Pokey

Handmade Holidays Fabric Winner

2009-11-13T18:18:00Z

I randomly chose the winner for this latest MODA fabric giveaway and congrats go to... LemonTreeTami!

Tami, please email me your address by noon EST Tuesday, November 17, so that I can get these fabrics to you. Enjoy!

Thanks so much to everyone for your responses. I am amazed at the ambitious and heartfelt handmade plans all of you have for the holidays. There are going to be some very lucky recipients!

By the way, this is the second bag I made using Kathy Mack's Market Tote instructions from International Quilt Festival: Quilt Scene:

I will be holding another fabric giveaway by the end of this month, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a beautiful, artful weekend. Me? I am gathering all of my screenprinting supplies and on Sunday I have nothing on the agenda but to spend the day in my studio doing some deconstructed screen printing. I can't imagine a better way to spend my day.

Have a great weekend,

Pokey

Fabric Giveaway for Handmade Holidays!

2009-11-09T23:00:00Z

Who's making gifts this holiday season? I am making most of mine, but exceptions include:

* My nieces and nephews (who would value cash or a gift certificate over anything Auntie Pokey made).

* My husband who wants a vacation over the holidays, and hey...since we're hitched, I agree! (Pass me my mojito, Dear.)

For gifts, I am making a few totes based on Kathy Mack's pattern in Quilt Scene.

I've been a huge fan of Kathy's for a while, and have made three of these totes so far. I can only show you this one below as I'm hogging it for myself:

It's a combination of Moda Fabrics (Sweetwater line) which I LOVE and over-dyed fabrics created by my good friend Wendy Richardson of Quilt Tapestry Studio.

In celebration of designating this winter as a Handmade Holiday Season, I'm giving away a FAT stack of fabrics courtesy of MODA Fabrics. Aren't they great?

If you want to be in the running to receive this fat stash to help you with your gifts this holiday season, let me know in the comments area what you hope to make for others (or for yourself). I'll draw a name this Friday (November 13) at noon EST. Good luck!

Attention Wild Things! Latest QA Reader Challenge Announced!

2009-10-30T16:02:00Z

One thing our editorial team loves to do is devise reader challenges, and usually during the brainstorming sessions, there is a lot of laughter around the conference table. This next reader challenge is no exception.

I confess this one is of a personal nature. You see, I have had a lifelong obsession, a kinship shall we say with something...

It started with this green little guy who so soulfully sang--what still is--one of my favorite songs:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

How can you not adore a spindly-legged little amphibian who is in love with a strong, opinionated, feisty female (...who could crush him)?

Source: Bizarrerecords.com

Throughout my early adulthood, frogs continued to dominate my thoughts. Here I am posing with one in Northern California. (I am lamenting the fact that she is more endowed than me.)

And in my 20s I discovered Frog's Leap Cabernet. (My favorite wine.)

And I confess, at my very own rehearsal dinner I got up and told... you guessed it...the Wide Mouth Frog joke.

So...want to know what our reader challenge is?

Have you ever related to or dreamed of becoming a particular animal (or insect)? Or has someone ever walked up to you on the street and said, “Hey! Did you know you resemble a ______?” Let your inner animal out of its cage by participating in our latest reader challenge! We will show some of our favorite entries in future issues of Quilting Arts Magazine and even exhibit some at upcoming national quilt shows in 2010.

Here’s how to enter

Make an 81⁄2" x 11" art quilt of vertical orientation that celebrates your inner animal. (Only one entry per person.)
The entire quilt, including binding, must measure 81⁄2" x 11" and must weigh no more than 1 lb.
Your quilt may be made of alternative substrates (such as paper), but it must consist of three layers and it must be quilted, either by hand or machine or both.
The edges of the quilt must be bound or zigzag stitched closed and there must be a sleeve on the back.
Any embellishments must not protrude more than 1⁄2" from the quilt.
Your entry must be free of any text or images that are protected by copyright, unless you have the expressed written permission from the person or institution that holds the copyright and you provide that written permission with your submission. It’s a good idea to steer clear of commercial imagery.
To be considered for the challenge, send two low-res images (each less than 1 MB) of your entry (one of the entire piece and one of a detail) via email by Friday, January 22, to challenges@interweave.com, with the words “Quilting Arts Animal Challenge” in the subject line. Please include your name, email address, phone number, and a brief explanation of your piece in your email.
note: Please do not “zip” your files and be sure to send jpegs. Do not mail your piece to us at this time; we are only requesting two images sent via email.
On Tuesday, January 26, Pokey will post the finalists on her blog at quiltingarts.com and they will also be notified via email.
If accepted as a finalist, your artwork must then be in our offices no later than Tuesday, February 9, along with a flat shipping and handling fee of $15 (U.S. and Canada) or $25 (all other international). This fee, which must be paid in U.S. dollars, covers the shipping costs, packing materials, and handling for the return of your entry.
The entire piece and all of its packaging must weigh less than 5 lbs. and fit into a standard shipping/mailing box (no larger than 12" x 4" x 14") or padded envelope.

