The Spring 2012 issue of NQA’s Quilting Quarterly arrived in my mailbox last week. It spent several days sitting on my desk before I opened it. Emblazoned across the top of the page 9 says “Quilting with No Fear,” and below is a picture of me. Oh, dear! Me? No fear? I try to be brave. I try to approach my art without fear, but I definitely haven’t arrived! In fact, over the last several months, I feel like my feet have been captured in concrete and I can’t break free. I have an idea in my mind, but haven’t touched the fabric yet. I keep thinking, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week.
I do actively encourage people to experiment. “It’s just a piece of fabric,” I tell them. “You can always throw it away if you don’t like it.” Yes, I’ve thrown away my share of failures. Or, sometimes, I stuff them in a drawer. Hide the evidence! What is it inside of an artist that makes her want to try again? I do! I will! I must! Keep me accountable ๐
Also in the same issue is a very nice article on the Lost Quilt Come Home website. It is one of my special projects, created in 1999 when one of my own quilts was lost during shipment. The website displays hundreds of lost and stolen quilts. Hopefully, some of them will be reunited with their rightful owners. The website also has numerous articles on ways to protect your quilts, and hopefully prevent anything from happening to them. If you haven’t explored the website yet, I hope you will soon.
In case you didn’t know, I will be teaching six half day workshops at the upcoming 2012 National Quilting Association show in Columbus, Ohio (hence, the very nice articles!). The classes I’ll be teaching are:
- Thursday morning, June 14 โ #623 Drawn and Painted Portraits
- Thursday afternoon, June 14 โ #643 Perspective for Quilters
- Friday morning, June 15 โ #723 Fused Applique Portraits
- Friday afternoon, June 15 โ #743 โ Quilting Your Portrait
- Saturday morning, June 16 โ #825 Playful Portraits
- Saturday afternoon, June 16 โ #845 Color in Quiltmaking
If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll consider taking a class. You can download a registration form from the NQA website. Or, if you’re at the show, be sure to stop by and say hi!