Pokey : Make It University

International Quilt Festival/ Houston Recap!

Pokey — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:00:00 GMT

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

Pokey — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:24:00 GMT

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!)

Pokey — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:07:00 GMT

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!

Pokey — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:24:00 GMT

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

Pokey — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:32:00 GMT

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!

Recap of International Quilt Festival/ Long Beach

Pokey — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:34:00 GMT

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:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

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:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

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!

Quilting Arts Uncensored and Make It University! at International Quilt Festival/Long Beach

Pokey — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:13:00 GMT

OK, Everybody! It's time to take the “Quilting Arts Uncensored: The Stuff You're Not Supposed to Know” Quiz!

Are you ready? Which of the following statements is true?

A. For the very first Quilting Arts calendar we published in 2001, the printer mistakenly flipped a couple of the images for the months, so that the Thanksgiving turkey for November ended up appearing on the month of March. When I pointed out the error to the printer, they first argued that, indeed, turkeys are around during the month of March, and so therefore it wasn't really necessary to reprint all 5,000 copies.

B. Back in the day when it was just my sister-in-law, Sally, and me, and Quilting Arts was run out of my house, Sally was so upset after fielding her first disgruntled subscriber call, she burst into tears and sobbed, "But she was so mean to me!" (You've come a long way, Sally!)

C. After 9/11, instead of flying from Boston to Houston for the International Quilt Festival, my other sister-in-law, Ann-Marie and I thought a more prudent option was to drive a Winnebago down to Texas. While driving along the Interstate in Tennessee, we ignored the weather advisory on the radio warning about tornadoes in the area, and with tornado-force winds and golf-ball-sized hail pounding the Winnebago, we hugged each other, called our husbands, and told them we were going to die. Minutes later when the storm passed, we drove to Wal•Mart, bought Abba's Greatest Hits, a 12-pack of Smirnoff Ice, and spent the night in the parking lot.

D. Someone called me once to tell me they were stopping their magazine subscription because Quilting Arts had become too pagan.

E. I got a letter from a viewer of Quilting Arts TV, telling me that her hair looks better when she rolls out of bed in the morning than my hair does on set.

F. All of the above are true.

If you picked F, congratulations, you are right! To hear more whacky stories about what it was like to launch Quilting Arts Magazine® and Cloth Paper Scissors®, and to be in the running for some great door prizes, come join me for my luncheon in Long Beach at the International Quilt Festival on Thursday, July 23. Details can be found on the Quilts, Inc., website.

*****

Below is the list of Make It University!™ Workshops with Cloth Paper Scissors being offered at International Quilt Festival/ Long Beach. We have a fabulous lineup of artists so I hope you'll come and join us Friday, July 24–Sunday, July 26.

Above: Stamps by Alisa Burke

Make It University!™ with Cloth Paper Scissors® Workshops

These workshops will be taught by exhibitors and artists in the Make It University!™ with Cloth Paper Scissors pavilion, with a maximum of 25 people per session. The fee for each workshop is $10, and workshop participation will be determined by lottery. Each workshop will have its own lottery. The lottery will open for each workshop the day the workshop is given, and people may put their name in each workshop lottery jar from the time the show opens that day up until 15 minutes prior to the start of the workshop. Participants may put their name in each workshop lottery only once, but may put their name in as many different workshop lotteries as they choose. People must be physically present 15 minutes prior to the start of the workshop to hear if their name is called. If the person isn’t present, unfortunately their spot will be forfeited and another name will be called.

Thursday (Preview Night)

5:30–6:30 Metal Meanders

Create a unique card with soft metal. Emboss, paint, distress, and hand-stitch.

—Beryl Taylor, Cloth Paper Scissors®

7:00–7:30 Make It University!™ Mixed-media and Fiber Art Raffle

Stop by and put your name in the raffle for free mixed-media and fiber supplies!

––Hosted by Pokey Bolton, Cloth Paper Scissors®

8:00–9:00 Hand-carved Stamps
Why purchase all of your stamps when you can make some yourself! Learn a variety of unique ways to make your very own handmade stamps with easy-to-use materials.

—Alisa Burke, Cloth Paper Scissors®

Friday

10:30–11:30 Ficklestick Jewelry

Create a daisy necklace or bracelet of choice using a variety of fabrics and wire.

