Grieving with Gratitude

I love my Virginia quilters!

This past weekend was the Quilters Unlimited show in Chantilly, VA.  I have done this show for 3 years.  It's really a wonderful show at a huge venue with lots of great quilts and many vendors. It's organized by a consortium of VA guilds and each guild has a different responsibility.  It's one of my best shows.  And thanls to this show, I have been invited to many of the guilds as a presenter.  

The invitation to be a vendor arrived while Don was pretty sick.  I didn't sign up.  I wasn't sure about the future.  After he passed away, I received an email from the Vendor Coordinators, Carla and Ellen, with their sympathies and gently asking if I was planning on returning.  I told them I just wasn't sure.  In their final email, they told me that if I didn't decide by a certain date, that I couldn't have "my spot", but they would always find a place for me no matter when I decided.  Their kindness and consideration helped me to decide to take the plunge and return for 2019, and I am so glad that I did.  As I wrote in my first sentence "I love my VA quilters".

They came and they came and they came.  Some came to give me a big hug.  Some approached and quietly told me how sorry they were.  Some brought actual finished projects from my workshops.  Some came to show me photos of their finished projects.  And some came to tell me to make sure I saw the Mini Mosaic quilts from my workshops in their show.  I was overwhelmed with kindness.  My heart was bursting. Some of them had meant Don at a quilt show, but they all knew how important he was to me and my success. To say that I was overjoyed that I had decided to come was an overstatement. 

Don used to come with me to all my shows.  I would demonstrate either Curvalicious or the Mini Mosaics and he was the cash register.  We made a great team, because I was interested in sharing my quilting and  he  was happy that I was making money doing it.  He even attended the shows when he was on the portable oxygen.  He was reticent and embarrassed but I told him that anyone who walked away or judged him because of that, I wouldn't want as my customer. It worked and he came.  But after a while he just didn't have the strength. I was sad not to have him with me, but I had some wonderful friends that came and helped me. Here's something that not many people know.  He was able to monitor my sales as I swiped credit cards.  He knew when my first sale was, when it was slow, what was selling and how I was doing by logging onto my Paypal account.  It made him feel connected and part of the action.  We would debrief every night and he would always say that he wished he could be with me.  

So instead of having my honey with me, I did the next best thing.

 She kept me company underneath my table resting on one of my quilts.

Grieving with Gratitude

I'm participating in a blog hop for a book called TEXT IT! by Sherri Noel.

I really love words and fonts and letters and have over the years come up with many ways to include them on my quilts, so I was excited when someone wrote a book sharing lots of quilts with words.

My project is the sewing machine mat.  As a sneak peek, Sherri made this pin for me to share.

I'll share my project on the blog hop on Friday March 15th, along with 2 other bloggers. Until then there are bloggers sharing their projects.  The hop has already started and every day each blogger will be giving away a copy of the book and 2 spools of Aurifil thread.  So make sure that you visit the other bloggers to win a copy of the book.  I'll share my project on Friday. Here's the remainder of the hop.

MONDAY MARCH 11 - COUNTING SHEEP

DEANNE EISENMAN - WWW.SNUGGLESQUILTS.COM

RAEWYN BARGE - WWW.STITCHINGFARMGIRL.BLOGSPOT.COM

SUSAN PELLAND - WWW.SUEPELLANDDESIGNS.COM

TUESDAY MARCH 12 - HOME PILLOW

JOANNE HARRIS - WWW.QUILTSBYJOANNE.BLOGSPOT.CA

PATTY DUDEK - WWW.ELMSTREETQUILTS.COM

ANDY KNOWLTON - WWW.ABRIGHTCORNER.COM

SANDRA STARLEY - WWW.UTAHQUILTAPPRAISER.BLOGSPOT.COM

CINDY PIETERS - WWW.STITCHINATHOME.COM

WEDNESDAY MARCH 13 - LIFE IS SHORT

BECCA FENSTERMAKER - WWW.PRETTYPINEY.COM

KATIE BOCK - WWW.SEWINGWITHKATIE.BLOGSPOT.COM

ALLA BLANCA - WWW.RAINBOWSBUNNIESCUPCAKES.BLOGSPOT.COM

THURSDAY MARCH 14 - HUSTLE PILLOW

TERRI BANDEN BOSCH - WWW.MEANDERINGSALONGLIZARDCREEK.BLOGSPOT.COM

WILLOW OLSON - WWW.BEARPAWDESIGNBLOG.WORDPRESS.COM

ERIN SAMPSON - http://auribuzz.wordpress.com/

FRIDAY MARCH 15 - SEWING MAT

LAUREN WRIGHT - WWW.MOLLYANDMAMA.COM.AU

SANDRA HEALY     - WWW.SANDRAHEALYDESIGNS.COM

CHERYL KRISEL LYNCH - http://www.cheryllynchquilts.blogspot.com/

SATURDAY MARCH 16 – WRAP UP 

SHERRI NOEL - WWW.REBECCAMAEDESIGNS.COM 

If you are new to my blog and wonder what my quilting specialty is, I love to invent tools and techniques and share them with other quilters.

