Some magazines you look at and toss. Some you set aside to savor later. Some you can never get rid of. They are that beautiful, that rich, that evocative.

Quiltfolk is one of the latter breed. This quarterly, which has been published out of Eugene since 2017, could be termed a “bookazine,” a magazine as good as a book. You may have other bookazines cluttering your shelves, maybe National Geographic, Living Bird, Architectural Digest, Color, or UPPERCASE.

Quiltfolk displays the common bookazine attributes: heavy paper stock, clean layout, simple stories, carefully curated photography. And no ads.

Inspired by stories

Michael McCormick came up with the idea of Quiltfolk a decade ago. He was selling desk lamps of a sort that are useful for sewing tables, and as he visited quilt stores to sell his product, he absorbed their atmosphere of color and creativity. He realized that every quilter has a story to share.

Quiltfolk, “a completely different sort of quilting magazine,” was born. The first issue, from 2017, is about Oregon. In his introduction, McCormick writes:

“Making a magazine is a little bit like making a quilt. A spark of an idea inspires action, as you begin to compile and work on the many pieces that will eventually join together to make a much larger whole.

“And like a quilt, when it’s all finished, and you stand back and take in those tiny pieces, and the whole they have made, you hope that others will find the beauty in what you have created.”

Sponsor

The third Quiltfolk of 2025, about Virginia, is the 35th of the cycle. No. 36, Alaska, is due in October. Each issue focuses on a state or region.

Sisters outdoor quilt show

Also this year, Quiltfolk has created a special edition, all about the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this summer. The inaugural 2017 magazine discussed Oregon quilters from several parts of the state but did not mention the Sisters event.

That show, the largest outdoor show of its kind in the world, is a marvel of efficiency. It lasts for only a day. An army of volunteers sets it up for the 9 a.m. opening, displaying hundreds of quilts on buildings and other structures throughout town. All the exhibits fold promptly at 4 p.m. Quilt lovers attend from all over the world.

The founder of the show is Jean Wells, owner of The Stitchin’ Post, a Sisters quilt shop.

A different breed

Most quilt magazines feature stories about quilters, as well as patterns and tips and many, many ads for fabric, sewing machines, and quilting paraphernalia.

Quiltfolk is different. Each issue of 150 pages or more is full of quilt eye-candy: evocative photos of quilters and their work. Most of the quilts featured are simple, traditional patterns or innovative uses of fabric and form.

The featured quilters are not so much ambitious art quilters as ordinary quilters who craft simple, timeless objects of beauty.

Sponsor

Breanna Briggs, the editor-in-chief, puts it this way: “We’re not just sharing quilts,” she said in an interview. “The original goal was we wanted to tell the story of the quilter next door.”

“All of a sudden I realized that everyone knows a quilter,” she said. “It’s way more vast than I ever thought it was.”

Quiltfolk costs $80 a year for four issues. You may find single issues for sale in some quilt or sewing shops, such as Modern Domestic in Portland. You may also order any issue online at quiltfolk.com.