Finalists should mail their entries to:

Quilting Arts Magazine
Attn: Animal Reader Challenge
P.O. Box 685
23 Gleasondale Rd.
Stow, MA 01775

note: By submitting your reader challenge entry, you are authorizing Interweave Press LLC to publish your project in upcoming publications and promotional materials, on our website, and in other Interweave e-media, as well as to possibly display it at shows. Interweave Press LLC will not be held responsible for loss or damage due to circumstances beyond our control.

We reserve the right to keep and display your “Let Out Your Inner Animal!” art quilt until the week of November 15, 2010.

If you have questions about the “Let Out Your Inner Animal!” Reader Challenge, contact Pippa Eccles at peccles@interweave.com.

We hope you’ll unleash your creativity and join our challenge!

International Quilt Festival: QUILT SCENE Newsstands Celebration!

2009-10-27T20:45:00Z

Although International Quilt Festival: Quilt Scene made its red carpet debut at the International Quilt Festival a couple of weeks ago, today it celebrates its World Premier on newsstands around the globe!

Assembling this publication was a labor of love for all involved--both our team here at Quilting Arts and the dedicated staff of Quilts, Inc., who put on the International Quilt Festival. In honor of this magazine's newsstand birthday, I have some behind-the scene pictures...

Louie, my Min Pin (who, by the way, is a total poser) tried to get in on the Quilt Scene action by jumping up and sitting pretty on this haystack alongside Brandon Mably's and Liza Prior Lucy's quilt. (Louie was a little miffed he didn't get a chance to model in this year's Quilting Arts GIFTS issue.) Sorry it didn't work out, Lou, but you're still featured in the digital subscription ad!

Dickens (my Maine Coon mix who weighs nearly 30 lbs.) notices how the quilt creates a little nook for him to hide inside the bales. (Don't even think about it buddy!) Side note: In the end, we didn't use any of the hay shots for this quilt as we felt they were a little too country for the look we were trying to achieve for this publication.

Above: We hauled an antique brass bed down the stairs to our living room, moved some furniture and folded up the rug, and got some really nice shots of Sarah Fielke's "Dotty Garden" quilt, the main cover image:

But one of the best parts of the shoot was having a visiting baby! Above baby Violet Rose Hudson poses for our amazing photographer, Larry Stein. Violet was such a happy, delightful baby and she did a great job posing for Patricia Bravo's "My First Play Mart" article. Many thanks to her mother, Briana Flemig, and Violet's aunt for taking the trek down to the Boston area for this photo shoot.

And one of the funniest moments of the shoot was getting the alpacas to stand still for Terry Grant's fabric birds article...

This video tells the story...

(Please visit the site to view this media)

We really hope you enjoy our new publication!

International Quilt Festival/ Houston Recap!

2009-10-21T01:00:00Z

Brace yourselves! I think I'm about to set a world record in the Blogosphere for the number of photos in a single blog entry. I took nearly 250 shots at International Quilt Festival/Houston, but I cut the lot down to 49. (The ones I don’t post in this blog entry, I’ll put in the photo files on the QA site.)

I’m still feeling a little aphasic while I catch up on sleep, so let the pictures do the talking!

International Quilt Association (IQA) Awards Ceremony

The upper ballrooms at the George Brown Convention Center were packed with attendees and quilt lovers eager to learn who was going to win awards for this year's International Quilt Association's fall judged show, "A World of Beauty."

Coincidentally, this was the ceremony where our new publication, International Quilt Festival: Quilt Scene made its debut. Featuring eight of the top award-winning IQA quilts, I repeatedly (incessentaly?!) reminded everyone who worked on this publication that this issue could not see the light of day until after this ceremony took place. Thanks to the hard work of those involved in keeping this issue under lock and key, it remained a surprise (and I didn't have a coronary).

When Brenda Groelz from Handi-Quilter awarded Caryl Byrer Fallert with Best in Show, Caryl flew onto the stage...

Caryl's quilt, "On the Wings of a Dream," is a self-portrait and tells the story of her personal evolution over the past several years. Her journey is a poignant and inspiring one, and we were happy to see her win.

Below people take a closer look at all of the quilts that won awards. (To view them all, check out the IQA site, then join IQA!)