Curvalicious was the first tool and using fusible applique, you can make curved looking quilts easily.

Check it out at www.Curvalicious.net.

Recently, I designed these adorable Mini Mosaic quilts that are so much fun to make whether you're 8 or 80.  You can see lots of them in my ETSY shop.

And you can see lots of my quilts and my travel schedule on my website

Last week, I was able to put a name to some feelings I was having. 

FEAR

I haven't heard anyone talk about this in the grieving process. 

As a recent widow, I realized I didn't have a safety net.  I'm impetuous and I leap into new situations.  But, I always had someone to catch me, to fix it and to get me out of jams.  I don't like being afraid and find it leads to tears - lots of tears.  I decided to try and empower myself and decided to paint my fireplace brick.  I have wanted to do it for 3 years, to brighten my family room.  Don was the painter.  He agreed to do it, but never had enough energy.   About a year ago, my DIL volunteered to do it, but I was worried the smell would bother his sensitive respiratory system. 

So I watched some YouTube videos, screwed up my courage and then headed to the local paint store. 

It took me 3 days to do what might take someone else a day, but I was so happy with the results.

I'm not ready to paint a room, but maybe one day! 

MAQ Recap

It's been almost 2 weeks since MAQ.  That doesn't mean that I've put everything away, but it has given me time to reflect and appreciate.  I just never thought that I would be in the position to do what I love as a job, to have women sign up to take classes with me, to reconnect with lots of people who have taken my classes in the past and to spend time with other professionals in the field that I am so lucky to call my friends.  So that's a summary of my time  at Mt Saint Mary's University with the Mid Appalachian Quilters.
I taught 3 classes - Silk Curvalicious Skinny Quilt, my new Medallion Mosaic and Mini Mosaic Quilts.  Sometimes I remember to take photos, but there is also Show & Tell on Saturday night to catch a view.
Day #1 Class : Silk Curvalicious Skinny Quilt

 Show & Tell

Day #2  Medallion Mosaic

This was its maiden voyage.  I was so excited to share it and more importantly to get feedback from my students.  Everyone made their own fabric choices and supplied their own fabric. I was curious to see what they chose. There was a minor problem that day. WE HAD NO AIR CONDITIONING!  But how could you be tooooo miserable when you're having so much fun?

Day #3  Mini Mosaic Quilts
Our new classroom.  I was moved to another building so that my classroom had A/C on Sunday.  Thanks to everyone who helped schlep all my stuff on Saturday night and made sure I was set up for the next day.

 Tiny Town transformed into a mountainside village!

Black eyed Susans

The dates for next year are July 12-14.  Go to www.MAQonline.org to sign up for info.

PS  The Torah covers for the synagogue in Germany are on their way.  According to tracking, they are in customs in Germany.  As soon as they receive them, I will share the rest of my process and the final photos.  Stay tuned.

Red & White Inspiration

As a redhead I have had an aversion to red most of my life.  We were told not to wear  it because it clashed with our hair. I do remember as a young child, having a red room. The carpet was red and I also remember having a record player with a red cover that zipped to close.  My mother was not afraid of color.  But, I never wore red and I never used red in any of my quilts, unless it was a patriotic quilt.  I did admire others who wore red or made beautiful quilts using red fabric. 

In 2011, there was an amazing exhibit in NYC with 650 red and white quilts on display in a most unusual setting.  It was called "Infinite Variety: Three centuries of red and white quilts".  I took the bus up from Philadelphia to New York with a few friends. When I walked into the  Park Ave Armory, I was overcome with emotion.  The sheer vision of all of these two color quilts hanging from the ceiling spiraling down to the floor, was breathtaking and brought me to tears. 

That was more than 6 years ago.  It inspired me and from then on, a red & white quilt was on my bucket list.  Now I can finally check it off. Here's my original pattern, Funkytown 

and meet Funkytown Version 2.0

I love this quilt.  It is so dramatic in scrappy red and white fabrics.  Funkytown is one of my Curvalicious patterns, but instead of it having a vertical orientation, it is block based, 16 blocks.

