Fiberquest

'Where Ya At?' is something you hear a lot of in New Orleans. Translation: whassup? how are you doing? where've you been? (Yes, a blog gives you the license to create your own contractions). :-)

Over the past couple of months I've been on the road a bit, and gearing up for classes I'm taking and teaching this summer. I went to the Spring IQF (International Quilt Festival) in Chicago, and I was surprised to see how many classes I could still get into at the last minute. Class attendance seemed lighter, but attendance was heavy as usual.

I had the opportunity to hook up with (one day I might have to change that phrase, as it doesn't mean what it used to apparently!) some African American quilting buddies that I only see when I get the chance to check into my African American Quilters group on Yahoo! We plan a lunch on the Saturday of the show every year, and spend the time catching up. The photo was taken by Jeanette Walton's camera (so she could be in the picture).

Upon my return from Chicago, I headed off to Paducah, KY for the AQS show. What made this show different and wonderful was the fact that the whole town was part of it. Paducah is, indeed, Quilt City USA. From Hancock to the National Quilt Museum, to Caryl Bryer Fallert and Eleanor Burns, everyone is all in. My only complaint, and it is a huge one, is the HORRIBLE execution of the shuttle bus. If you have your own transportation, I strongly urge you to use it. Otherwise, you will subject yourself to long waits, blank stares instead of answers, and less of the show surroundings because of a tight schedule. I was also amazed at the number of residents who had never been to a show. If I had thousands of people descending upon my tiny town like locusts, I think I'd make it my business to find out why. Go figure. I'd also train the hospitality industry a wee bit more. I had an inept Group Manager cancel my group booking, and then have the temerity to tell me she "probably should have called me". If you want to know who, and what hotel you should avoid if you want to skip that nightmare, email me, and I'll tell all. ;-) All in all, the Paducahns make you welcome, and if you are a quilter, Paducah is a trip you should complete once in your lifetime.

When one thing happens to throw me off track, it is usually followed by a series of unexpected events. You know what I mean...a family emergency, elder care issues, LIFE in general?

While I have not been posting regularly (shame, shame), I have less guilt than most because I have been actively doing quilt related things. Here's the catchup:

I thought, when we (Quilters of Color Network of NY) went to Kingsborough Community College (Brooklyn, NY) in February that we would be talking to ourselves, and explaining the art of quilting to the few stragglers passing by. Was I ever pleasantly surprised. We had engaging, thoughtful conversations about quilting with a number of students and staff. One of our volunteers that thought to bring a small machine, and once we let the visitors sit down and sew....WOW. The effect was magic. The ability to sew, even for a little while, speaks to creativity, to accomplishment, to empowerment. We were all very glad we went, and special thanks go to Joanne Meyers at the school for organizing the event. We can't wait to go back!

I have completed my first full guild presentation...well actually my second. Over the years, I have been an active member of four guilds, and one online group. In addition to that, I have a sewing background. As a result I have amassed an extraordinary amount of quilting, sewing, and home dec stuff, plus the tips to go with it. In January, I showed to Empire Quilters my method of creating a database to keep you from buying duplicates of stuff you already thought was necessary to have and then forget about. ;-) The presentation I did for Garden State Quilters was called Night of 1,001 Tips. Despite some technical difficulties, I managed to keep a room of quilters interested without showing a single quilt. The tips were broken into categories: Acquisitions, Saving Money, Sewing & Pressing, Tool Tips, and the Zen of Quilting. I also included some exercises (which we actually did), because everyone needs to remember the most critical tool in the quilting room is YOU.

I am the trips host for Empire, and we have made two excursions this year: Winterthur, and the Quiltfest of NJ. Winterthur was exquisite, with small group private tours; we will surely go back. QFNJ was our first show of the year, and we were glad to get out of the city to see some of the creative pieces as well as shop. The next trip is our Paducah adventure. It is the first trip for many of us, and to say we are psyched is an understatement. I will have the computer in tow to share some daily blogging.

Lastly, two of my quilts are being displayed in the show that Empire is doing this weekend (setup was yesterday, and surprisingly, after 8 hours of lifting, reaching, walking, I am not aching...(thank you Zumba!). If you can get to NYC March 21 or 22, please come and see some awesome works of art. Show information is on the Empire site (see link above).

Now you are caught up....I am still catching my breath!