Here I'm posing with Sue McCarty who won the Pfaff Master Award for Machine Artistry with her quilt, "Tribute to Tolkien." This quilt also won the Viewers' Choice award at Quilt Festival. It's gorgeous...

Denise Havlin of Illinois won the Fairfield Master Award for Contemporary Artistry with "Snapshot: Shannon's Bantam." This quilt took Denise four years to construct, and at the IQA luncheon the following afternoon, she shared her biggest design challenge: that while working on it, Shannon kept growing up!

SAQA@20: Art & Excellence

To celebrate SAQA's 20th anniversary, I was honored with being the juror for this special exhibit. Selecting just 35 quilts from SAQA members was one of the hardest tasks I've done, but in the end I think the exhibit looked absolutely incredible! (The exhibit will be traveling to Chicago and Long Beach, and we'll have a small sampling of images from this exhibit in the December/January issue of Quilting Arts.)

Preview Night at Festival

Our booth was rather busy during the show. Thanks to all for stopping by!

Below I'm posing with one of the sweetest (and most talented) people on the planet: Maggie Winfield. She always decks herself out with her signature couture. (You may remember her from my Long Beach post.)

Love the back of her jacket:

I was very excited to meet Lexus Estes in person. Last year when Lexus was eight, she submitted her very first quilt to the fall IQA judged show. It didn't win an award, but I got to interview her for an article in Quilt Scene about what it was like to make her first quilt. Here she is signing copies of her piece.

She and her grandmother stayed through Saturday of the show, and she got some Very Important People to sign her copy, too. Below Karey Bresenhan meets Lexus and signs her copy.

As did Nancy O'Bryant Puentes...

I got to pose with Lexus, too. Funny story: on the airplane home while working with these images on my computer, a passenger sitting next to me said, "Your daughter looks just like you!" I clarified that I wasn't so lucky and she wasn't my daughter, but told him her mother should be very proud of her. She's poised, energetic, and possesses a budding passion for quilting. Hopefully we'll be seeing a lot of Lexus in the years to come!

Artist Trading Card (ATC) Wall

The ATC wall buzzed with activity during the entire show.

This little girl (below) is an award-winning watercolor artist; those who got to trade with her were pretty fortunate!

Sandie (below) made a bagful of ATCs and stopped by often to trade. She broke her leg a while ago, but that didn't stop her from coming to Festival...

Open Studios

We had a number of art quilt and mixed-media rock stars who were on hand demonstrating their art in Open Studios. Below is the very talented (and articulate) Susan Brubaker Knapp demonstrating fabric painting and sharing her finished, thread-painted pieces. Her Quilting Arts Workshop made its debut at Festival (and Susan is also the cover girl for our 2010 calendar). Susan has some wonderful shots of quilts at the show so be sure to check out her blog.

Jane Davila was a hot ticket, too. Here she's stitching on a Bernina 440. (Many thanks to Bernina for lending us a machine!)

The very talented Lyric Kinard was on hand to offer art and design advice, share her techniques, and to sign her new book, Art + Quilt.

And Melanie Testa (author of Inspired to Quilt) dazzled attendees with her machine stitching, her artistry, and her humorous demeanor. (When Melly chuckles, you can hear it 10 aisles away...she has the best laugh.)

Sharon Tomlinson (a gifted Cloth Paper Scissors artist) demonstrated how easy it is to make faces...

Below Michele Muska of Wrights shared a variety of her artwork and mixed media. (Be sure to check out her pin cushion article in the upcoming Winter issue of Studios magazine. These pin cushions are adorable.)

Frances Holliday Alford is a brave girl and will stitch through anything. Here she's stitching through bits of plastic and other alternative surfaces.

I participated in Open Studios, too, and demonstrated my graffiti-style, fabric-collaged ATCs that I shared in Quilt Scene. (On a personal note, I'm looking especially tan in this shot. No, I haven't hit the tanning salon! My husband and I took a week's vacation in late September to the Caribbean and I'm still sporting some color...wont last much longer.)

Workshops at Make It University!(TM)

The Workshops were a real hit this year, thanks to the teachers. When the show opened each morning, people ran down the aisles to come to MIU and put their names in the jars where we drew names for each Workshop.

Jane Davila teaching her workshop:

Kathy York (sitting)--who's been in Quilting Arts a few times and has a quilt in the upcoming December/January issue--shows her lighter side with Jamie Fingal. Jamie's teaching her Traveling Art Box Workshop.

Aren't they cute? These two girls just met in MIU in Jamie Fingal's Workshop. Festival just keeps bringing people together...

