The always picturesque town of Sisters is about to get 1,401 times more colorful.

That’s the number of art quilts — 101 more than last year’s festival, for those keeping count — that will be on display around downtown Sisters Saturday during the 39th annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, according to Jeanette Pilak, executive director.

The one-day festival begins at 9 a.m. Saturday (see “If you go”). Other than the number of quilts, it won’t differ much from previous years.

This year’s show is, however, seeing a lot of new faces, Pilak said.

“We’ve seen a great influx of people submitting their quilts for the first time, along with our folks who have been doing it for decades,” she said. “Every day is just a huge, stunning surprise as they come in and are unveiled.”

The show began humbly enough. On a Saturday in July 1975, Jean Wells Keenan — now the festival board’s president — displayed a dozen quilts by her students outside her quilt shop. More quilters brought quilts to show, things multiplied from there, and the quilt show became an annual shindig hosted by the East of the Cascades quilt guild, according to www.sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org.

By 2003, the show had gotten too large for the guild to manage and an executive director was hired. In 2005, the festival gained nonprofit status.

Some 10,000 to 12,500 quilt fans show up to hoof it around town each year at the festival, which has a $1.7 million economic impact on Sisters, according to a survey conducted by Central Oregon Research Services. It takes some 553 volunteers to make it all happen.

Despite its tremendous growth over the years, the quilt show remains true to its roots, featuring a different Central Oregon quilter at each year’s festival. This time, the featured quilter is Carol Loehndorf-Webb of Sunriver, who has been quilting since the early 1980s.

Loehndorf-Webb brought a background and skills in designing and making clothing to the world of quilting.

This year’s festival will also include a special display by Island Batik, a touring show of more than 50 quilts designed and made by national celebrity quilters.

“There are a couple in there that are just stunning and have been attracting great attention throughout the national tour,” Pilak said. “Because we’re the largest outdoor quilt show, they said, ‘We must come to Sisters.’” The exhibit will be at the Sisters Schools Administration building, 525 E. Cascade Ave., and is part of a fundraising initiative for Operation Homefront, which provides financial and other assistance to service members and their families.

Be patient during your drive to Sisters, and be aware parking on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 20 east of town is not permitted. You can park on Sisters city streets or take a shuttle from Sisters High School, 1700 W. McKinney Butte Road, running throughout the day. Follow “shuttle parking” signs.

For those who want to avoid the hordes of people and traffic snarls of Saturday, there’s always Sunday, when quilt-related events will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

“We do the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show Sunday, which has about 400 quilts on display for those folks who would like to look at them in a little more relaxed atmosphere,” Pilak said. “It has some of our special exhibits, and we also have a nationally known quilter (speaking).”

That talk by long-arm quilter and author Angela Walter takes place at 11 a.m. Sunday at FivePine Lodge & Conference Center.

“If you’re not into the crowds of 10,000, it’s just a really nice way to get a beautiful taste of the quilt show at a more relaxed pace,” Pilak said.

— Reporter: 541-383-0349, djasper@bendbulletin.com