Saturday turned out to be a pretty colorful day in Colusa.
People walked around town to view dozens of quilts that hung in windows, inside businesses, on fences, and in parks during the third annual Quilts Around the Block. Quilts were also draped across clothes lines, pinned to gutters, tossed over hedges, and found dangling from tree branches.
The annual event, hosted by the Friends Around the Block Quilt Store, was a bigger event than ever, boasting quilt raffles, a car show, vendor fair, and pancake breakfast at the Colusa Fire Department.
The event that celebrates National Quilt Day and National Quilt Month is something the Friends Around the Block plan to expand even further to drive even more people who love quilting and fabric art to the store each year and downtown.
“My goal is to have the Northern Quarter Quilt guilds bring their opportunity quilts every year and this will get bigger,” said Patt Thompson, of Friends Around the Block.
People flocked to the quilt shop all day on Saturday to take part in the quilt scavenger hunt and celebrate the art and craftsmanship of quilt making. Children looked for quilts in various colors and shapes. More ambitious quilt hunters looked for specific patterns.
Mickey Langley and Nancy Griffin won Daily Habit gift cards for their quilt hunting skills. Participant Maria Smart won the Barnyard store quilt.
The purpose of the event is to expand the knowledge of quiltmaking, promote the appreciation of fine quilts, encourage quiltmaking, and promote public service projects for the good of the community, organizers said.
About a dozen first responder quilts, made by members of the community, were donated to the Colusa Fire Department, Colusa Police Department, and Sacramento River Fire Protection District.
Visitors also had the opportunity to win a large colorful quilt made by the visiting Oroville Piecemakers Quilt Guild, whose raffle will be held in November.
Opportunity quilts were available as a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which has made great strides toward curing the disease.
Thompson’s great-grandson, Waylon James Bybee, 7, is living with Cystic Fibrosis, and is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Ambassador for the Sacramento Region.
A special raffle was held at the event for a Colusa family recently touched by tragedy after a possible DUI crash killed a young mother, her 10-month old son, and injured the woman’s 15-year-old nephew. In addition to raising $6,000, the winner of the raffle donated the prizes to the family.
Organizers said it is participation of quiltmakers, quilt lovers, residents, visitors to the city, business owners, and Colusa’s old-fashion community spirit that makes the Quilts Around the Block event a huge success. ■