Every year I tell myself that I'm going to go to Sisters for the quilt show and every year I don't make plans. This year, with PMQG being part of a special exhibit I knew I had to get myself there, so I bought a bus ticket from Fabric Depot (and saw two fellow members, though they ended up on the other bus). So this was my first time attending Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show and while I thought I knew what to expect, quilts hung all over the buildings in town, I was not prepared for the amazing site of a town covered in quilts. Not only were there quilts all over outside, but there were quilts all over inside the shops too. And lots of people, there is just no getting around standing in line for things during the show, but lines go quickly and there is almost always a quilt or three to view while you wait.
Inside a coffee a shop
And simply hanging everywhere
And I finally get to see the PMQG quilts sent to Sisters, some I had seen before during previous meeting's show and tells, some I had never seen before and they all looked awesome.
I brought my water battle and a few snacks, but it wasn't actually necessary since there were enterprising kids selling water bottles all over town (I heard it was some sort of fundraiser too), multiple stands with kettle corn and other treats. We lucked out with a beautiful day, bright sun, light breezes and the temps only reaching the low 80's (I've heard it is often a good 10 degrees warmer this time of year). When I arrived in town, show hosts/volunteers were handing out Sisters, a newspaper magazine devoted to the show which included a map, a list of the special exhibits and an article on us, Portland Modern Quilt Guild, (it's on page 26). I spent my first two hours just wandering around town, taking in all to see along Cascade Ave (which is closed to cars for the day), stopping into the packed The Stitchin' Post, stopping by the tree exhibit and occasionally admiring the mountains.
Around noon I found our guild's exhibit, and what a great location, a nice grassy spot between two buildings we even had a few chairs, some shade and a nice breeze. Lots of people were milling about and Cherri (one of our members who volunteered their time to host our exhibit) told me we were getting a lot of positive feedback.
Monica's quilt
After taking a nice little break at our cozy exhibit, I started wandering the town some more. I found Cherri's quilt in the general show (thanks to a hint from Jill who spotted it earlier) and just enjoyed the day.
Cherri's quilt in the general show