GILPIN COUNTY - John Pineau has been living in Gilpin County for 30 years. About five years ago he started making quilts.

Pineau says that he comes from a family of quilters. This includes his father, who is 90 years old, and his mother, who is 86 years old.

His parents' quilts became so in demand that he was waiting years for a new quilt. He says, "I decided to hell with waiting and started making some for my kids."

In 2022 Pineau entered one of his quilts in the Colorado State Fair. He placed third. In 2023 he entered again and placed third again.

This year, 2025, he entered a quilt and he earned second place.

Pineau added about this latest quilt, "It's an original design I sketched out based on a life of loving stained glass and a killer painting by Banksy, titled 'Forgive Us Our Trespassing,' which was inspired by stained glass in Cologne, Germany. Such a sweet piece, check it out!! Chapels is Gothic stained glass echoing nature's cathedral. "

The Colorado State Fair is held in Pueblo each summer in late August to early September. The 2026 dates have not been released at this time.

Pineau is starting to plan, make notes, and sketching his next quilt to enter.