Quilts Among the Trees

Submitted by Dianne McD.

“I forget how much talent we have within our guild,” I said as we were preparing for the MPS Outdoor Quilt Show.  On Saturday, July 23rd, 2022 and under the leadership of Linda H, 75 quilts were being unfolded and hung between the trees in the Evelyn Schliffler Memorial Park in Beaverton, Oregon.  It was early (we started at 7:00 AM) and the area was still quiet with the occasional-and curious-dog walker passing by.  As we hung the quilts and sometimes moved them from one place to another, one could tell this was going to be a good show.

There were large quilts and small quilts.  Some of the quilts were of modern design, some were traditional, and some were what we consider an art quilt. We even had a few quilted pot holders to show off the work of those who had taken our Cathedral Windows workshop in April.

Before 10:00, all the quilts were in their final place, the fabric sale was laid out, and we were waiting for people to show up.  As everyone began to arrive, you could feel the energy beginning to ramp up.  Our members were happy to be together again in person after not seeing each other that way for many months.  Many of us had invited family and friends to come and we were excited to show off our work to them.   And then there were the neighborhood people who stopped by to see what was going on.  More than one neighbor told me how much they enjoyed seeing all the quilts.  One woman in particular just looked at me and exclaimed, “Don’t we live in a great community?!”

By 1:00 PM, when the show was coming to an end, over 120 people had visited us in the park.  As I helped take down the show, I looked back on the previous three hours and all the fun I had visiting with MPS members, the lovely people who lived near the park, and my daughter who came to see her and her family’s quilts hanging among the trees.  I had even run into someone who had moved out of my neighborhood several years ago and into a new home nearby. She had just come by to see what was happening in the park.

A big thank you to David M and Jim S, two husbands who came early in the morning to lend a hand in getting the ropes up.  And a very big “Well Done!” to Linda H who worked tirelessly to turn her vision of the quilt show into reality. It was good to see a sample of the talent of our Guild members on exhibit once again.

To see the gallery of the show and some of the quilts, click on the button below.  Feel free to leave comments here or on the gallery.