Wendy’s post: I took  five days of quilt classes at Sisters High School, while Doug went hiking or fishing. (Doug’s adventures will be in another post.)

I took three classes, all taught by the pattern designers. Each instructor had different  styles, but all shared their passion and encouraged their students. “Sequoia” was a two-day class on Monday and Tuesday. Here is a photo of the lap size quilt by Pam Raby, the instructor.

Many people chose to make the quilt from the same fabric as Pam, while others made their own choices. I chose my own solids to construct smaller blocks that will make a table runner. (Thanks to Maxine for some of the colour and fabric advice.)

Wednesday was another tree related quilt. Instructor Scott Hansen grew a beard for his Santa Claus impersonation to teach his “Christmas 1964” pattern.

It was a bit crowded in the high-school science lab, so I chose to sew “side-saddle” for some of the day. There was a lot of “cut, sew, press, cut” steps, so I liked the extra height for the cutting time.

I made a large block with rusts, golds and teal blue, aiming for a “southwest” feel.

The Thursday and Friday class was the biggest challenge. I love sunflowers but overlooked how big the quilt, “Summer’s Smile” was, and how many different fabrics would be required.

Luckily, the two-day class allowed me time to go shopping for more fabric for the second day. (Thanks to Peggy for giving me one of the three fabrics that I brought from Cranbrook that made it into the quilt, and for Doug for waiting outside quilt shops in Bend.) I’m happy with my progress so far. I will need to do some searching for appropriate large-scale background fabric because I’m not keen on the lime-green stripes. Below is my version with the fabrics pinned to a foam board. It will be interesting (and challenging) to sew together all the curved seams. I met Ann at the quilt show on Saturday and Doug took our photo in front of  a section of one of Ann’s other quilts.

Saturday “Quilt Show Day” was cloudy (but not rainy, like Friday). Here are some photos to give you a sense of the size and variety of the show. Doug walked around town with me and took photos with his good camera and lens. There are way too many photos of beautiful quilts to post.

It was an amazing week for me. I met interesting quilters from all over the US and the world, including Scotland. I can’t wait to get home to finish my projects.