The 42nd annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show — trademarked as “the world’s largest outdoor quilt show and sale” — returns to Sisters on Saturday, bringing more 1,450 quilts to downtown Sisters, said Jeanette Pilak, executive director of the annual quilt festival.

The show is open, not juried, and quilts come from near and far. This year’s theme is “Storytellers,” driving home the point that there’s a story behind every quilt.

“We’re hearing those stories more because that theme is really connecting with the individuals who are making the quilts,” Pilak said.

Asked for interesting stories that have come to light, Pilak said, “Oh my God. There’s a beautiful art quilt at the event office that is of an angel.”

The quilt depicts an angel, wings aloft, on a colorful background dominated by yellow and shades of blue.

Quilter Linda Rodriguez explains in the card accompanying her quilt, “Angel Among Us.”

“We have visited Sisters and the Oregon Coast from New York and Florida for 37 years, my husband and I traveled from either New York or Florida to come to Oregon for your quilt show,” it reads. “He was a big supporter of my quilts. I am entering this angel quilt in memory of my husband, who passed (in) 2016. He is my angel watching over our family.”

“I mean, God,” Pilak said, her voice falling to a whisper.

Quilts and their stories have trickled in during the days leading up to the festival, which is always held the second Saturday in July.

“Just this morning, we had somebody come in who’s been volunteering for us for 12 years. She took a class to learn new techniques. So on one quilt, it had 17 new techniques that she learned, which is pretty amazing. It’s a stunning quilt,” Pilak said. “The next person in line brought in a quilt, an adorable kid’s quilt, of kind of modern-art chic.”

She was referring to “Rainbow Sheep,” by Kathy Johnson of Katy, Texas, who used a pattern found in a magazine and inspiration from her 4-year-old daughter, who helped select the quilt’s fabrics and suggested it depict “rainbow sheep for Aunt Linda.”

Pilak said there are several “core inspirations” when it comes to designing a quilt. Some quilters are “taking classes, or reading books, or now, watching online videos of other quilters, showing tutorials. There’s that whole group of people who are furthering their education that way.”

Traditionally, it was a different, well, story.

“For eons, in the history of textile-making, both internationally and in the United States, quilting was always affiliated with celebrating life, or momentous occasions — a new building for a town,” Pilak said.

They commemorated death, as well.

“You wanted to remember them, and to use everything that you had available to you. You made a quilt out of their old clothes, be it the shirts, or the work pants, or the ties, and you kind of memorialized them that way.”

Today, some quilt-makers will use T-shirts from throughout the years.

“Now that they’re graduating from college they’re going to get a T-shirt quilt that shows everything from Cookie Monster, up to bike racing, up to car racing, up to whatever their hobby or area of study is,” Pilak said. “It’s that tradition of quilting in America made more modern.”

For those heading to Sisters from Bend, Pilak urges patience on the drive, as traffic to the festival, which can draw as many as 10,000 quilt admirers, will be heavy. She also said to be on the lookout for Sisters Middle School students, who will be selling bottled water and eclipse glasses and collecting recyclables to raise money for a trip to Washington, D.C.

What: 2017 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday

Where: Downtown Sisters; parking with shuttle service available at Sisters High School, 
1700 McKinney Butte Road

Cost: Free

Contact: sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org 
or 541-549-0989