JOHN DAY — Trowbridge Pavilion at the Grant County Fairgrounds was a vibrant scene of colorful artistic expression at the 23rd annual Grant County Quilt Show on May 31 and June 1.

Quilt makers of all ages showcased their work at the event, which featured about 100 quilts on display from about 45 quilters from around the region. Six vendors were on hand selling supplies, patterns and related items for visitors.

About 80 people attended the show this year, said Karen Hinton, president of the Grant County Piecemakers Quilt Guild and owner of the Shiny Thimble Quilt Studio in Mt. Vernon.

“It’s always inspirational to be able to look at all the art the other people are doing,” Hinton said. “We work really hard on them, and it takes a lot of time and expense to make a quilt. It’s nice to be able to display them and get the feedback from other quilters, and it’s nice to see all the other things other people are doing. It gives you new ideas, and it helps you to grow with your art.”

A quilt-making class was held on Sunday, June 2, with 18 students signed up to take part. Joy Helfrich, of Boring, taught the class. Of the quilt show, Helfrich said the event is a showcase for the creative work that people can do.

“It builds community because most times you can get together and you will go out with your friends,” Helfrich said. “It’s therapeutic. You get to destroy something in order to make it beautiful again. You’re taking this big piece of fabric and you’re cutting it into all these pieces and you’re putting it back together, and sometimes that’s just reminiscent of life.”

Verna Adams, of Monument, is a quilter herself and was enjoying the work of others at the show on Friday. She said seeing other quilters’ work gives her ideas for her own work, and “it’s just a form of art.”

“It is awesome to be able to make something, and I make most of mine for gifts,” she said. “Each quilt tells a unique story if you take colors and pieces of what people like. I have quilts of my grandmother, and I look at them instantly and I see her in them by the colors. So each of them tell a story.”

A special section of the show featured Quilts of Valor, filled with red, white and blue patterns, that will be presented to veterans in Grant County at a special event at the Mt. Vernon Community Hall on Aug. 3.

“So with these quilts, some of the (quilters) know the veterans so they make a particular quilt,” said Mt. Vernon resident Ersela Dehiya, treasurer of the Piecemakers Guild. “Female veterans, which we don’t have very many, but we try to pick a more female quilt for them. This one could be for a female. It’s got more white. If it’s got too much white on them, the male veterans tend to not use them. So we make them a little darker.”

For more information about the Grant County Piecemakers Quilt Guild, visit tinyurl.com/4hjy3ptb.