Ninth Annual Bainbridge Quilt Festival – Saturday, September 11, 2021 from 10am to 4pm – Winslow Green, Bainbridge Island, WA
In 2013, Barbara Kirk, a local fabric store owner, along with the Bainbridge Island Modern Quilt Guild (BIMQG), began the first Bainbridge Quilt Festival. Last year, they held the Mask Up Festival at the Winslow Green to allow for social distancing, and quilts were displayed on scaffolding, which made them viewable from both sides. 
Visitors enjoyed the new location and the enhanced viewing aspect of the quilts. The Mask Up quilt was donated to the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum and can be viewed there.
Because of the positive feedback from last year and the uncertainly revolving around COVID, BIMQG reconfigured the Festival and will again hold the event at the Winslow Green. Volunteers, wearing lime-green aprons and white gloves, will be available to the public to assist in viewing the detailed aspects of each quilt.
Some of the participants will be offering their quilts for sale, purchases are handled directly from the quilter, and contact information can be had at the Information Booth on Winslow Green.
The 2021 raffle quilt “Pick Up Sticks” is 72 x 74-inch work pieced by BIMQG members and quilted by Marybeth O’Halloran of White Lotus Quilting on Bainbridge. The drawing will be held at 4 pm at the Information Booth. Raffle tickets will be available all day at $2 each.
Our weather here in the Pacific Northwest, and specifically Bainbridge Island, is typically sunny and mild during the month of September. However, in the event of rain, quilts will only be hung in protected areas, away from the rain—additional space is also provided by Eagle Harbor Congregational Church.
The Bainbridge Island Modern Quilt Guild is a non-profit organization designed for charitable and educational purposes. Modern quilting incorporates function rather than decorative in its quilts. Using asymmetry in designs, relying less on repetition, reinterpreting traditional quilt patterns, and embracing simplicity and minimalism. They utilize alternative block structure and increase the use of negative space—concentrating on bold colors, graphic prints, and gray and white as neutrals. Their quilts are inspired by modern art and architecture and they frequently use improvisational piecing methods.
The BIMQG encourages the art of modern quilting by working with other guilds and groups, and teaching new quilters and other fiber artists that are interested in non-traditional fiber projects. Classes, workshops and the sharing of information are available, visit their website for more information. Monthly Sew-Ins are held the second Sunday of each month (except May which is the third Sunday), from 11am to 4pm. Meeting sites vary monthly, and updates are available on their Facebook page, or you can joint their email list for updated information.
Bainbridge Island Modern Quilt Guild and the Bainbridge Island Quilt Festival would like to thank their sponsors and supporters: Esther’s Fabrics, Quilted Strait, Old Mill Cottage Quilts, White Lotus Quilting, Winslow Green, Eagle Harbor Congregational Church, Bainbridge Branch Kitsap Regional Library, Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce, VisitKitsap, Bainbridge Island Downtown Association, Bainbridge Island Lodging Association and Bainbridge Vacation Rentals
*Images and logos used with permission by the BIMQG