Is a Red & White quilt on your bucket list?  Did you see the quilt exhibit in NYC?

If you want to read more about my visit to the exhibit and see more of the quilts, 

CLICK HERE.

Road 2 CA Recap

I have finally surfaced from my  trip to California.  I arrived there with a cold, that persisted even until today.  I had quite a hoarse throat throughout my classes, but my students were wonderful and so co-operative.

I'm starting to get used to teaching on the road.  A suitcase full of  class supplies were shipped to CA two weeks ahead of time.  We carefully watched the tracking status and breathed a sigh of relief when it showed "ARRIVED".  The remainder of supplies and my quilts were loaded into my checked bag, weighing in at 49#, my carry on bag containing all my Mini Mosaic quilts and my personal bag.  I have learned to embrace curb side check-in at the airport and gladly tip the sky cap.

This brought a smile to my face as I changed gates in Phoenix.

There was a faculty meeting complete  with hors d'oeuvres the evening before classes started.  Sitting next to Jenny Doan and other quilting  luminaries made me pinch  myself. This was going to be an amazing show.

I share with my students at the beginning of each class, my teaching method - after an overview, I break the project down step by step.  I don't want  to hold anybody back or leave anyone behind.  It's a balancing act.  This is about their success, not mine.  First up was my Silk Skinny Curvalicious quilt class using dupioni silk. 

Friday's class was "Beachalicious", another Curvalicious class.  Some prep ahead of time resulted in some great progress:

On the third day, "Funkytown" was the class.  This was the first time that I taught this Curvalicious pattern as a class.  It was so exciting to see every one's fabric choices.

And the final day, the class was the Mini Mosaic Quilt class.

I love this class because there's lots of time to chat and learn about each other.  So interesting! So fascinating I completely forgot to take any photos.

I had an hour or so during lunch one day to visit the vendors and see the quilts.  The floor was buzzing, the quilts were amazing and again no photos!

My travel agent (aka my hubby) worked his magic and was able to book me First Class seats on my way home.  It was a great time to catch up on my sleep and healthy eating.

Thank you everyone.

An Amazing Trip To Denver and The Quilt Show

I know it has been  a while since I have blogged.  It has been crazy busy and I was hurriedly trying to finish a quilt for my trip. I wanted it to be my centerpiece.

There is so much to share about my trip to Denver.  It is way too much for one post and because it is all about my quilty life, I want to share it all.  Fair warning - lots and lots of photos.

Post #1 - My visit to The Quilt Show

Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims have one of the longest running quilt related shows.  It's an Internet subscription show.  I was a guest on the show in 2011, when my  first book was published.  I was thrilled when they heard about my Mini Mosaics and invited me back.  They video in Centennial, Colorado which is right outside of Boulder.  

I packed most of my quilts and step outs into my carry on bag. I wanted to make sure they arrived with me.  In case you are wondering, they are checking the size of your carry on.  If it doesn't fit that template near the boarding gate.  they make you check it.  I was happy that I listened to the warnings.  My checked bag had my lesser important quilts and my clothes. Fortunately, everything arrived with me. Oh, and I had a quilt with me in my personal bag that I finished binding on the flight.

I rented a car and drove to the studio and was welcomed as if I was a long lost friend.  It was the day before I was scheduled and got organized. Maria Shell and her amazing quilts were being videoed.

I was able to watch from the control room.

The next day I arrived at the studio to see all of my quilts hung on the set.  WOW! What a feeling! It took my breath away and I tried not to cry.  How did I get here?

Each segment was taped individually.  Before each segment we planned in general what we would talk about or demo.  it was very easy going, with no memorization.  First they had to"mike" me.

We started in the conversation area and talked about what I had done since the last time I visited and where I had travelled.

Then Ricky and I went over to the demo area and with the producer and others, planned the next segment on Mini Mosaics.

It worked out very well.  I showed them all the step outs I brought for the demonstration and  they chose what to share to fit within the time allotment.

My last segment was with Alex about how to use Curvalicious 

to create a quick and adorable baby quilt.  

Here they are hanging on the set.

Here are a couple of photos of what you won't see when you watch the show.

 Lots of lighting and cameras.

 The audience

 Lighting my quilts

The audience can watch the show on the screen.

They taped 10 shows in 5 days.  Now the shows head to the editors.  These shows will be available in 2018.  I think mine will be available in March.  They will provide me with a link for free access to my show.  I will be sure to share.  I will also share some video that I shot in my upcoming newsletter.  If you want to see more, sign up HERE.