I had the good fortune of being in the vicinity of Sisters, Oregon at the exact same time that the 37th Annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show was going on AND in the company of someone who really appreciates quilting. So the entire family spent a good part of the day walking up and down streets, admiring quilts of all different styles, sizes and complexity. Some of the quilts were basic patterns with an attention to detail, cuts and stitching that was incredibly precise. Some of the quilts were complex patterns and fabrics, executed flawlessly. Some were “paintings” of fish, birds, or landscapes. Some of the quilts were hand-stitched, some were machine-stitched in straight lines, and some were machine-stitched in complex, ornate designs.

But each quilt started the same way: some thread, some fabric, and an idea. Which of course got me thinking about interactive design, where all interactive agencies essentially have the same basic stuff: some front-end coding languages, some back-end coding languages, and an idea. Websites and quilts really aren’t that different… it’s coming up with the idea of how to put the pieces together and the skill in doing so that turns it from something that will keep you warm to something that is both functional and beautiful.

(All photos are ones I took of quilt details from the show. There were about 992 other quilts that I didn’t photograph.)