That’s a wrap
Newport quilt show offers a warm welcome
By Leslie O’Donnell
For the TODAY
“Quilts by the Sea” returns after a two-year hiatus this weekend, with the Newport Recreation Center transformed into a maze of more than 300 quilts crafted by the Oregon Coastal Quilters Guild.
COVID kept the quilters from hosting their show in 2020 and 2021, so this year’s event, happening Friday and Saturday, Aug. 5 and 6, features an extra two years’ worth of quilts.
Guild member Pamela Potter of Waldport said the 30th annual event will have an exciting atmosphere, with features ranging from a sales area to a quilt auction to a display of award-winning quilts.
“Some of the quilts are amazing works of art,” she said. “It’s like going to an art show. People who like fabric and beauty will want to go see it. The gym is converted into a maze of quilts, and you get to vote for your favorite. And some of them will take your breath away!”
Guild member Jean Amundson of Newport said this year’s special auction features 30 participants, each having created a quilted item ranging from a pillow to a traditional bed covering — all with the common theme of trees. If the item is offered for sale, at least 50 percent of the winning bid price will be donated to the non-profit One Tree Planted organization, who will plant one tree in Oregon for every dollar donated.
Amundson said many of the quilts on display have been evaluated by accredited quilt judge Elizabeth Spannring of LaCenter, Washington.
“The judges let you know where you can improve as well as what you did well,” Potter said.
Both hand-quilted and machine-pieced quilts will be featured. A silent auction of small quilts is also part of the show.
And guests can shop at a quilt boutique, buy fabric, purchase grab bags stocked with quilt-related items and learn about the guild’s quilts for veterans.
“The goal is to make a quilt for every veteran in the county,” Potter said. “Some of us make the binding, some make the top, some do the quilting.”
Four veterans will be receiving quilts at the show, and more than 400 local veterans have already received quilts made by guild members, Amundson said.
The guild also makes community quilts, which are given to people in need and donated to local community service organizations. And they also donate pillows to Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport for surgery and dialysis patients.
A special treat for those attending is a display of the work of featured quilter Jane Szabo of Waldport, who will have many of her award-winning quilts on display.
Szabo has been quilting for about 25 years, and has sewn for more than 60 years. She started when she was in 4-H.
“I love to sew and quilt,” she said without hesitation. “It challenges me to keep busy and keeps my mind active. I love putting all the pieces together like a puzzle. I enjoy the process.
Szabo has been a member of the guild since 2003.
Her prize-winning quilt, her own design, is a miniature and was accepted as a semi-finalist at the 2022 American Quilter’s Society show Paducah, Kentucky. It is a 15-inch square with 100 blocks, and can be seen in the juried section of the Newport show.
As featured quilter, Szabo will have almost 40 quilts on display, along with a tote bag and jacket, and invites show-goers to stop by and chat.
“I quilt every day,” she said. “I feel it’s my therapy — it calms everything down. I concentrate on it instead of thinking about other things.”
The guild will have a quilt-documentation table at the show, with members helping to establish the age of visitors’ quilts by the kind of fabric used. There will also be a café operated by a local 4-H group.
The Oregon Coastal Quilters Guild, with more than 150 members, is a non-profit formed in 1991, with the goals of promoting fellowship among quilters, promoting knowledge and appreciation of quilts and quilt making and sponsoring and supporting quilting.
The guild meets once a month at Atonement Lutheran Church in Newport, with subgroups, such as the Bayshore Quilters, meeting weekly.
“The show is a good way to showcase our craft,” Szabo said. “And the guild is open to anyone interested in quilting or in learning to quilt.”
Admission to the 30th annual quilt show is $6. Hours are from 9 am to 5 pm on Friday, Aug. 5, and 9 am to 4 pm on Saturday, Aug. 6. The Newport Recreation Center is located at 225 SE Avery Street. For more information, including a link to view the auction items, go to oregoncoastalquilters.org.