Diana Taylor, Stickball–Home of Ficklesticks

12:00–1:00 Mixed-media Scroll

Create a small wall hanging with fabric, felt, screening, and more. Paint, stamp, stitch, and then add sleeves and chop sticks, top and bottom, for fun.

—Jamie Fingal, Cloth Paper Scissors®

1:30–2:30 “Wish You Were Here” Mixed-media Postcard

Combine cloth, paper, Lutradur®, and a variety of mark-making tools to create a keepsake from Long Beach.

—Leslie Jenison, Cloth Paper Scissors®

3:00–4:00 ATCs, Organza, ATCs: Oh my!

Create artist trading cards with freezer paper and silk organza. Learn about resists, paints, and glues while making some awesome ATCs.

—Melanie Testa, Cloth Paper Scissors®

4:30–5:30 Fanciful Felted Fruits

Create felted wool balls and then transform them into colorful decorative fruit ornaments using scraps of wool felt and colorful embroidery floss.

—Judy Coates Perez, Cloth Paper Scissors®

6:00–7:00 Resin Jewelry and Much More

Embed quilt art or interesting fabrics, paper, buttons, or beads to create resin pieces that can be used for pins, magnets, and more.

—Fran Valera, Little Windows™

Saturday

10:15–11:15 “Treasure Heart”

Create a greeting card or a small wall hanging with fabric, a padded silk heart, hand stitching, and beads.

— Beryl Taylor, Cloth Paper Scissors®

11:45–12:45 Living Postcards
Make it simple or make it rich; create a postcard-sized tableau. Scratch, draw, and carve into the surface, apply fabrics, stamps, and collage for texture.

—Rebecca Stuart, Stuart Gill, Ltd

1:15–2:15 Playing with Zap Cloth

Create a base for embellishment. Learn to use pure pigment dyes, layer metallic paints, and adhere zap cloth to a velvet base.

—Barbara Matthiessen, Earth Safe Finishes

2:45–3:45 Creative Cuff
Create a cuff bracelet from painted fabric, buttons, canvas, and an assortment of non-traditional, recycled materials.

—Alisa Burke, Cloth Paper Scissors®

4:00–5:00 Metal Magic: You Can Stitch Through Metal!

Work with Grungeboard™, metal, transfers, paints, and stitch to create fun, little pieces of art.

—Judy Coates Perez, Cloth Paper Scissors®

5:30–7:00 Surviving the Runway, ‘60s Style: The Ultimate Creative Challenge with Cloth Paper Scissors®. Join Pokey as we go back to the days of The Beatles and The Beach Boys and participate in a Flower Power mixed-media challenge that will leave you in stitches. Wonderful assortment of prizes, including art quilting and collage books, DVDs, threads, and tools given to those who survive the runway!

— Pokey Bolton, Cloth Paper Scissors®

Sunday

10:30–11:30 Traveling Art Box

Decorate a small tin box, fill it with accordion-folded paper, and be ready to create art on-the-go, or have your art samples at the ready.

—Jamie Fingal, Cloth Paper Scissors®

12:00–1:00 Easy Graffiti!

Learn about graffiti and tons of graffiti-inspired techniques that can be applied to fabric, paper, and mixed-media projects.

—Alisa Burke, Cloth Paper Scissors®

The 2010 Cloth Paper Scissors Calendar Artists are...

Pokey — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:55:00 GMT

With the help of attendees who voted at Make It University! at International Quilt Festival/Chicago, the following artists' work will grace the pages of the 2010 "Life is Like a Box of _______" calendar, available this summer.