Below Luana Rubin of eQuilter poses with her daughter, Sophie, who took Lesley Riley's Mini-Fragments Fabric Collage Workshop.

This little cutie shows off the brooch her mother made in Liz Kettle's workshop.

QUILT SCENE!

Quilt Scene was a real hit at the show. We completely sold out of the issues we brought! There were a few photo ops with this special issue, and although the picture below accurately describes how excited we are about this magazine, the expressions still crack me up...

Funny coincidence: The woman standing just right of me is another Patricia Bolton. Someone saw her name tag at the show and said, "You've gotta go meet Pokey!" When she came up to me, we both looked at each others' name badges and burst out laughing. (She's technically Patricia Bolton-Legg, but close enough.)

Surviving the Runway: Celebrating 35 Years of Quilt Festival

And no MIU is complete without a musical party/ spoof on Saturday night! For this particular Surviving the Runway, "designers" were instructed to make a couture outfit commemorating the last 35 years in fashion. Their supplies were limited and consisted of pipe cleaners, fabric scraps, feathers, glow-in-the-dark bracelets, and fun foam. The stakes were high as I had a lot of loot to divvy out to the winning designers.

We sang the "Brady Bunch" and "Flinstones" tunes, danced down Main Street to Van Halen, did the Michael Jackson moonwalk (albiet poorly!), and felt the Festival love as we sang along to Pete Townsend's "Let My Love Open the Door" (a personal favorite).

Look at the devious expression on Barb Forrister's face (sitting far right). Ironically enough, she won!

We had "Tim Gunns" assisting the Runway and helping designers make their outfits. From left to right: Melly Testa, Leslie Jenison, Jamie Fingal, Judy Perez, and me.

Gala on the Green (a.k.a. PARTY TIME!)

The 35th anniversary festivities culminated in an outdoor party on Discovery Green complete with a live cover band that played tunes from the past 35 years. It was a total blast, and the Quilting Arts team did not hesitate to shake it on the dance floor! (I'm a firm believer that those who dance together, stay together.) Below Lyric Kinard and our own Helen Gregory ham it up.

You may notice I'm wearing a Bruce Springsteen shirt (below). That's because Bruce has a 35th celebration, too, with his exhibit at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame: "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land," celebrating 35 years of Bruce and the E Street. (See how I think about this stuff?)

Below Lesley Riley showed me how it's done...

We danced...

and danced...

(Helen with Rhianna White of Quilts, Inc.)

and danced some more...

And had a great time!

After-Hours Party at the Hilton...

Jamie Fingal and Leslie Jenison invited the QA Crew (Barb Delaney, Helen and me) to join their art party in their hotel room--something they do every night at Festival. Only requirement was to come in your PJs...

When we opened the door, I was worried something had exploded on the floor, but nope, it's a wholecloth painting the group is collectively working on. (They tell me they're going to cut it up and later stitch it back together.)

Barbara Delaney sat right down and painted alongside Leslie and Frances.

And I think this video sums up the experiences and friendships at Festival. Rachel Parris and Jamie Fingal lead everyone in a toast:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

**October 23 Update! Bonus Videos!**

Thanks to Judy Coates Perez for sending me this!

(Please visit the site to view this media)

And to Helen Gregory, Barbara Delaney, and Larissa Davis for devising this video spoof. Kudos to Barb and Helen for taping this in the rain!

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Thanks to everyone for participating, to sponsors who donated product, to our Workshop teachers, and Open Studios artists, and all that attended!

Until we meet again. Hope to see everyone in Chicago...

Let's Get This Party Started! Make It University! & QUILT SCENE

2009-10-13T19:24:00Z

Above: My copy of QUILT SCENE sits proudly on my hotel pillow.

As I'm writing this blog entry, I am in my hotel room getting myself all dolled up for tonight's IQA Award Ceremony in Houston, where...drum roll...International Quilt Festival: QUILT SCENE will finally be making its debut! I am really thrilled to have our newest magazine baby see the light of day. Thanks to the hard work and artful contributions of so, so many talented people, QUILT SCENE really does encompass all of the things that make our quilting community so special. It was such an honor for me to work on this publication!

Make It University!

Above: Open Studios artist Jamie Fingal created a logo for MIU commemorating 35 fabulous years of Festival. Thanks, Jamie!

Tomorrow is the Preview Night for International Quilt Festival, so if you're here in Houston, be sure to stop by Make It University! and the Quilting Arts Booth (#1244). During the entire time the show is open I will be conducting random drawings and giveaways such as FREE magazines, books, videos, and Moda fabrics (that are to die for). We start things with a bang with our mixed-media raffle Wednesday night, and the raffle fun continues through Saturday night for the frivolous (and hilarious) event, "Surviving the Runway." And don't forget to post why you are happy to be a quilter on the Quilt Scene to put your name in the raffle for a tremendous bag of goodies.

