko in the brochure for the fabric she used). I really enjoyed taking this class- it is the perfect work at your own pace and almost completely sewing. You cut the strips, pre-iron them, cut to fit the first 4 around the center square and that is the last time you cut to fit or press until the block is done. You just piece and use scissors. I will be making several more using this style.I got the 6 blocks above right done and still need to decide on sashing and then mounting, etc. Jeremy & cassandra - thoughts? We can discuss in an email. This is not a block for a bed quilt- these are definitely display or ornamental. You do not batt these blocks most of the time so that will be an easier finish also. I have also included 2 of Sarah Kaufman's "quilts" she showed us in her trunk show so you can see there is not much you can't do with them. I definitely want to return next year- these classes were a blast and I learned so much! Good thing we have already made reservations- now to finish what i did this year.

On to the show- this is a great venue. The weather was wonderful, clear and not too, too hot (high 80s by this afternoon). Bruce and I were up at 6:30 and on the road to Sisters for breakfast at The Gallery and then to wander the streets as they put up the quilts, taking pictures and chatting with the other watchers. The official start of the show seems to be after all of the quilts are put up on the Stitchin Post by the Sisters Fire department. As I have mentioned before, the whole city seems to participate in this outdoor show. These are traditionally the quilts of the Stitchin' Post employees who this year were challenged to do a quilt in the "style" of the Gees Bend Quilters. The Gees Bend Quilts hung on the front of the Stitchin' Post and the employee quilts are on the end. The hang the quilts from wires that are permanently mounted on the front of the businesses and in most cases just use clothes pins. The effect is perfect.

All of the quilts are great and I admire everyone who submits one to hang. they have 10,000 people viewing their individual expression of art and not just from a distance. My favorite part of the show was the Teacher's Tent. All of the Quilter's Affair (that is what the week of classes is called prior to the show)intructors displayed some of thier work in this tent. There was quite rush seeing all that wonderful inspiration, creativity, art and of course- quilting. All of you readers I hope realize that putting the top together is piecing and the quilting is when you put the bating and the backing on the top and then "quilt" it- and that can be done in a variety of ways. There is hand piecing and machine quilting, hand piecing and hand quilting, machine piecing and hand quilting and of course, machine piecing and machine quilting. Much of the work today is done by machine and it is definitely not your grandmother's flower garden, although there were quite a few traditional quilts at this show too.


With the advent of the long arm quilter- machine quilting took on quite a different look. Also, as art quilts came into their own, the whole face of quilting changed both what was pieced, what is considered a quilt, and how it is quilted. Surface embellishment is very popular and the variety is endless. This is a true art form- just look at some of the quilts in the album. I have included a few that will make you think twice about what is a quilt and who "quilts".

Well, enough of my chatter- lok at the pictures to really get the idea. This show is a wonderful street festival with people selling drinks, food, music in the streets, restaurants as part of the actual venue and the quilters part of the crowd. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. I think that even Bruce had an acceptable time, although when we got back to the campground he found all of the other husbands didn't have to go in to see the show and were sitting around in the shade gossiping. Their wives went without them so I am sure he will probably think about this differently the next time.