Congratulations to:

Danielle M. Tworek, Hopkinton, NH

“Life is Like Box of #2 Pencils”

Linda Trenholm, Las Vegas, NV

“Life is Like a Box of Crayons”

Andrea Manard, Memphis, TN

“Life is Like a Box of Corks”

Madalyn Bruning of Bellevue, NE

“Life is Like a Box of Watercolors”

Jean Brown of Elgin, IL

“Life is Like a Box of Tools”

Susan Minier of Highland Hills, NY

“Life is Like a Box of Magic”

Leilani Pierson of Chicago, IL

“Life is Like a Box of Whims”

Lou McCulloch of Medina, OH

“Life is Like a Box of Quilt Squares”

Megan Halsey of Landsdowne, PA

“Life is Like a Box of Beach”

Michelle Pulver Feldman of Stamford, CT

“Life is Like a Box of Paint”

Lynne Redmond of Greensboro, NC

“Life is Like a Box of Gorgeous Autumn Leaves”

Lorna Orkin of Houston, TX

Life is Like a Box of Inspiration”

Mary Beth Volpini of Newport Beach, CA

“Life is Like a Box of Fortune Cookies”

Congratulations to all of you! Our staff will be in touch with you later this month to follow up.

For those who would like a sneak peek of the 2010 CPS calendar, below are a couple of detail shots taken by Larissa Davis of Leilani Pierson's and Andrea Manard's entries respecitively.

'80s Prom Night at Make It University!™ Chicago

Pokey — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 02:23:00 GMT

A video recap of '80s Prom Night at Make It University!™ at International Quilt Festival Chicago.

Enjoy!

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Survey Says: Most Popular Fruit or Veggie for 2010 Calendar Contest

Pokey — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:38:00 GMT

Winners of the Sidewinders

To recap, last week I asked you which fruit or vegetable was the most popular entry depicted in thread and fabric for our "Fresh Picked" 2010 Quilting Arts Calendar contest.

The five choices I gave were:

Apples
Pears
Tomatoes
Oranges
Pumpkins

If you answered pears, congratulations, you are correct!

The following five people are lucky winners of a SideWinder Bobbin Winder by Wrights. Just think of all the time you will save and all of the additional sewing and quilting you can accomplish with the aid of this nifty little tool!

Congratulations to:

Shelly R. Sessions
Carolyn Howland
Jill Williams
Mary K. McGraw
Diana Cruz

Please email your full shipping address to Diana Theriault and in the subject line write SIDEWINDER BLOG WINNER. Enjoy!

A special thanks to Simplicity Creative Group for donating the Sidewinders!

While We're in Chicago

Just an FYI that I will be Tweeting from the show floor at Make It University!(TM) at International Quilt Festival/Chicago as well as posting pictures to my Facebook account. When I return, I will load albums and stories onto this blog. (And if insomnia strikes while I'm away--and I hope it doesn't--maybe I'll post to the blog from the hotel.)

Hope to see many of you in Chicago!

Breaking news! Sneak peek for Saturday night at Make It University!(TM) next week...

Pokey — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:49:00 GMT

I don't mean to bury the latest QA blog giveaway post with the announcement of the 2010 Quilting Arts Calendar Finalists, but much of our editorial team is rather focused on getting ready for Chicago next week for the International Quilt Festival/Chicago.

To entice you to join us in Rosemont, I offer you this...

(Please visit the site to view this media)

International Quilt Festival/Chicago is next week!

Pokey — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:35:00 GMT

I love this time of year. When April comes around, it means one kind of sock season is officially over (bye bye boots, hellooooo sandals), and another type of sock season officially begins!

It also means it's time for the International Quilt Festival/ Chicago, and below are some of the highlights for Make It University:

Preview Night
We'll be hosting our own quilter's stimulus package as we raffle off fabric bundles, notions, and books. All you have to do is put your name in the cookie jar at MIU and be present if your name is called.

QA TV Taping on Saturday in Make It University!
Want to see what it takes to put these segments together? Come by and watch!

Workshops and Open Studios
From Preview night through Sunday afternoon, we'll be hosting mixed-media workshops and artists in Open Studios.

Voting for the Cloth Paper Scissors 2010 Calendar
We're leaving it up to you what appears in our 2010 Cloth Paper Scissors calendar. Come vote for your top three favorite entries!

Piece by Linda Trenholm

Take 'Em or Leave 'Em Artist Trading Card Exchange
Bring as many ATCs as you want to trade out. Trading hours open all day/ every day. Below are five I made late last night, and yes, they feature mice. I have a huge fear of them so I made these ATCs as a form of confrontational therapy!