PHOTO OP!

Want to be seen on the Quilt Scene in Houston? Buy a copy at Quilt Festival and we'll give you a special slip of paper that will be your ticket to getting your beautiful face published in an upcoming publication. More details at the Make It University! area, so be sure to stop by.

Make It University! begins tomorrow night, and I am so eager to see old friends and make new ones. Let's get this party started!

I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours... (ATCs for Houston!)

2009-10-05T21:07:00Z

Who's joining me in making 35 ATCs (artist trading cards) to celebrate the 35th anniversary of International Quilt Festival/ Houston next week?

Last night I packed all of my Open Studios supplies and discovered I had gotten just a tad carried away in making ATCs recently...

Don't they look like a fat stack of stitched pancakes?

Some of my collections:

Happy Birthday Houston!

My "Gobble Gobble" ATCs:

My "It's Still Rock 'n Roll To Me" ATCs:

My "Helloooo, Rat!" ATCs (These are little momentos of my "Sopranos" Quilt from Long Beach)

My "Arts 'n Crafts" ATCs (I made them using Beryl Taylor's Fabric Paper technique and then applied molding paste on top through a stencil.)

My "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" machine needle-felted, metal, and stitched ATCs:

I've shown you mine, now I hope you'll show me yours. If you are coming to Houston and visiting us in Make It University! and/or making ATCs and posting them to your blog, let us know in the comments area and leave us a link so we can see.

If you've never made ATCs before and want some simple directions, here's an ole' blog entry of mine that shows how to make some:

How to Make Fabric ATCs

A lot more to come over the next few days as we share more International Quilt Festival: Quilt Scene news and giveaways!

Be Seen on the QUILT SCENE-- Raffle Opportunity for Houston!

2009-10-01T18:24:00Z

All of us at Quilting Arts are really excited about our newest magazine to join the Quilting Arts family of publications: International Quilt Festival: QUILT SCENE!

To celebrate this very special issue, we have a number of opportunities to win great stuff, but we'll start with the first raffle opportunity for those getting ready to head to Houston. Want to win some great prizes? Details are in the video...

(Please visit the site to view this media)

More details on other Quilt Scene opportunities and events forthcoming. And for those who are not attending Houston, don't worry, we'll be hosting a second online raffle later in October!

Make It University! at IQF/Houston and "Surviving the Runway" News

2009-09-12T17:32:00Z

The Make It University!(TM) workshop schedule and list of events have now been posted. Click the link below to get the dish on what we've got planned. (And I hope you'll join me in making 35 ATCs to celebrate 35 years of Festival!)

Make It University! at International Quilt Festival/Houston

"Surviving the Runway" News...

Don't miss our "Surviving the Runway" challenge on Saturday night where you can win some great prizes including DVDs, thread, magazines, books, paints, fabrics, and other fun treats. I am going to do something I have never done before and let you all know in advance what the challenge will be:

In honor of the 35th anniversary of International Quilt Festival, we will honor the 70s, 80, 90s, and today's fashion scene. "Designers" will be asked to make one couture item of choice (such as a tiara, a toga, a t-shirt) that has something symbolic from each of these eras. (Don't worry...we'll provide all of the necessary supplies for your creations.) In other words you will look really silly, but will be listening to great music (and probably a lot of heckling) during the 90-minute challenge. But it's worth it: you could win some serious quilting loot!

To get everyone excited for this upcoming edition of Make It University!(TM), below are some videos of the challenges over the last year:

60s Challenge in Long Beach (California girls strut their stuff)

(Please visit the site to view this media)

There was the unforgettable 80s prom night in Chicago. (My absolute favorite part of this video is when an innocent bystander watching the shenanigans gets asked to dance and he completely got into the spirit of the thing.)

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Houston (Who could forget the time that Kathy York nearly sacrificed her bangs by putting gel medium in her hair?)

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Raise your hand (or leave a comment in the comments area) if you are coming to Houston!

It's a Wrap! QA TV Series 500 just completed taping...

2009-09-07T13:44:00Z

I've just returned home from Cleveland where we taped our next series of QA TV (airing end of December). This new season promises to be a strong one! Not only did we tape some fabulous segments at International Quilt Festival/Chicago this past April, but we had some rather talented guests joining us on the set this past week.

Some pictures:

No, this is not the new host of Quilting Arts (despite her perfect teeth and colorful disposition). This is a piece by Susan Else, entitled "Nothing to Fear." It's part of the current Quilt National exhibit, and we were fortunate enough to have Kathleen Dawson of the Dairy Barn Arts Center come and bring along some pieces to share.

