The town of Sisters is named for the Three Sisters volcanic peaks (below) of the Cascade Mountain Range, located in central Oregon—a popular hiking and outdoor recreation destination. However if you’re a quilter, Sisters’ claim-to-fame is more likely to be the annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, displaying more than 1300 quilts outside and around town, held in July for more than 35 years. But let me make it clear right now, that’s not what this post is about.
Sisters is also the long-time home of the Stitchin’ Post quilt shop (below), where I was teaching a couple classes last month in September. Both the quilt shop and quilt show are the brain children of quilter and teacher Jean Wells Keenan, and the person who first invited me to teach there a few years back. This was my third time teaching at the Stitchin’ Post, now owned by Jean’s daughter, quilt and fabric designer Valorie Wells.
Fabric Images
I arrived in Sisters fresh off the plane from teaching at MISA, Madeline Island School of the Arts, in northern Wisconsin. This year as in the past at the Stitchin’ Post, I taught one 5-day class followed by one 2-day class.
The first week-long class opened with 15 eager and bright-eyed students. I truly consider myself lucky with the people I get to meet in my travels—they’re so attentive and open to whatever I have to teach them.
The classroom got progressively messier and messier as the week progressed—as it should! Above right, Sandie French shared her birthday and bouquet from her husband with us, under the watchful gaze of her blue cougar.
There was a nicely varied batch of subject matter for the five days—see their progress in the slideshow below. I hope to see some of them again soon as a finished quilt email to go into a future Finish Line blog post.
Five Day Class Slideshow
Cutting Loose—Fish & Butterflies
I have to admit I was looking forward to the 2-day Oregon class capping off my trio of classes from WI and OR. Taking place over the weekend, the subject matter focused on fish, bugs, and butterflies. These subjects are particularly fun as there’s so many possible interpretations for fish and butterflies (no one chose bugs this time)—with virtually no way to go “wrong.” I just love to see what creative tangent each person takes.
The class jumped in with gusto as you can see in the progress slides below. Great color and lots of play with the prints found in fabric.
Two Day Class Slideshow
Each day, lunch was provided across main street at the Depot Restaurant—a great excuse to leave the classroom and re-focus, get some fresh air, and get to know these ladies a little better. It was also a good time to “take the long way” back to the shop, getting in a few extra steps while window shopping, picking up an afternoon cuppa coffee, and meeting a few “local characters” of Sisters, OR (seen in slideshow below).
Sisters, Oregon Slideshow
And then it was time to travel home—and eventually I made it there. Due to a delayed plane at the very beginning, connections were lost and I had a ten-hour layover in the Seattle airport. My luggage and I all arrived in Portland, Maine the next day, just on three different flights and two different airlines. But, we did arrive.
Wonderful. Do you ever teach a long class over here in England?
I would love to take one, as I already glue pieces and use ‘odd’ fabrics to represent parts of, usually, landscape quilts.
The slide show is fabulous! Your students are thriving!
Thank you so much for your visits around a part of America that I Will never see otherwise, not to mention your hard working students who give me an understanding of the difficulties using your fabulous technique, which they manage to overcome after much thought, not so easy as you are inclined to think, I’ve noticed, however, very much appreciated I can tell you.
Sandra Tavel
Always your travel logs and your students fabulous work!!