Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: The Buildings are Part of the Quilts

Shelina commented after my last post: "Wouldn't it be great to be there.... before or after the crowds, and get to examine each and every quilt at your own leisure"....The answer is, 'yes, absolutely!'

I had wanted to meet other quilters from Oregon, so I had agreed to meet at the Sisters library at 10:30 a.m....about an hour after the show opened... to give everyone time to get into town and park. We had spent the night nearby, so I was able to arrive 30 minutes early, but others were driving over that morning and between highway traffic and parking congestion were delayed, some more than others. So, it was actually quite a bit later before everyone had arrived and we could each actually begin seeing all of the quilts and touring the town.

All together, in that small town of 1,460 people, there was 1,200 quilts....that's almost one quilt per person in their entire population! Because there was so many, I was able to get right up to many of them, and I do have some photos of those. Others, I saw around the people, or took my photos from a distance, wanting even more to see how they were draped and hung.

I had already decided that it was going to be the memory of the experience, not the processing of each and every quilt that I was meant to enjoy. It is very, very different from walking through an air-conditioned gallery or quilt show that is held inside. The people, the buildings and the town itself, become players in the show...almost more so, in some respect, to the quilts!



The buildings in Sisters all share a common theme. Sisters is after all, a 1880's styled western themed town. The builds are representative of log cabins and general stores from a time when, really and truly, quilting first began. So, it is delightful to see beams and rafters, logs and benches, wagons and carriages draped with quilts in each and every direction...up, down, left, right, and sideways too.

The town, itself, becomes part of the quilt. Its buildings blocks between the squares of the quilts themselves. The texture of the buildings, the flow of the lines and even the shrubs and bushes become appliqued pieces in the overall impression.

It was so scorchingly hot, that the shimmering air created undulations that felt much like meandering stitches going across my vision. I became in a sense, part of the quilt. Hot, stretched, strung out, but still with all of my parts and pieces trying to stay together in harmony and create a feeling and a meaning for all I came into contact with. It wasn't easy to keep my mind on my path, and I'm sure the vendors, viewers and even the quilts felt the same way!

All of my Sister's Quilt Show post links:
Flying Geese Head for Sisters, Oregon
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: The Atmosphere Says It All
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: The Buildings are Part of the Quilts
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show: The People Create the Mood
Sisters: Last But Not Least .... The Quilts !
My Flying Geese Got Cooked, But I'm Back in the Saddle, Again