Quilt Show Trekking Across the USA

Hi all

I've been quilting for a while now but last year, 2022, was the first time I attended a quilt show. Well, it turned out to be three quilt shows. All in the same month pretty much.

The first was a relatively new outdoor quilt show in a town about two hours away from me. I wasn't sure what to expect but the talent on show, even in the basic quilts, was simply amazing.

I even managed to find a new friend for my sewing area. A Singer 99 from 1926. In need of a little TLC, she has become a welcome addition to my vintage sewing machine collection.

I thought this quilt was adorable. The little cat reminded me so much of my own two little monsters.

As a fan of the Sunbonnet Sue block, this quilt made me smile too!

The next was in the closest metropolis to me. It was a lot bigger and was held in a convention center. I didn't think it was possible to get so many quilts all in one area.

I found this humerus is a fitting title for the cat with a bone! I was chuckling all the way around the show after seeing this one!

More Sunbonnets! Yay! :D

It was a fantastic show... even if some of the quilts were starting to look familiar.

There was a sewing machine at this one too, only this one didn't make it home with me.

This was possibly the saddest exhibit at the show.

Apparently, it was entered into the wrong category and was disqualified... bit harsh... couldn't the mistake have been rectified?

I'm sure the quilter made an honest mistake but to be dismissed so abruptly... they must have been devastated.

I didn't take any photos of the third quilt show. It was held at a local college and the quilts were of a more personal nature. To take photos would have been an intrusion. Or at least that's how I felt at the time.

Anyway, you're probably wondering why I went to three quilt shows in as many weeks. Well, it was all because of Sisters.

Sisters is a small city in Oregon. Every year they hold the largest outdoor quilt show in the world. I have been wanting to go to that quilt show for years. Unfortunately, I've always been too far away so, going to three slightly closer quilt shows was my way of easing the disappointment of missing Sisters yet again.

This year was different!

The 48th annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show 2023 had a newbie attendee this year. I got to go to Sisters! To say I was delighted is an understatement. I was tickled pink. Even if going meant staying in a tent. On a campsite without proper washing facilities and a hole in the ground for a toilet. Accommodation - decent accommodation - sells out quick for the Sisters Quilt weekend!

I even entered the Quilt Block competition:

My first ever entry into any quilt competition. No, I didn't win. The standards of the other blocks were way higher than my newbie talents could match. But it was Sisters and taking part, seeing my block on display with the others... gave me quite a buzz.

To see more of the amazing quilts on show at the 48th annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show 2023, check out my video. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed attending! Hopefully, fingers crossed I'll see you at next years show!

Bye for now

Olly

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