Kathleen Dawson and I in front of Kathy York's Quilt National quilt: "Little Fishes in the Big City."

Artist (and newest board member to SAQA) Carol Taylor and I pose in front of one of her quilts featuring her narrow piecing technique. Carol also taped a QA Workshop with us.

Jeanne Delpit of Bernina joined me for two segments and she was on hand all week to help artists unfamiliar with Bernina machines to sew on them. Jeanne was such a great help and I am so glad Bernina is the show's sewing machine sponsor! Those babies simply purr...

Beryl Taylor appeared in Season One and I was so glad to have her back! She also taped a workshop, the first in our series of Cloth Paper Scissors workshops. Her mixed-media and creative embroidery work were dazzling (as usual).

Liz DeBellis and I pose before taping her collograph printing segment. Liz is an elementary school art teacher and Quilt National artist, too. Pretty nifty accomplishment for someone under the age of 25!

Another Quilt National artist, Sue Cavanaugh joined me to demonstrate several shibori techniques. (She'll also be featured in an upcoming issue of Quilting Arts.)

Amy Milne of The Alliance for American Quilts, Liz DeBellis, and Michele Muska of Wrights chumming it up in the green room.

Paula Prass, fabric designer for Michael Miller fabrics, came to show us how she makes her framed art quilts. (No, it was not intentional that we coordinate so well with the fabrics in front of us!)

Sometimes I make funny faces on QA TV...and after we finish a segment the director likes to leave those stills on the green room tv to poke fun at me!

Luana Rubin, founder of eQuilter and managing editor extraordinaire, Helen Gregory, smile for me in the green room. Luana taped two very interesting segments with us.

My friend Natalya Aikens came back to tape not just a QA TV segment but a really fabulous workshop, too. Little known fact: She worked on the set as a costume designer for HBO's "Sex and the City."

And yes, I did return to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to see "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land," the special Springsteen exhibit. If you are in the Cleveland area anytime soon, you really must go see this exhibit. And it may look like I'm making an obscene gesture, but I'm actually giving my "hang loose" sign. (What cracks me up about this picture is the woman to the right laughing at me...)

I am afraid those are all the pictures I have of this taping from my camera, but there were many more talented guests! I want to give a special thanks to the show sponsors who make QA TV possible: Interweave, Bernina, Sulky of America, Michael Miller Fabrics, Alexander Henry, Art Gallery Fabrics, eQuilter, Wrights, Electric Quilt Company, Kaleidoscope Collections, Cedar Canyon Textiles, The Warm Company, JT Trading, Hinterberg Designs, and Rowenta. Also a heartfelt thank you to producer Kathie Stull and her assistant, Katherine Lamencusa!!

Other guests who blogged about their experience taping QA TV:

Alma de la Melena Cox

In Honor of "Project Runway" hitting the airwaves again, I give you Jay McCarroll!

2009-08-20T21:49:00Z

I need my Heidi Klum fix and have popcorn at the ready for tonight's debut of "Project Runway" on Lifetime! In honor of this show finally hitting the airwaves again, below is a clip of "Project Runway's" Jay McCarroll, the first designer to win "Project Runway" in one of his two guest spots for Quilting Arts TV, Series 400 (now available).

I just watched this clip for the first time today, and I have to laugh because we were both sporting sugar highs from lunch. He also will never let me forget that a while back--in my nervous state when I met him--I accidentally said Jay Carroll (not McCarroll). Being a die-hard PR fan, I knew right away what had spilled out of my mouth and was so embarrassed, but to this day he wont let me live it down!

Enjoy.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Please join me in welcoming Pippa Eccles to our editorial team!

2009-08-08T19:57:00Z

I have very exciting news: Pippa Eccles, new assistant editor, has just joined the Quilting Arts editorial team!

As Quilting Arts has grown over the years, launched a few other publications, expanded into TV, etc., we've been eager for another smart, savvy individual to join our editorial team. We are so happy this person is Pippa. She is a recent graduate of Harvard, has a sincere love and appreciation for quilting and sewing, and has proved to us in her first week here that she's a team player and is happy to dive right in. We are thrilled to have her join our team, and I hope you'll join me in giving her a warm welcome to our community...

(Please visit the site to view this media)

A Saturday Walk in the Park

2009-08-02T15:03:00Z

Since completing my "Sopranos" quilt, my muse has flown the coop. I'm tapped out at the moment... but we tape our next series of Quilting Arts the end of the month so somethin' better come to mind soon! In the meantime, I decided to take a long walk yesterday in Boston with camera in pocket in hopes for some inspiration.

