Remember that awful quicksand from old movies, that once a man (usually a guide taking someone through the dangerous jungle) stepped one step too many and found himself in oatmeal-looking soil that sucked him down to the bowels of the earth? Even the handsome hero throwing him a tree vine to pull himself out with never worked. He just got sucked down anyway. MYTHBUSTERS recently had a show dedicated to finding out whether quicksand was real or not, that recalled those old movies to mind.

I’m in quicksand — quilting quicksand. But it’s pretty cool, not the oatmeal stuff. I have 62 quilts at my house that belong to other people. I feel like running and jumping into the middle of them so I can be totally surrounded in quilt-smelling quilts. You know what I mean. Quilts have a smell all their own, a heavenly smell of fabric and batting and love. Oh, maybe that’s where I can make my million — quilt cologne! Nah, it would never sell as well as turkey dinner perfume or mom’s apple pie after shave.

I am drowning in a sea of quilts! It’s wonderful. I got a final count today of the quilts that will be in ‘A Bountiful Harvest” quilt show — 321!! Isn’t that great?! I am reading the entry forms like a good book, internalizing the stories and poring over pictures of ALL THOSE QUILTS. I can hardly wait to begin delivering, sorting and hanging all of these jewels that have been entrusted into the care of an army of fellow quilters.

We will be in our element on Wednesday, as we hang each precious quilt. We get to touch them over and over again, as we arrange, hang and label each quilt. I’m delirious even thinking about it.

This week will fly by in a flurry of activity and all too soon, we will be driving away from an empty building, returning quilts to their owners. I know all too well what it feels like to be the one to turn out the lights and close the door behind me after everything has been taken down. It’s like a christmas tree lot the day after Christmas.

But in between, the show itself is worthy of every phone call, typed word, interrupted sleep, pricked finger, volunteer schedule, too much fast food, and crumpled programs. This show is going to be something else. It will be awe inspiring, breathtaking, and down right amazing.

And I hope that you will get to experience it. See you there!

Annie

There are creative ideas swirling in the air over San Jose. I will talk about two of them who happen to coincide. They are both quilting related — my favorite subject (hee, hee…)

I’ve spent the better part of this last year with one foot in the boat, one on the dock about where to teach classes. My current store location has been showing signs of wearing out my welcome, and if I remain there I will wear out too. I have looked at every possibility where teaching classes are concerned and couldn’t find anything that met my criteria. There is a lot to choose from, but too many restrictions and I won’t teach where students can’t be comfortable.
Two solutions landed in my lap. It’s funny how a need presents itself and the solution finds a sneaky way of clicking in place.

I have been approached by students to have a “drop-in” class where they can come and work on any project they want and get help. Because a store location is restricted by its’ class schedule, and spaces to rent are 1.) hard to find in the location that is most convenient, 2.) so expensive to rent it’s ridiculous and 3.) community centers, which would be ideal, are already full with wonderful classes, I had to find something that would be a good compromise.
It was my husband who suggested that I offer classes at home. (Isn’t he a keeper?!) Having had parties in our home, I knew how I could set up the area and how many I could fit without people feeling cramped. I sent out an email, letting the students who asked me to do the drop-in know that I would offer the class on certain dates for a maximum of five students. I started on Tuesday, with one student. By Wednesday morning, I had four reservations for the next class and was setting up to have my regular Wednesday night class at home because we had gotten bumped by the store!
One year ago, there was a group of us who bought kits for a “Yellow Brick Road” quilt and have tried all year to get together to make them. So, on Friday night, four of the five original group members had class at my house, catered by Chef Guy. This is how my husband supports my “habit”: BBQ Beer-can chicken, sauteed asparagus and carrots in Guy’s special sauce, and Asiago sourdough garlic bread — yum yum. Oh yeah, he’s a keeper. Did I mention that he did the dishes after we ate? Good food and an evening of getting together with friends to do what we love best – quilting – was wonderful.
The experiences that I had this week holding three classes in my home made me realize that this could be a good thing. I really enjoyed having quilters working and conversing in my home. I loved the Friday night dinner-and-quilt so much that I think I am going to offer it on a quarterly basis. I’m already thinking what our next project could be and I can tell you that it is going to be an original project, and that Guy will cook again!

