Wednesday, October 4, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
9
Sisters Library to feature fabric arts
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
Traditional fabric art
forms are on display through-
out the Sisters Library, with
children’s quilts in the com-
puter room and woven pieces
in the community room.
The fabric art is part of the
Friends of Sisters Library
October art display.
The Central Oregon
Spinners and Weavers Guild
(COSWG) has been foster-
ing their crafts for 43 years,
growing to their current 105
members. The membership
is becoming more diverse
with men and younger people
joining. Dean Potter of Camp
Sherman is this year’s presi-
dent. Most of the members
are from the three Central
Oregon counties but occa-
sionally people come from
PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD
Sally Rogers, left, and Sally Blust of the East of the Cascades Quilting Guild
in front of a children’s dinosaur quilt at the library.
Fall Cleanup?
We make it easy for you!
Plus…Lumber • Hardware • Paint
Fencing & Decking • Doors & Windows
FREE
Local
Delivery!
Hours: M-F 8 to 5, Sat. 8 to 4:30, Closed Sundays
440 N. Pine St. • 541-549-8141 • www.hoyts.net
Portland, Burns, and The
Dalles to join their fellow
weavers and spinners.
The weavings on display
provide a rich kaleidoscope
of textures, patterns, and
colors woven from a variety
of materials – cotton, hand-
spun alpaca fibers, wool, and
bamboo rayon. A large wall
hanging by Barbara Kracher
of Powell Butte is made
of felted wool. There are
scarves, shawls, a vest, jack-
ets, wall hangings, a decora-
tor pillow, hand-spun yarns
and felted bowls, all artfully
displayed.
COSWG members meet
the third Wednesday of
each month at 9:30 a.m. at
Highland Baptist Church in
Redmond to share their lat-
est projects, learn new tech-
niques, and expand their
knowledge of the history of
spinning and weaving. For
those who can’t attend the
Wednesday meeting, there is
another gathering on the third
Saturday of the month at 1
p.m. in the Sisters Library
community room.
Colorful quilts crafted
especially for children by the
East of the Cascades Quilters
are hanging in the computer
room. The cheerful fabrics
and patterns are chosen to
bring some joy and comfort
into the lives of children
who are dealing with trauma,
pain, and grief. The project is
called Quilts for Kids and the
quilting guild is Sisters-based
with members from Sisters,
Redmond, and Bend.
PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD
On display in the computer room at the library are weavings and other
fabric art by members of the Central Oregon Spinners and Weavers Guild.
The group started about
20 years ago making and
donating 30 quilts a year
to the local sheriff and fire
departments to pass on to
children involved in emer-
gency responses. Today, the
group has 41 members and
donates about 150 quilts a
year to approximately 10
agencies and schools in
the Sisters/Redmond area,
including the Deschutes
County Sheriff ’s Office,
Sisters Park & Recreation
District preschool, Head Start
at M. A. Lynch Elementary
School in Redmond, Sisters
Family Access Network, and
Sisters-Camp Sherman Toys
for Tots program.
“Our goal is to put a smile
on a child’s face and provide
comfort to them, especially
when going through a diffi-
cult time,” said Sally Blust,
guild member from Sisters.
Over the years, their mis-
sion has increased to include
donations to the adult
foster homes in Sisters as
well as Bethlehem Inn and
Shepherd’s House homeless
shelters in Bend.
The guild accepts dona-
tions of current, colorful
fabrics especially geared
to preschool-aged children.
Every year at the Sisters
Outdoor Quilt Show they sell
a few quilts to earn money
to cover the cost of batting.
Many of the guild mem-
bers not only donate their
time making quilts, but also
donate fabric. Jean Wells,
owner of Stitchin’ Post, gen-
erously donates classroom
space where the guild meets
once a month, as well as
bolts of fabric and storage
space.
The weavings in the com-
munity room will be on dis-
play through November. The
quilts will have a one-month
exhibit; check with the
library to be sure the commu-
nity room is unoccupied at
the time planned to visit.