All of the information for Make It University! can be found on this web page:

Make It University in Chicago

Information on International Quilt Festival/ Chicago:

International Quilt Festival/Chicago

Hope to see you,

Pokey

Life's a Beach Challenge Results

Pokey — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:36:00 GMT

Apparently I am not the only one counting down the minutes until summer because we received more than 280 submissions for our "Life's a Beach!" Cloth Paper Scissors reader challenge. Submissions ranged from altered surf boards and flip-flops to assemblages and journal-quilt-sized art quilts (and quite a number of them).

The following artists should ship their artwork to us per the challenge guidelines published in the magazine to be considered for inclusion in our July/August issue of Cloth Paper Scissors and/or to be exhibited at Make It University! at the International Quilt Festival/Long Beach this upcoming July:

Kristin Beason (both entries)
Shirle Bedient
Michelle Bonds
Dale Cornwell
Dan Daniels
Mina Doerner
Donna Funnell
Marcia Kerbl
Jan Harris
Lynn Kunz
Dot Lewallen
Laura McCabe
Lisa Jones Moore
Andrea Parr
Lynne Redmond
Gina Smith
Carolyn Sutton ("Go Fly a Kite")

There were a number of other entries that were very intriguing, and we're going to get in touch with these artists for other publishing opportunities. Thanks to everyone for playing along and dreaming of summer. Hope everyone enjoyed the challenge!

You be the judge! Announcing the finalists for our 2010 Cloth Paper Scissors Calendar Contest

Pokey — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:24:00 GMT

Thanks to everyone who participated in our first-ever calendar contest for Cloth Paper Scissors. Interpretations for the theme, “Life is a box of______”, ran the gamut but the most popular responses illustrated with thread, glue, paper, and ephemera were:
1. Life is a box of crayons
2. Life is a box of yo-yo’s
3. Life is a box of art supplies

Some took the challenge more metaphorically while others did a play on words. All of them delighted our staff, and we congratulate the following finalists!

Congratulations to:
Brown, Jean
Bruning, Madalyn
Feldman, Michele Pulver
Gatto, Peggy
Halsey, Megan
Manard, Andrea
McCulloch, Lou (both entries)
Minier, Susan (“Wild Tulips”)
Nelson-Johnson, Linda
Orkin, Lorna (“Box of Inspiration”)
Pierson, Leilani
Redmond, Lynne
Trenholm, Linda
Tworek, Danielle
Volpini, Mary Beth

Please refer to the entry rules for shipping your artwork to us. Any questions, please email Barbara Delaney at bdelaney@interweave.com.

Help us choose the final 13!

We will be bringing all of the finalists’ entries with us to Chicago to Make It University!™ at the International Quilt Festival. There, we will have a voting system in place for you to vote on your favorite pieces for inclusion in our 2010 calendar.

To find out all of the details for Make It University!™ click the link below.

Make It University! at International Quilt Festival in Chicago

The Last of the Behind-the-scenes Shots for QA TV

Pokey — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:17:00 GMT

As promised, one final posting on the behind-the-scenes action from this latest taping of Quilting Arts TV!

Below is the changing area in the green room, separated by a plywood wall. (At least we have the wall!) Anybody who set up their materials on this side of the room got a bit of a view if the person changing wasn't careful. ;-)

Some of our guests: Lyric Kinard, Shelly Stokes, Sue Kelly, and Joyce Drexler

Below Terry White and I are preparing for her segment. Do you see what I am sitting on? Terry wasn't that much taller than me so I only needed one phone book for a booster seat. (In most instances it was two!)

While some of us were busy on set, others were showing off their varied talents in the green room. Below are Terry White and Melanie Testa as they broke out in song. (I'll give you props if you can figure out what tune this is!)

Jeanne Delpit and I with the Bernina 440 on Saturday afternoon, just after the taping wrapped up. You can tell by our exuberant smiles that we were pretty darn happy with how everything turned out.

Helen Gregory and I had a couple of hours Saturday afternoon before our flight took off, so guess where we went...

Yes, back to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

I hope you enjoyed some of the behind-the-scenes posts for QA TV and got a glimpse of our experience taping. For those heading to Chicago for the Spring International Quilt Festival, we'll be taping in the Make It University!(TM) area for the following series of QA TV. Hope to see you, and thanks for reading!

It's good to be home...