A photo diary of my afternoon:

A mother swan looking over her eggs in the Boston Gardens.

My favorite picture:

I tend to feel a little nostalgic at Faneuil Hall. One of my many jobs in college was at The Sharper Image where I peddled gel insoles one summer. Made $3 for every pair I sold!

It has always humored me that "my" street sign is right behind my favorite Irish Pub:

I think he's had one too many...

Summer concert series at City Hall Plaza.

A fun thing about this city: walk 50 feet and you'll stumble upon yet another hallowed burial ground. In the cemetery (below), rests Paul Revere, John Hancock, and Sam Adams, to name just a few...

And last but not least, our capital. Even though I'm not happy with the folks on Beacon Hill for recently raising our sales tax, I think it's still beautiful.

The End.

Recap of International Quilt Festival/ Long Beach

2009-07-28T18:34:00Z

Oh, I am so sad. Someone slip me a happy pill, please. It's actually over. 2009 International Quilt Festival/ Long Beach is now past, but what an indelible memory it left!

International Quilt Festival/Long Beach, second year in the running, is, well, perfect. It has a lot of things going for it. For starters, it takes place in California in July; it's easy to fly to (thank you JetBlue for that Boston/Long Beach leg); the ocean is close by and equipped with a running path (I ran every morning, sometimes all the way to the pier when I was feeling ambitious); there are great eats just steps from the convention center (might I recommend the Pacific Papaya Roll at Gladstones); it's a top notch quilt show with the most beautiful quilts; and with the beach, restaurants, and afterhours entertainment within a two-three-block radius, there was no need for a cab all week (which of course meant more money spent replenishing the fat quarter stash).

Let the pictures do the talking...

Above from left to right: Jamie Fingal, Judy Coates Perez, Leslie Jenison, me, Melanie "Melly Mells" Testa, and Jane LaFazio. A very special thanks to Jamie (and assistant Leslie) for buying, dyeing, and painting these super groovy flower power aprons!

A ton of fun was had in the Open Studios portion of Make It University!(TM)

Above: Artists Alisa Burke and Melly Mells. I don't think they had met in person before, but they quickly hammed it up like old chums.

Melly was a popular attraction at Open Studios (all the artists were). Here she is demonstrating how she machine stitches the layers of her collaged quilts together.

Artist Linda Blinn was on hand in Open Studios much of Friday showing people how they can apply mixed-media techniques to home decor. (Thanks, Linda!)

Prior to the show, Melly encouraged folks coming to Long Beach to arm themselves with ATCs inspired by techniques in her book, Inspired to Quilt. Above are some of JoJo's ATCs to trade on our ATC wall. Aren't they dee-lish?

Judy brought her 19-year-old daughter, Nina, who shared with me her felted and stitched treats: a cupcake and hostess. We have a budding fiber artist in the family!

My luncheon lecture on Thursday, "Surviving the Runway; The Stuff You're Not Supposed to Know" took place, and to entice people to stay awake in case I bored them to death was to periodically give stuff away, including a very generous prize of an entire suitcase of cotton threads from Aurifil. This budding quilter is set for life! (Thank you so much, Aurifil!)

Above David Charity shares his quilt, "Fossibilities" at Karey Bresenhan's Quilt Art/SAQA reception. This reception is always a fun time, which involves tasty food, wine, and Show & Tell (thank you, Karey!). David picked up quilting just a couple of years ago, and he and his wife now quilt together in their downtime (when they're not working long hours in the tech. industry). Nice going, David!

Above Maggie Winfield shares her latest wearable creation at the Quilt Art/ SAQA reception. Maggie is one of my all-time favorite, spirited people, and she shared with me the inspiration and development for this ensemble:

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Make It University!(TM)

Our Make It University! Workshops were again very popular with attendees. Above Laura West Kong with her daughter took one of Jamie Fingal's workshops.

A second mother-daughter set got into another of Jamie's workshops. I think Jamie's affiliation with Girl Scouts of America made her a real hit with little (and big) kids alike!

Above: My sister-in-law, Sally, and her daughter, Lindsey (both ran the Quilting Arts booth) were able to take Alisa Burke's graffiti painting workshop Sunday afternoon just before the show closed. They both swore they could never paint and were leery to take her Workshop, but once finished, they were preening with their success and eager to turn their pieces into purses. (They have been converted. Yes!)

