St. Mary’s Quilt & Craft Fair Is an Annual Tradition in Vernonia
Story and photos by Scott Laird
Every quilt tells a story, stitched together through its maker’s creativity, craftsmanship, and eye for color and pattern. With a blend of skill, ingenuity, and artistic flair, quilters transform simple pieces of fabric into 1-of-a-kind works of art.
That traditional craftsmanship will be on display again this year at the St. Mary’s Quilt and Craft Fair.
The fair has been an annual tradition in Vernonia for decades. This year’s 54th annual fair is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. September 18 through September 19; the event is scheduled for just 2 days this year.
The fair includes hundreds of quilts for sale, large and small, along with other handmade crafts. There are quilts for all seasons and ages—quilts for children, quilts for certain holidays, and quilts with intricate patterns and designs. This year, the Quilt Fair features a raffle for a king-size star of Bethlehem quilt.
While the quilts and crafts are the main attraction, plan to arrive hungry and enjoy soup, salad and a dinner roll for lunch, served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday only. It’s an opportunity to chat with other shoppers and enjoy poppy seed blueberry salad dressing, homemade rolls and corn chowder. Grab a slice of homemade pie or Marianne Shaw’s famous cinnamon rolls for dessert.
Yvonne Sahnow has been the business manager of the St. Mary’s Quilt and Craft Fair for the past 4 years and says the fair is the main fundraiser that supports ongoing operations and maintenance for the parish church and hall.
Many of the quilts are made by the women of the parish, while some come from vendors from across the Pacific Northwest and as far away as Montana and California. A group of parish women gathers in the hall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays to sew quilts which are for sale at the fair.
“They do really amazing work,” Yvonne says.
The quilt fair began as a fundraising effort to build the new church in the 1970s, according to parish history published in celebration of the church’s 100th anniversary. Quilting had become a regular church activity, and 2 members of the parish and longtime quilters, Louise Smejkal and Esther Hunteman, decided to organize a quilt fair. The first fair was held in March 1973 and was so successful that a second was held that September. They followed the same schedule in 1974, but by 1975, they settled on a single fair held on the third week of September, where it continues today.
Visit the St. Mary’s Quilt and Craft Fair and be part of a tradition that has been going on for more than half a century.
