Celebration of Quilts to Hit Main Steet on Saturday

On Saturday, downtown Oswego is going to get a lot more colorful.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the village’s first Celebration of Quilts festival will come to Main Street. The brainchild of owners Kim Nimtz and Susan Deegan, the fest will feature hundreds of quilts from around the area, hung from buildings along the street.

Nimtz said the idea was inspired by a similar festival in Sisters, Oregon, a tradition there for 37 years. And while that fest began with only 12 quilts, Nimitz said, the Oswego quilt fest will kick off with around 200.

The pair brought the idea to village leaders, who were all for it. Michelle Bergeron, Oswego’s community relations manager, said it’s an idea that focuses on “the unique parts of Oswego,” which the village is always trying to highlight. She described the festival as “an art fair, but with quilts.”

And like any art fair, there will be many different aspects to Saturday’s event. There will be quilting demonstrations, vendors, an appraiser who will tell you what that old quilt in your grandmother’s attic is worth, and a special guest speaker: Edyta Sitar, owner of Laundry Basket Quilts in Michigan.

Sitar is a lifelong quilter, and has received numerous awards for her work. She’s written several books on the subject, and makes appearances around the country talking about her love of quilting. Nimtz said the two are friends, and Sitar gladly agreed to help kick off Oswego’s festival.

Nimtz knows that quilting can be seen as something for older people, and quilts as “those old things great gramma made,” but she said there are many different styles and types of quilts, and there’s a rich artistic history there.

“There’s a wide range of quilts,” she said. “It would be tough not to like one of them.”

It's a passion they both share, and they've been awarded for it as well. Last year, Prairie Stitches was named one of the top quilt stores in the country by Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, and the pair designed a quilt that ran on the magazine's cover.

Now comes the hard work of actually hanging the quilts. Nimtz and Deegan are searching for volunteers to help out. If you’re interested, call them at Prairie Stitches: 630-554-9701.

Main Street will be blocked off from Route 34 to Jackson Street for the festival, and re-opened after 4 p.m. The Celebration of Quilts is free to attend.