Happy quilting!

Annie

p.s. If you are looking for a quick holiday gift for someone you love, the Yellow Brick Road goes together pretty easily. It is perfect for your fat quater stash! One caution: if you are making a quilt larger than the small Crib size, you will want to look at the pattern introduction, which tells you to make multiples of what the actual written instructions say! The pattern instructions do not remind you to make as many as you need for the size that you are making!

I’m bummed. The Giants lost the race for the Wildcard. I will be in mourning until February 14th. The pall won’t be lifted because of Valentine’s Day but because that is the day that Giant’s pitchers report for Spring training.
You didn’t believe it when I said I was a die-hard Giants fan, did ya?

One of these days, I am going to make a Giants quilt. I saw a great one back in 1995 at Pacific International Quilt Festival, otherwise known as PIQF. It was an opportunity quilt that you could buy tickets for and one lucky person would be the winning ticket. I was sure that it was going to be me, and they never called me! I’ve never been so disappointed in all my life. It was a great quilt — deeply coveted. It was of a baseball diamond with players, fans and baseball facts on it. It had Dave Dravecky’s signature on the pitcher’s mound. He lost his pitching arm to bone cancer when he was in his prime. He was then and still is a real “stand-up” kind of guy. The Jewish have a word for a guy like him – “mensch” which means a real honest-to-goodness genuine man. A real life hero.

I still covet that quilt. I would like to see it again one day and just get a picture of it that I could look at once in awhile. When I go to PIQF on Thursday, I’m going to ask around at the guilds that will be there to see if I can find out who won it so maybe I can get that picture. The guilds will all have new opportunity quilts this year, and I will buy tickets and they will not call me this year either. I have no doubt. But I do love to support the guilds and I love their quilts. Here is a picture of a beautiful opportunity quilt that I didn’t take the opportunity to buy a ticket for at last year’s PIQF, much to my regret.

Ok, so a few days later…

PIQF has come and gone. It was a great show this year! I took 221 pictures of quilts and quilt detail that I want to remember. I bought tickets for two Opportunity quilts that I just couldn’t pass up. I have acquiesced that I am helping to support their quild because I still know, even as I was filling out the ticket, that I will not win. It’s ok.

Now my focus will be turned to another quilt show, “A Bountiful Harvest” which is just 2 1/2 weeks away. Sometimes I sign off my emails with this optimistic verse “Turning up the heat as I sit on the burner”, which is what I am going to do first thing tomorrow morning. All of the entry forms are in for the quilt show, so now starts the sorting part to figure out where they will be displayed. This is the part that I live for. How else would I be able to be immersed in other people’s beautiful quilts?
It will take us 4 days to set up the show and 3 hours to take it down. It doesn’t seem fair does it?

I will add pictures from PIQF shortly that were inspiring. I spent three days there and by Saturday I saw quilts that I would have sworn were just added to the show. I don’t know how I missed them on my eighth lap around the building, but I did! I actually voted for my favorite quilt this year. It was #1112.

“Tree of Life” was made by Judy Coates Perez depicts Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. She won First place for Machine Quilting. You may have missed this fabulous quilt. It was on the back wall of the main show room. It’s not very big — maybe 36 x 45. The thing that made it so spectacular is that it is a “whole cloth” quilt, meaning one piece of fabric. She painted every single bit of detail, making it look like it was patchwork and applique, putting print into the different colors she used for the “fabric”. She then quilted in fine detail with gold thread — extremely difficult to stitch with. The piece is a masterpiece work.
I always come away from PIQF thinking, “I’m not worthy” and conversely “Next year, I am going to have a quilt to enter!”. Did you come away from the show thinking that maybe you could enter? You should… there were many quilts in the show done by locals who are just like you. Think about it.

Happy quilting!!

Annie