Colleen Blackwood (Pendleton) is known in Pendleton for all things quilt—her extraordinary machine quilting, teaching quilting classes, and finishing quilts. She cofounded Crazy Horse Quilters, which organizes the annual Pendleton Convention Center Quilt Show each May.
Bio
Colleen Blackwood is known for all things quilt—her extraordinary machine quilting, teaching quilting classes, and finishing quilts. She was first exposed to quilts when she was young and worked on a nearby ranch to earn money. In return for keeping the barn clean for $3 a day plus room and board, she boarded in the ranch guest room. She remembers burrowing under layers of quilts to keep warm, “freezing but fascinated.” She had always sewn her own clothes, so quilting came naturally. She co-founded Crazy Horse Quilters, which used to organize the annual Pendleton Convention Center Quilt Show each May, although the show has been discontinued, she continues to teach and sew. They hang about 200 quilts a year on average. Because most people send their quilts out to have them finished, she is always busy with both her own quilts and with finishing other’s quilts.
