This week has had a little bit of everything. Lectures, quilt show judging, packing, and quilting! Here is my weekly update for October 7.
Trunk Show
On Sunday I drove down to my old quilt guild, Rebecca’s Reel Quilters, in Middletown, NJ. I did a trunk show for them, showing off 3 large suitcases full of quilts. I’ve adjusted my theme, from just “My Quilting Journey” to “Quilting Lessons I have Learned”. It focuses on an assortment of my favorite quilts, along with some I’m not so proud of. I have put a lot of time into writing this lecture, and I can tell that audiences are enjoying it more. They seem engaged, ask questions, and laugh at the right places. I get a huge buzz from presenting, and my poor family has to listen to me relive every glorious moment for hours after I get back home.
If your quilt guild is looking for lectures, please send them to my trunk show and workshop page. I would love to present for you.
Monday was a hectic day. I finished off a couple of things on my longarm, worked on my blog and newsletter, and had my house pressure washed. We have a nice clean house exterior now, which I’m supposed to care about, as an adult property owner. I’m just happy that my pressure washer is not up to the job and I didn’t have to do it myself.
Judging
Tuesday night I drove 2 1/2 hours in the rain to Reading, Pennsylvania. I spent 5 hours working on college coursework, until I realized it was midnight and I needed to work the next day. Whoops! Wednesday was all about quilts, so many gorgeous quilts. I co-judged the 2022 Berks Quilters Guild show, and it was amazing and exhausting. My enthusiasm for judging waxes and wanes, but I have to say, I’m excited now. I really feel like encouraging quilters is my mission in life, and what better way than to judge a quilt show? I try to give quilters several positive comments, and one area that can use some improvement. I think we should all strive to be better, but I want to encourage improvement, not trample feelings.
Creative Hand Stitching Journey
I’m running behind on this project this month. I scrambled to get the lesson plan up on the community this week. Now I have to go through the stitches before our demonstration meeting. I’m looking forward to sitting down on Monday and doing my embroidery!
Business Decisions
I made some big decisions this week. One I will share with you, but the other I’m going to keep quiet for now. I’ve decided I won’t be applying to continue to be a brand ambassador for any fabric manufacturers going forward. While I do enjoy getting free fabric, the workload so often feels imbalanced to me. I think this is part of my growth as an artist or a business owner. These relationships I find that entail me working while someone else pays me in fabric really aren’t the healthiest ones for me. I want to work with companies and people who respect me, and demonstrate that respect by sharing the profits of our endeavors with me.
If you are interested in being a brand ambassador for a fabric manufacturer, go for it! As long as it is fun for you, do it. Once it stops being fun, move on. I noticed that Art Gallery Fabrics is looking for brand ambassadors this week. I wasn’t even tempted to fill out that form. I’m learning. My Creative Coach will be so proud.
Non-quilting
We drove to Florida! I’m in my Southern Studio for the next couple of weeks. We are still setting up our home here, so I’ll be meeting with contractors for little projects, I hope. The area outside of our neighborhood has been devastated. We haven’t ventured out yet – we don’t want to get in the way. So, the main thing I’ll be doing over the next couple of weeks is being patient and seeing what things I can get done now, and what I have to wait on. Luckily all of our projects are just cosmetic.
I hope you get to sew this week! I’ll be working on the latest version of my Rotation quilt, this time using my AccuQuilt system to make a scaled down block. It is already looking incredible in Allison Glass Kaleidoscope Wovens.
The view in the window is beautiful. Looks like a great place to sew. Go with whatever your heart tells you on being an ambassador
I’m glad your home in Florida is okay after Ian. Making business choices can be hard and exhilarating at the same time. I definitely can relate to the brand ambassador decision; there is definitely a time when it feels right and a time when we outgrow them. I see it as a sign of growth! 🙂
Glad all was well at your place in Florida. It is hard to give up somethings – and I rather agree on the ambassador programs – although some are less intense. I grew up in Reading PA, so fun that you were there to judge quilts. There are some fabulous quilters there – although my quilting started in NE. I love your approach, and hope the quilters appreciated your positive comments.