Hey Sisters! More of the Quilt Show

Still brimming with excitement over our little trip out to Sisters, Oregon for the fabulous annual Quilt Show. I shared some of my favorite quilts when we got back but have so many more photos to add.

quilts hung from buildings & fences...

quite possibly one of the strangest/coolest things i've seen in a long long time. An actual quilt (fabric!) made to fit over this mini van with little openings for handles & lights & license plates. Windows made of mesh so that you can actually drive with this thing?? Definitely a curious example of quilting....I wish I had the tape recorder on so you could hear Mr. Quiltish's remarks on this......

cool idea of double photo quilts...I bet these look amazing showcased on a huge living room wall....

patchwork bike...so adorable. I missed the raffle though...I definitely would've been the coolest mom in the neighborhood pedaling around with this beauty :)

Love the bright on black, and it's always fun to see circles on a quilt. This is inspiring a table runner for me...though I'd probably leave the border plain....

asian sampler...definitely something I hadn't seen before. very original!

this reminded us of jack's book- Three Little Owls.

Ah, Bronco Billy's.  A fun little place. Have I mentioned Sisters also has an annual rodeo (one of many I used to attend growing up....before I became a little more focused on animal rights....) gorgeous camping areas and a famed ice-cream stand? All this made for a wild destination in high school & college. Lots of stories to be told about times at Bronco Billy's....

Ok, back to quilting. Adore these birds and how the fabric choice & color makes them more intriguing rather than cutesy...

salute to my British pals!

This little beauty really stood out. Plus it totally reminded me of Paula Prass' home & Christmas decorations last year - obviously a very memorable blog post she had!

Very interested quilt show attenders.

Ha!

I love them for coming with me on this little trip & being in good spirits about it all. As I said, I really wish I could've captured all Mr. Quiltish's commentary....he really knew how to make the best of fussy quilting ladies & me bee lining off in every direction to find the 'best in show!'

Jack's favorite part of the trip? Camping after. Giddy with excitement over sleeping in a tent for the very first time.  Doesn't get much better than this!

More Sisters!
Bari J Ackerman's (designer & teacher at show) posts:  Creative Sewers & Creativity & Inspiration
Valori Wells' (designer & co-owner of Stitchin' Post- shop behind it all!) Video of the Show

Hey Sisters!

Whew, just returned from our little jaunt over to the Sisters Quilt Show! It's an amazing annual event & I hadn't been for five years so I was just itchin' to get back. Plus, it's located in one of the parts of Oregon I just adore- the high desert town of Sisters, Oregon right outside of Bend.  I begged Mr. Quiltish to go, so we loaded up the car & made a little camping trip out of the whole thing!

It's definitely worth it to mark your calendar for next year (always the second Saturday in July).  The whole charming little western town opens itself up for the event - quilts hung from nearly every storefront & in between.

Two aspects incredibly inspiring: the diversity of the quilts (from Gee's Bend to abstract to Amish to traditional lovelies your grandmum would make) and the fact that this event was started from an entreprenuer & crafter who surely has her place in the Handmade Hall of Fame...Jean Wells - owner of the Stitchin Post quilt shop in town. And now, co-owned by her daughter, fabric designer & quilter Valori Wells.  Definitely an inspiration to see such a culmination of creativy & savvy.

No idea how many quilts were there...easily over 1,000 - but here are a few photos of ones that really caught my eye:

abstract + orange. I bee-lined to this beauty.

crisp + intricate...amazing talent for sure.

what a stunner! I've wanted to make a strip quilt for ages...this one is a definite inspiration!

perfect gradation of color- i like how it's bold & abstract

super intriguing, this one- a bit Indian? Royal? Gypsy? I don't know...but I love it.

I adore this quilt- mostly because it uses one of my favorite fabric groups ever- Flea Market Fancy. So charming!

bold burst of brightness- gorgeous representation of the sun

yes, this really is a quilt. Crazy, I know. I wish my photo captured just how gosh darn amazing the craftsmanship was!

simple & crisp. Would love this on a big ol bed!

Wow! This is one of my all time favorites. I trekked a long way in the hot hot sun just for more camera batteries so I could photograph this charmer.

Which do you like best?  I'll be posting more quilt photos in the week ahead...so many lovely quilts to share :)