Saturday Night: Surviving the Runway '60s Style

Once again, we took the house down with Surviving the Runway, a challenge I facilitate every Saturday night at the shows. This time we went back to the '60's and created flower power couture. I haven't laughed so hard all summer, and I think everyone had a total blast. We had excellent prizes for the top designers (a suitcase of Aurifil thread, Jacquard paints, magazines, etc.). People were equipped with a sheet of fun foam, pipe cleaners, plastic flowers, stencils, and other tacky bits to create their couture, and of course we played music from the '60s throughout.

The Playlist:

L.A. Woman ~ The Doors

With a Little Help From My Friends ~ The Beatles

Truckin' ~ Grateful Dead

I Got You Babe ~ Sonny and Cher... and two brave students who sang along in MIU

Mustang Sally ~ Wilson Pickett

Lola ~ The Kinks

Build Me Up Buttercup ~ The Foundations

California Girls ~ The Beach Boys

In true '60s fashion, people helped their brethren, but someone watching the festivities shook her head in chagrin and remarked, "These people are creating bras and panties. If they really wanted to be representing the 60's, they'd be burning them!"

This California Girl made sure the Finale Runway Strut had a Beach Boys' flair:

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Above I'm giving Trudy, our first place winner, her prize of Aurifil Threads. Her smile says it all...a joyous time.

My Own Quilt in a Show

For the first time I had a quilt exhibited at International Quilt Festival. I am a die-hard, dissect-every-episode-to-death "Sopranos" fan, and for the Silver Screen exhibit I had a quilt on display called "This Thing of Ours." Making this quilt was something rather personal, something important I needed to see through.

Above: My sister-in-law Sally and I pose alongside my quilt.

The accompanying narrative for my piece:

Those who’ve watched HBO’s “The Sopranos” know this isn’t just a television show about wise guys.

There’s a little bit of Tony in all of us: impulsive and selfish; concerned our friends will rat us out; living with the guilt of whacking others (so to speak); distrustful of those who are supposed to have our backs; and deep down, a little panicked that in the end––and despite our best efforts––the ones we love most will fly away.

Not only were such heavy issues and ensuing plot lines handled so masterfully by David Chase and his posse of writers and actors, but also the show was hands-down funny. It’s no wonder millions of people waiting patiently––sometimes for years––between seasons to find out what would happen to the Don and his crew next.

I can only hope that the intensely disappointing, anticlimactic last minute of the series finale was conceived for one reason, and that is…the movie’s getting made! Here’s to “The Sopranos” making it to the silver screen.

In Closing

I had a total blast at this show and admit at the close during breakdown I went into my usual teary funk, which I dub PPQSD (read this post to learn more about this yet-to-be recognized DSM IV disorder). My solace is that Houston is a mere 10 weeks away! It can't come soon enough.

A special thanks to my sister-in-law, Sally Murray, and my niece, Lindsey Murray, for helping me during this show, and for making sure that Sunday night after we broke the booth down my PPQSD didn't get the best of me!

And Lastly, My Quandary...

My 20th high school reunion is (finally) taking place Saturday, October 17 in San Francisco. I have yet to make a high school reunion of mine, and with the onset of Facebook, I have reconnected (and laughed) with old friends I've lost touch with over the last 20 years. I have spent the last few months waffling, seriously considering leaving Houston early during Festival to fly to my hometown to attend my reunion, but in the end...I think... Houston wins. I just can't imagine missing any part of it. I hope you'll join me in making it a really joyous time!

**** 7/31 UPDATE

Judy Coates Perez wrote a few blog entries on Long Beach and posted some videos too! Click here to read her blog!

Louie, the Quilting Arts Wonder Doggie!

2009-07-08T18:52:00Z

I've been a little absent lately, but that's only because we're meeting a few deadlines. I will be back in full force soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to share a brief blog entry about Louie, that little Min Pin you see both in the digital subscription ads and in last year's QA GIFTS issue with his patchwork doggie jacket.

Yesterday, someone called our office wanting the dog on page 86.

"Huh? You mean you want a digital subscription?" asked a QA representative.

"No," the customer said. "I want the actual dog on page 86. How do I get him?"

"Um...the dog isn't for sale, that's John and Patricia's dog."

"Oh, well if it's Pokey's dog, then I'll never get him!"

Of course all of us in the office had a good laugh over this. And as much of a pain-in-the-you-know-what he can be, this little ankle biter/incessant yapper is mine. :-)

How do we get his head to tilt at such a drastic angle in the ads and in articles? It's pure bribery, and if you watch the clip below, you'll see what I mean. This video snippet was shot one late Sunday afternoon when I noticed the sun coming out (a bit of a shock to the system seeing we've had so much rain this summer). I couldn't help but put the computer away, take fabrics and paints outside, and grab my Flip video to capture how chilled we all were. A perfect day and there's nothing else I'd rather be doing:

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