More than 1,300 quilts lined the sides of businesses in downtown Sisters on Saturday.

From Baltimore, Maryland, to San Francisco, California, people stopped to admire the meticulous detail in each of the quilts at the 48th annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.

The show is the largest outdoor quilt show in the world, according to organizers, drawing 10,000 visitors from all over the U.S., plus international visitors, to Sisters on the second Saturday in July each year.

Jager Fox, 8, proudly pointed out his grandmother’s work on a black and white quilt she made as a wedding gift for family friends. It hung next to other quilts marked in the “special exhibit” category.

“There are three things that I like to come here for,” Fox said. “I like to meet new people, see the quilts and I like to see what the quilt of the year is.”

While he lives in Seattle, Washington, JagerFox regularly spends three weeks with his grandma in Central Oregon to spend time together and attend the quilt show. This is his third year attending and he has been looking forward to it since the last one.

Robin Denning, 66, is a beginner quilter and has appreciated the arduous process since retiring in 2022 and transforming her sewing skills from garment making to quilting. The quilt that hangs across the street from Fox’s grandmother’s is only the second one she has ever made.

Denning heard about the quilt show in a publication years ago and after she took up the hobby, she decided to track it down. She said the process to get her art in the show wasn’t as complicated as she thought. She flew from Baltimore, Maryland to see it showcased in person.

She dedicated the project that took over one of the walls in her home to her husband, whom she said encouraged her every step of the way. The event has helped her find a new support system that extends beyond her home. She said she has learned from others throughout the day at the quilt show.

“Everyone talks about thread and fabric,” Denning said. “They are my people … It’s just a wonderful thing and a really fun reason to have a trip to Central Oregon.”

Once Denning saw her quilt hanging, she almost started to cry walking over to it. Standing in front of her artwork, admirers ask her about her process.

The community that grows inside and outside of the event is part of the reason why she is proud to call herself a quilter, she said.

Lynn Hart celebrated her 79th birthday at the quilt show and wouldn’t want it any other way. As a rotating host for the exhibits, she enjoys introducing people to the pieces and showcasing the work that goes into each stitch and design.

“My favorite thing about the show is being able to share with people who are either beginning quilters are not quilters,” Hart said. “(And seeing) the enthusiasm that so many of us feel for the art.”

Martha Sanders, a liaison for the Mt Bachelor Quilters Guild and Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, said that there were at least 100 volunteers setting up all of the quilts.

A lot of work goes into planning this annual event and Sanders said they will start planning for next year’s on Monday.

In the meantime artist Vera Axelrod, 32, continued to enjoy the quilt show and went around the exhibits explaining the different patterns to her 32-year-old husband, Andrew Karnani, and 72-year-old mother, Amy Saldinger.

“It’s fun even if you think you don’t like quilts right?” Axelrod said to her husband, who helps with the hardware of her sewing machine.

“That’s true,” Karnani said. “I think it’s also worth saying that the quilts take a lot more effort to make having seen it first hand than they necessarily do once it’s all hung up. It’s a lot of fiddling and a lot of labor.”

Axelrod and Karnani traveled from San Francisco to see her quilt hanging up with the other artists’.

They are grateful for the show’s willingness to highlight different styles of quilting that range from various amounts of experience.

“Here there is a huge of diversity of stuff that people are into,” Axelrod said. “I love how they even have a kids section, there’s amazing quilts made by 9-year-olds.”

Quilters won’t have to wait a whole year for another event dedicated to the craft. Mt. Bachelor Quilters Guild will be hosting a showcase on August 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Pioneer Park.