A Day with Victoria Findlay Wolfe

In my last post I promised I would share lots of photos from my day with Victoria Findlay Wolfe.  I am on her e-mail list and when I saw she was offering workshops in her loft in NYC, I started to drool.  What a fun day that would be - to learn from her and to see a NYC loft.  I told a bunch of my friends and they thought it would be fun too!

As soon as she posted the workshops and the dates, we signed up.  There were only 8 spots.  Our workshop was from her new book, Modern Quilt Magic.  The day that worked for us, she was offering "Cascade". 

WE walked off the elevator and into this huge room.  About half of it had tables and sewing machines.  Each of our work stations included a Juki sewing machine, mat, our own table and a design wall and a box full of notions including a rotary cutter, seam ripper, pencil, etc.  The only thing we needed to bring was fabric and our lunch.

These are 2 of my good friends Helen and Denise.
(Did I tell you that Victoria's husband is a gallerist and there was art everywhere?)

 After a lengthy talk about the magic behind her quilts and her design process, she shared a few quilts that she just had "hanging around".

Believe it or not, this is a T-shirt quilt that Victoria made using her star pattern from Harley Davidson t's.

Her dogs.

Cindy, Kathy and Terry working on their quilts.

And a great group photo at the end of the day.  (Victoria has the longest arms, perfect for selfies.)

When the workshop was over, we headed to Victoria's shop in the  building next door.

I couldn't get a great picture, because we were all busy shopping!

Then she was gracious enough to show us her studio.  It was in the same building on a different floor.  There were lots of design walls with all different projects.  Since there was a soon to be released project, NO PHOTOS.

What a great way to spend the day.  We took the Bolt Bus up and back from Philly.  Everyone enjoyed themselves and for me it was an opportunity to do some sewing since I haven't touched my machine in weeks.

It's Monday, Again

It felt so good to sleep in my own bed last night after arriving home from the BIG quilt show in Paducah. There are two not to miss in a lifetime quilt shows in the US.  One is Paducah and the other is located in Houston.  When I was asked if I would like to have a booth at Paducah to sell Curvalicious, I said yes without hesitation.  Then I found out my spot was located not in the Convention Center, but in The Pavilion, affectionately known as The Bubble.  Paducah was a whirlwind of activity.  The entire city supports this show.  As a vendor in The Bubble, my view of the show was limited.

But, it turned out The Bubble was a great place to be.  There were lots of other vendors, easy parking and a great exhibit of Victoria Findlay Wolfe's quilts.

This is a quilt she called "The Beast".  I needed to be in the photo so that you could see the scale.  It measures 9' x 30' and is really called "A Garden For All Seasons".  I saw a photo of her on Instagram stitching the binding on by hand!

The nice thing about being located in The Bubble was that there was lots of light.  I never order electricity because it costs beaucoup bucks, so I don't have electrical lighting.  This natural lighting was the best!

So The Bubble became my entire world during the length of the show. 

The crowds were crazy at some times during the day.

Whenever I am vending, I try to get to my booth early before the show opens so I can walk around and see what the other vendors have, maybe do a little shopping and to see some quilts on exhibit.

The city of Paducah is quite artsy and they really support the quilt show.  We rented a house to stay in to accommodate my travel companion, aka Bailey, so I was able to see parts of the city while driving back and forth to the show. Here is a view of my visit from the passenger seat of my car.

Paducah had Pop Up Shops  before they became the current rage. Lots of empty stores get rented by small independent business owners for the week.  You can walk down many streets and run into a sale or a specialty shop.

It's a wonderful experience and I saw lots of girlfriends shopping together and laughing together and eating together.  There was a group of 9 women who met and came together as Air Force wives.  They meet every year at Paducah and choose a challenge for the next year.  A connection happened in my booth and they decided that Curvalicious would be their challenge for next year.  I was so thrilled and excited. I told them I would supply a prize. 

 I have a year to come up with something special.  I can't wait!

We arrived home on Sunday, and I wish I could chill on Monday, but  on Tuesday and Wednesday, I'll be at Byrne Sewing Connection in Doylestown, PA for 2 lectures and a workshop.  I think there are still spaces if you're interested.  215-230-9411

On Friday, I'll be starting a new feature on my blog called "Stitchography".  I'm hoping you will really enjoy it and it might inspire your entrepreneurial spirit.  There will be interviews with various professionals in the fiber industry.  Stay tuned.

An Awesome Quilt, Podcast and a Winner!

Read on to learn more about this quilt top that I made from fabric I bought at Quilt Market.

Victoria Findlay Wolfe was the speaker at my quilt guild this week. She was inspiring and entertaining and very warm and genuine. Her quilts are an amalgamation of traditional and modern, altered in only a way that Victoria can. I highly recommend that if you have the opportunity to hear her, do it.

I am finally returning to normal after my trip to Houston. There's lots of packing going on, printing of patterns that we ran out of and now I'm learning about bar codes. It's good to keep learning new things, but it's also exhausting, when all I want to do is sew in my studio.

I have been playing with a stack of fat quarters that I bought at Sample Spree. It's called Tabby Road, designed by Tula Pink and sold by Free Spirit.

I am far from a cat lover, but this fabric is just so interesting and I love the colors.

Cat's eyes

Cat food cans

And Very cool cats both striped and polka dotted.

This is the Curvalicious 4 patch I made using Tabby Road. I just love it. It measures 36" x 36". There's going to be a bunch of solids to go along with the prints. I can't wait to get my hands on some. I know just what I am going to make with it.

This week I was also a guest on American Patchwork and Quilting Podcast with Pat Sloan along with 3 other amazing women. We talk about perfection, Curvalicious and silk. Pat has done a bunch of very interesting Podcasts that I find very interesting. Click on this LINK to listen to mine.

I've also chosen the winner for my Market giveaway. Jaymi Horne, get ready for a bit of sunshine and fun in your mailbox. Email me with your address and I'll ship these goodies out.

 

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Happy Quilting!

 

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