SOQS 2017 : 5 : The Storytellers Book

Storytellers Book, photo by Marion Shimoda

Storytellers Book, photo by Marion Shimoda

The Storytellers Book was a new fundraiser for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show this year.  Dan Rickards, who designed the poster for the show this year, came up with this idea for a real oversized book (2' x 3')  with pages made of quilts.  Twelve quilt artists were asked to created pieces for the book, and one of them was me.  It was an honor to be included in the inaugural year of this project.

Rickards worked with leather artist Julia Zell to create this beautiful handtooled leather cover.  The pages were made with poster board and the quilts were attached with velcro.  Each quilt was offered on silent auction with a buy it now price.  

Contents Page, photo by Marion Shimoda

Contents Page, photo by Marion Shimoda

The book was located at Sisters High School in the week before the quilt show.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize that, so I never got good photos of it before quilt show day.  The first three photos here were taken by my friend Marion Shimoda.  The others below that were taken on quilt show day with poor lighting, but I hope you can appreciate how big the book is and what a cool idea it was. 

My Quilt!- Once Upon a Quilt by Kristin Shields, photo by Marion Shimoda

My Quilt!- Once Upon a Quilt by Kristin Shields, photo by Marion Shimoda

The people who turned the pages for folks to see the quilts were apparently quite exhausted by the effort to move the pages.  I'm not sure if they'll change the process for next year, but it was created with the intention of having this be a fundraiser each year now.  

What a treat it was to see my quilt in the book!  You can read the story about my quilt here.  I don't know who did the written pages, but they look amazing too.  The photos below were taken in the courtyard of The Open Door cafe on quilt show day.  Enjoy!

Quilt by Karen Shadley

Quilt by Karen Shadley

Quilt by Joanne Myers

Quilt by Joanne Myers

Quilt by Ruth Ingham

Quilt by Ruth Ingham

This is my friend Jan Tetzlaff turning pages on quilt show morning.  She gave a little spiel about each quilt as she turned the pages.  She can attest to the fact that these pages were heavy!  I'm sure all the extra embellishments on my page didn't help.

Quilt by Valori Wells Kennedy

Quilt by Valori Wells Kennedy

Quilt by June Jaeger

Quilt by June Jaeger

Each of these quilts tell a little story about their makers.  I wish I'd gotten photos of all of them, but trust me, this was a wonderfully unique idea and I hope it continues for many years to come!